See New York, Make Art
It is a Monday evening in New York and I find myself on the subway heading to Brooklyn. The car is filled with young people with laptops and messenger bags heading home from work. They don’t look like they work in offices but the occasional building pass gives them away. At DeKalb Avenue I get off the train and walk over to Gold Street to the Clock Tower Building.
I’ve spent the last few days in galleries and Museums looking at art. I am literally itching to create some myself, except that I didn’t happen to bring any supplies in my small suitcase. Lucky for me there is the Etsy Lab’s open house. Every Monday night 4-8 and the first Sunday of the month 2-6 you can use their equipment and make stuff and meet people.
See New York, Make Art
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Tuesday, 16 June 2009
Monday, 15 June 2009
Screen Printing Terms / Jargon
Screen Printing Terms / Jargon
by: Michael D'Elena
i
This handy guide will allow you to quickly learn the basic terms and materials needed to screen print.
1. ARTWORK.
This can be a picture, drawing, cartoon, or words you want to put on your t-shirt. This is the starting point of screen printing your t-shirt. This can be done in many different ways using many different software packages. What is key is that the art must be done in vector format. The the main programs professionals (and amateurs) use are Adobe Illustrator and Corel Draw.
2. SEPARATIONS or "SEPS".
Once your art is created, each color must be printed on clear film called separations. These will be used to burn the images for each color into the screen.
3. THE SCREEN.
This is a square metal (usually aluminum) or wooden frame with a screen made of mesh material very tightly stretched over it. It will be used to burn your seps into and to print on the actual shirt.
4. MESH.
This is the material which is stretched over the silk screen frame itself, (as in number 3 above). This mesh material, as its name suggests, has holes in it that can vary in size. The holes allow ink to flow through onto your fabric, in varying quantities depending on your t-shirt design. Different screens have different mesh counts. The lower the number, the more ink it allows in.
5. EMULSION.
This is a substance that when put into the screen, and dried in a dark room it blocks the mesh, preventing the ink flowing through onto your fabric. In areas where the emulsion hardens (by exposure to bright light), the screen is blocked so no ink can pass through. This is imperative to ensure that nothing other than the image you intend to print appears on the final print.
6. COAT THE SCREEN.
This simply means putting the emulsion onto the screen before you begin to burn your artwork to the silkscreen. See number 5.
7. BURNING A SCREEN.
This is the process of using a halogen light (or very high wattage light bulb) to burn your artwork image to the silkscreen. In areas where the emulsion is kept soft (by your image blocking the light) and is eventually washed out of the screen, the ink will pass through to produce your print.
8. HALOGEN OR HIGH WATTAGE LIGHT BULB.
These lights are used to permanently dry the emulsion onto the screen, so no ink can flow through to the screen. It's used to burn the artwork image onto the screen, so only holes where the artwork blocked the hardening of the emulsion as in 7 above, ink can easily flow through onto your t-shirt creating your design.
9. SQUEEGEE.
This is a tool with a flat rubber blade on one side used to pull ink evenly across the screen mesh.
10. PLASTISOL.
The type of ink used for screen printing. The ink has unique properties, for example, it will not dry even when left out until it is cured under a heat source of 320 degrees.
11. FLASH UNIT.
A device used to dry ink enough to print another color on top of it, but not enough to completely cure it. It is essential when printing colors on top of each other.
12. PALLET.
A piece of rounded wood that you place the shirt on to be printed. There are various sizes to fit various jobs.
13. AUTO PRESS or "AUTO".
This screen printing press is a very large piece of equipment that once set up properly, will print up to 14 colors automatically. All you have to do is put the shirts on the pallets and take them off.
14. CONVEYOR DRYER.
A large dryer that has a conveyor belt on it so shirts pass through it and then out the other end.
Article Source:
http://www.articlecity.com/articles/hobbies/article_1364.shtml
by: Michael D'Elena
i
This handy guide will allow you to quickly learn the basic terms and materials needed to screen print.
1. ARTWORK.
This can be a picture, drawing, cartoon, or words you want to put on your t-shirt. This is the starting point of screen printing your t-shirt. This can be done in many different ways using many different software packages. What is key is that the art must be done in vector format. The the main programs professionals (and amateurs) use are Adobe Illustrator and Corel Draw.
2. SEPARATIONS or "SEPS".
Once your art is created, each color must be printed on clear film called separations. These will be used to burn the images for each color into the screen.
