How Long Do I Expose My Screen For?
This is a question I get a lot. Any my answer is, That depends. Many things factor into the equation of how long to expose the screen for like, screen mesh, type and age of emulsion, type of lamps in the exposure unit, how old that lamps are, and the list goes on. So what to do? You need to do a step wedge test. A step wedge test is basicaly exposing the screen for a few different times and seeing which time produced the best image on wash out. There are a few ways to do this test. The expensive way is to buy a test strip for $30 bucks which is a piece of transparency that has a gradient of darker shades. The benefit of this test is you only have to expose once and the strip lets different levels of light hit the screen.
The cheap way to do a test wedge. Take construction paper and do 4-5 different exposures. Move the paper to expose more of the image each time. At the end you will have 4-5 different exposure times. Just pick the one that washes out the best and there ya go.
Filed Under Screen Print How To | 3 Comments
10 Tips For Applying Emulsion On A Screen
When you grab your scoop coater your mission is to create a gasket in which ink will pass through the screen and create a clean crisp image on your t-shirt. many people over look the basics and the output shows it. The reason we coat the screen is two fold. Number one is we want to create a coating that will block the ink so it doesn’t go through where we don’t want it to. Second, we want to have crisp lines around the art work.
Allot of screen printers don’t follow the basics and create allot of grief for themselves including pin holes and emulsion breaking down during the print run. Sure, they are coating screens and getting by but, they could be producing better screens in a much more efficient way. I have put together 10 points to remember when coating your screens for screen printing.
- Make sure you are using the right screen for the type of ink you are using and the item you are printing on.
- The screen tension is tight. Tight screens will give you better prints and constancy.
- Degrease the screens with “Simple Green” or a similar degreaser.
- make sure the screen is completely dry prior to coating.
- Mix your emulsion 2 hours prior to coating you screen. This will let air bubbles bleed out so you don’t get pin holes.
- Use the sharp edge of your scoop coater.
- Coat the squeegee side of the screen first and then the t-shirts side.
- Do one coat on each side. Some people have other methods which involve more coats but this is what I do.
- Dry your screen t-shirt side down.
- make sure your screen is completely dry before you start printing.
I hope these tips help. I didn’t go into much detail here but I may break them out in more detail in future posts.
as always, if you don’t have the book “How to Print T-Shirts for Fun and Profit! By: Scott Fresener” you should pick it up.
Have Fun..
Steve
Filed Under Screen Print How To | 4 Comments
Epson R1800 Printer For Art Transparencies
R1800 Printer
For the past couple of years I have been using a Epson Stylus Photo R1800 Inkjet Printer
The Ink:
The ink supplied with the printer is great for picture printing but not for screen printing art. It also will burn through a stock ink cartridge in no time. I installed a bulk ink system from ScreenPrinters.Net. The bulk ink is allot more economical and is formulated for the special transparency material you print on.
The R1800 has since been discontinued and replaced by the Epson Stylus Pro 3800 Printer
). Also I don’t see the bulk ink system available for it yet.
If you want a great printer I would pick up a new R1800 or try to find a used one, you won’t be sorry.
Filed Under Equipment, Screen Printing | 6 Comments
Exposure Unit F20T12-BL UV Lamps
Exposure Unit Lamps Lit
I have gotten many emails about the lamps used in my home built exposure unit. I should probably write up a FAQ some day. Anyways, the lamps are a special unfiltered black light. The designation is F20T12-BL. These lamps don’t block UV rays like the ones you buy in the store. The emulsion you coat your screens with is sensitive to UV. When the emulsion is exposed to UV it will cure or harden. The art work blocks the UV and that area will wash out. That is the reason you need a good black art image in order to block the UV entirely.
The black lights you buy at the Walmart, filter the UV out. The UV is what we need to expose our screens so you you would end up with your image washing out.
I have heard of people using plant grow lights sold in the garden department. They will have a lower uv level and I don’t know how they will work.
So, to get the good lamps, you need to goto the local lighting supply or check out: http://www.1000bulbs.com/F20T12/1246/
Filed Under Screen Printing | 1 Comment
Silk Screen Printing – Top 10 Resources
Shared by Steve
Screen printing resources and tutorials
Success in creating your own t-shirts or screen printed items can depend a lot on getting the details just right. The following resources looks at the different techniques available in designing and creating memorable t-shirts, that you can be proud of.
-
No Media Kings
-
Stencil Revolution
-
Fecal Face
-
CraftGrrl
-
Instructables
-
T-shirt Forums
-
Dakini
-
Reuels
-
EHow
-
SilkscreenBiz
This is a great walk through on silkscreen preparation and printing for t-shirts and posters. If there is resource you want to save (besides Screensilk.com), it is this one.
This tutorial deals with printing up low cost t-shirts with stencils using paint. There are many ways to print stencils up on shirts, silk screens etc, but this is the cheapest and easiest.
Another great tutorial for creating your own t-shirts.
This tutorial looks at a cheap alternative to traditional screen printing. A great tutorial for learning the basics of screen printing
How to reuse old picture frames and curtains to make screens, burn them in the sun, and clean them with a garden hose.
Online discussion forum for the t-shirt industry. You can learn more about starting a t-shirt business, share tips and experiences,, get help from your peers, as well as network with others.
This online demonstration will show you one method of silk screening onto silk. This method is used to screen print gutta resist onto the silk to prepare it for painting. This way it is faster and easier to reproduce multiple original wall hangings or scarves.
Geared towards screen printing with the Speedball products, this set of instructions is very thorough in covering all aspects of screen printing techniques and troubleshooting.
How to Make Hand-Drawn Positives for Multiple-Color Silk Screen Printing
A quick explanation of color separations.
Filed Under General | 4 Comments
keep looking »