How
to Silkscreen Print Textiles
Now that we’ve covered the origins of screen printing and defined exactly what we mean by screen printing, let’s move on to the minimum requirements to produce your first screen printed image. By the way, you can do this! Don’t be nervous! The fist, number one, most important rule of screen printing is that you must move the squeegee in one smooth, consistent stroke! The most common error people make when starting out is that they are too unsure of themselves to just grab that squeegee and bear down and pull! Changes in speed or pressure with the squeegee turn into visible patterns in the ink you are putting on the shirt. The process works, trust me. Just let it work, and don’t worry about trying to micro-manage the ink flow. Having said that, let’s get some supplies! Here is what you’ll need to do a basic, one color print on a Tshirt. You’ll need: A press – something to hold the screen ‘in
register’ above the shirt. Try teeshirtprinters.com’s presses
for their rock-solid construction, low cost and usability features. A screen – These are available with wodden or aluminum frames.
Start with wood. The aluminum ones are more expensive, but you can replace
the fabric in them easily. Wooden screens have the screen glued in and
are not truly replaceable. Even so, I would recommend wood to start
with. You can reuse the screen many times and using wood screens will
lower your startup costs. Buy a 110 mesh, 19 x 21 screen. Cost:________________ Scoop Coater – this tool is used to evenly coat the screen with
emulsion. Don’t be tempted to skimp here – buy a danged
good one, and keep it clean. It is absolutely vital, especially for
beginners, that your scoop coater helps you apply the emulsion. Cheap
coaters work against you. Ryan Screen Supply offers scoop coaters custom
cut to your size. They also include a cover so the emulsion left over
in the coater can be sealed in for next use. Buy a 14 or 15 inch scoop
coater with lid. Drying Box for Screen – You need a large, light tight box to
dry the screen in. You can build a fancy one if you like, or even buy
one from a screen supply store. For just starting out, I recommend a
far easier and cheaper alternative: Use a big box. You need to dry the
screen in a flat or horizontal manner, so the box must have inner dimensions
larger than the outer dimension of the screen you use. Where do you
get a box? You can try moving companies and U-haul outlets, or your
local printing paper supplier. Depending on where you live, look in
the phone book for companies like RIS, Johnston Papers, Unisource, or
XpedX. Call them, and ask to buy a ’23 x 35 paper carton’
that is several inches deep (4 or more). They may have boxes that they
repackage paper orders in, or have cartons paper came in from the mill.
If that fails try a medium-sized print shop. You can get any box that
will work from wherever you can find it, but I like the boxes for paper,
because they are very sturdy and hold up well. Positive Film of the artwork to be printed – I explain later
on that you don’t need to have film positives made, but to figure
a realistic maximum startup cost, let’s say you need to have a
13 x 18 positive made at your local print shop. Have the art output
as a positive with the emulsion up when the film is right reading. If
you don’t understand what that means, tell your print shop person
that fact up front. They will understand what you need if you tell them
you are silkscreening and need your art “output with the emulsion
side right reading”. The most you should pay for this service
is $20. Exposure Source (Bright Light) – Emulsion is exposed by ultraviolet, or UV, light. Daylight will work, but for twenty bucks Home Depot will sell you a 500-watt halogen worklight that is identical to the ones sold in many ‘startup’ kits. This is a good investment! 1 – 500 Watt Halogen Worklight - $21-22.00 with tax (Home Depot, Lowe’s, etc.)
Cost - $20.00 Styrofoam or Floral Foam – You need to support the screen from the ‘Squeegee Side’ when you burn it, and Styrofoam makes a great support. Get Styrofoam that is ½” or so taller than your screen frame (probably 2½” will do) and nearly the same size as the inside of the screen (mesh only; the screen will be supported on the Styrofoam by the mesh area only. The frame will not be in contact with the Styrofoam and will be ½” above the table when burning.) If you can’t find Styrofoam at a craft store, try using floral foam. It tends to be crumbly, so get a piece of poster board to cover the floral foam with. Really try to use Styrofoam. 16 x 18 x 2½” styrofoam - $5.00 with tax (craft store)
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