3. THE SCREEN.
This is a square metal (usually aluminum) or wooden frame with a screen made of mesh material very tightly stretched over it. It will be used to burn your seps into and to print on the actual shirt.
4. MESH.
This is the material which is stretched over the silk screen frame itself, (as in number 3 above). This mesh material, as its name suggests, has holes in it that can vary in size. The holes allow ink to flow through onto your fabric, in varying quantities depending on your t-shirt design. Different screens have different mesh counts. The lower the number, the more ink it allows in.
5. EMULSION.
This is a substance that when put into the screen, and dried in a dark room it blocks the mesh, preventing the ink flowing through onto your fabric. In areas where the emulsion hardens (by exposure to bright light), the screen is blocked so no ink can pass through. This is imperative to ensure that nothing other than the image you intend to print appears on the final print.
6. COAT THE SCREEN.
This simply means putting the emulsion onto the screen before you begin to burn your artwork to the silkscreen. See number 5.
7. BURNING A SCREEN.
This is the process of using a halogen light (or very high wattage light bulb) to burn your artwork image to the silkscreen. In areas where the emulsion is kept soft (by your image blocking the light) and is eventually washed out of the screen, the ink will pass through to produce your print.
8. HALOGEN OR HIGH WATTAGE LIGHT BULB.
These lights are used to permanently dry the emulsion onto the screen, so no ink can flow through to the screen. It's used to burn the artwork image onto the screen, so only holes where the artwork blocked the hardening of the emulsion as in 7 above, ink can easily flow through onto your t-shirt creating your design.
9. SQUEEGEE.
This is a tool with a flat rubber blade on one side used to pull ink evenly across the screen mesh.
10. PLASTISOL.
The type of ink used for screen printing. The ink has unique properties, for example, it will not dry even when left out until it is cured under a heat source of 320 degrees.
11. FLASH UNIT.
A device used to dry ink enough to print another color on top of it, but not enough to completely cure it. It is essential when printing colors on top of each other.
12. PALLET.
A piece of rounded wood that you place the shirt on to be printed. There are various sizes to fit various jobs.
13. AUTO PRESS or "AUTO".
This screen printing press is a very large piece of equipment that once set up properly, will print up to 14 colors automatically. All you have to do is put the shirts on the pallets and take them off.
14. CONVEYOR DRYER.
A large dryer that has a conveyor belt on it so shirts pass through it and then out the other end.
Article Source:
http://www.articlecity.com/articles/hobbies/article_1364.shtml
Screen Press Printing: Looking At The Process
Screen Press Printing: Looking At The Process
by: Marlon D. Ludovice
i
Screen printing also called silk screen print also called serigraph was invented in the Far East around 2000 years ago. No supplemented data on when or where exactly it originates, but originally used to make the screen printer's screen. A paper stencil was stiched onto the screen to control the print area.
Around a hundred years ago screen printing was reinvented in the west and it has become a common method of printing on textiles. Most common, the custom t-shirts. The screens used for screen printing custom t shirts, are made with a mono filament mesh. Photopolymer emulsion is used to make the stencil. Thus, silk screen is coated with the liquid emulsion, and allowed to dry and harden. The emulsion is light sensitive. The stencil is made in the "silk screen" by placing a positive of the print over the coated silk screen then exposing the screen to light. The areas of the screen shielded from the light remain water soluble and can be washed out of the screen. The light affects the emulsion in that once the dried emulsion has been exposed to light, water will not dissolve it. Take a look at the photograph to the left. In this case the positive for the screen print is hand drawn.
The availability of the screen printing products can be purchased locally from screen printing process supply stores. An "emulsion cup" is used to coat the silk screens with emulsion. The emulsion cup is a trough like cup that holds the liquid emulsion and allows it to be spread evenly across the screen. The screen is held vertically and the emulsion is spread from bottom to top with one smooth motion. After the silkscreen has been coated with emulsion it will be left to dry. Ambient or soft light can expose the screen but it would take hours or days. Even so care should be taken that the silk screen is kept in a dark place.
To "burn" a screen, the positive must make tight contact with the screen. A four inch thick foam rubber pad is placed under the screen with the glass placed on top. Sunlight can now expose the silk screen. It can take anywhere from around two to fifteen minutes. After the screen has been exposed it is taken to a wash out area usually a metal bathtub like trough or large sink. The screen is set in the trough and sprayed with a garden hose. Rinsed with water, after a second the design will be visibly lighter in the emulsion. After a minute or so of rinsing the design area should be free of emulsion. Rinsing is continued for another minute or so to wash away emulsion scum that if allowed staying in the screen and dry will clog printing areas. The washed out screen is then allowed to dry.
After it has dried the screen must be taped off. This is usually done with masking tape. The areas around the edges not coated with emulsion are taped front and back. The screen printer applies tape liberally over the frame and screen areas. The screen is then "pin holed". Sometimes imperfections in the screen printing process cause tiny "pin holes" in the emulsion that’s why these must be taped over or blocked with emulsion or block out fluid. This is done on the bottom of the screen.
The emulsion can be removed from the screens so that the screens can be reused. This is called "reclaiming" the screen. After the print run the ink is scraped out of the screen and mineral spirits or ink wash is used to clean the ink from the screen. All the masking tape is pulled off the screen and the screen is sprayed with “emulsion remover.” This chemical is left on the screen for 2 or 3 minutes and a high pressure sprayer or even a garden hose can be used to wash away the emulsion. After the emulsion has been removed the screen must be degreased. There are degreasing liquids available also ivory soap works well. The screen is scrubbed thoroughly on both sides and then rinsed. It can now be dried and if kept clean reused. The screens must always be clean and degreased and dry before they can be coated with emulsion.
These procedures may sound very difficult but the application is totally easy. See and try the screen printing yourself!
About The Author
Marlon D. Ludovice
Actually I’m not fond of writing, I don’t even write at all. I am not expecting to be in this field. But nevertheless, I love to read books...almost everything interest me. Reading is my passion! And now that I am in an article writer team, writing gives me an additional thrill in myself...Before I love to read books but now I’m also in a writing stuff. I can say that I am not a good writer but I am always trying to be one.
For additional information and comments about the article you may log on to http://www.aprintingpress.com
by: Marlon D. Ludovice
i
Screen printing also called silk screen print also called serigraph was invented in the Far East around 2000 years ago. No supplemented data on when or where exactly it originates, but originally used to make the screen printer's screen. A paper stencil was stiched onto the screen to control the print area.
Around a hundred years ago screen printing was reinvented in the west and it has become a common method of printing on textiles. Most common, the custom t-shirts. The screens used for screen printing custom t shirts, are made with a mono filament mesh. Photopolymer emulsion is used to make the stencil. Thus, silk screen is coated with the liquid emulsion, and allowed to dry and harden. The emulsion is light sensitive. The stencil is made in the "silk screen" by placing a positive of the print over the coated silk screen then exposing the screen to light. The areas of the screen shielded from the light remain water soluble and can be washed out of the screen. The light affects the emulsion in that once the dried emulsion has been exposed to light, water will not dissolve it. Take a look at the photograph to the left. In this case the positive for the screen print is hand drawn.
The availability of the screen printing products can be purchased locally from screen printing process supply stores. An "emulsion cup" is used to coat the silk screens with emulsion. The emulsion cup is a trough like cup that holds the liquid emulsion and allows it to be spread evenly across the screen. The screen is held vertically and the emulsion is spread from bottom to top with one smooth motion. After the silkscreen has been coated with emulsion it will be left to dry. Ambient or soft light can expose the screen but it would take hours or days. Even so care should be taken that the silk screen is kept in a dark place.
To "burn" a screen, the positive must make tight contact with the screen. A four inch thick foam rubber pad is placed under the screen with the glass placed on top. Sunlight can now expose the silk screen. It can take anywhere from around two to fifteen minutes. After the screen has been exposed it is taken to a wash out area usually a metal bathtub like trough or large sink. The screen is set in the trough and sprayed with a garden hose. Rinsed with water, after a second the design will be visibly lighter in the emulsion. After a minute or so of rinsing the design area should be free of emulsion. Rinsing is continued for another minute or so to wash away emulsion scum that if allowed staying in the screen and dry will clog printing areas. The washed out screen is then allowed to dry.
After it has dried the screen must be taped off. This is usually done with masking tape. The areas around the edges not coated with emulsion are taped front and back. The screen printer applies tape liberally over the frame and screen areas. The screen is then "pin holed". Sometimes imperfections in the screen printing process cause tiny "pin holes" in the emulsion that’s why these must be taped over or blocked with emulsion or block out fluid. This is done on the bottom of the screen.
The emulsion can be removed from the screens so that the screens can be reused. This is called "reclaiming" the screen. After the print run the ink is scraped out of the screen and mineral spirits or ink wash is used to clean the ink from the screen. All the masking tape is pulled off the screen and the screen is sprayed with “emulsion remover.” This chemical is left on the screen for 2 or 3 minutes and a high pressure sprayer or even a garden hose can be used to wash away the emulsion. After the emulsion has been removed the screen must be degreased. There are degreasing liquids available also ivory soap works well. The screen is scrubbed thoroughly on both sides and then rinsed. It can now be dried and if kept clean reused. The screens must always be clean and degreased and dry before they can be coated with emulsion.
These procedures may sound very difficult but the application is totally easy. See and try the screen printing yourself!
About The Author
Marlon D. Ludovice
Actually I’m not fond of writing, I don’t even write at all. I am not expecting to be in this field. But nevertheless, I love to read books...almost everything interest me. Reading is my passion! And now that I am in an article writer team, writing gives me an additional thrill in myself...Before I love to read books but now I’m also in a writing stuff. I can say that I am not a good writer but I am always trying to be one.
For additional information and comments about the article you may log on to http://www.aprintingpress.com
How to Mix Ink: Ink Mixing for Pad Printing & Screen Printing
How to Mix Ink: Ink Mixing for Pad Printing & Screen Printing
by: Pete Baxer
i
Ink mixing is a basic but very important step to achieve a quality imaging with screen printing or pad printing. If it is not done properly, the entire printing process can get very frustrating and, in turn, may cause a loss of production and a waste of valuable time and energy.
Before you start, it is essential that you be using the proper equipment. Unlined mixing cups (no wax), mixing sticks and a quality electronic scale with an accuracy of .1 grams are all very important. Without these items, ink mixing becomes guess work, causing the quality and precision of the print to suffer.
Step by Step Ink Mixing:
1. Zero or tare out the scale (make sure it is on a level surface).
2. Add the ink to a mixing cup. Try not to use less than 40 grams as it will not flow well in the cup or inkwell once mixed.
3. Add appropriate hardener ratio (4:1 for 1000H = 25%, 20:1 for HGL = 5%).
4. Mix these two ingredients completely. Note: pad printing and screen printing inks that are activated with hardener 1000H/1000KGL have a pot life of about 8-10 hours.
5. Begin adding thinner at a ratio of about 5%-10% then re-mix.
6. Continue to add thinner at a “drop by drop” rate until a working viscosity is achieved. Adding all the thinner at once tends to “shock” the ink. Typical mixing ratios are 15% thinner to the weight of the ink. Remember, it is easier to add than to take away. This also helps to prevent ink over thinning.
Please note that Sapphire Pad Printing & Screen Printing Inks are highly opaque and take more thinner than most inks. The adjustment of the viscosity of the ink depends on the quality of thinner that is being added. Generally you should never exceed 20-25%; however, dilution varies from series to series.
If you follow these simple steps it should help to improve your pad or screen printing process. If you ever have any questions please contact me, Pete Baxer, at 1-978-646-8980 and I will be glad to help you.
_ _ _
Inkcups Now Corporation ( http://www.inkcups.com ) is a manufacturer and distributor of pad printing and screen printing supplies, equipment and innovatory computer to plate laser plate-makers. The company is committed to supplying traditional and innovative products at competitive prices and providing excellent technical support. The consumables are manufactured in-house, enabling rapid turnaround and thorough quality control. Offices are located in the U.S. (MA, CA, GA, RI) and Canada. For more information please visit http://www.inkcups.com/dotNet/pages/2j_inks_sapphire.aspx or call 1-978-646-8980.
Sapphire pad printing and screen printing ink series are non toxic inks that comply with California Proposition 65 and European EN 71 Toy Safety standard. MB and J3 series are also Class VI certified. With Sapphire pad printing and screen printing inks you can print on almost every substrate: various plastics, metals, glass, untreated polypropylene, wood, nylon, cotton, rubber, soft touch substrates and more. This pad printing and screen printing ink product line works perfectly for promotional products, electronic devices, medical products, tag printing, automotive parts etc. The Sapphire printing ink truly is a superior product! To convince you Inkcups Now offers free ink adhesion test. Please request free ink adhesion test here: http://www.inkcups.com/dotNet/pages/2h-registration.aspx
by: Pete Baxer
i
Ink mixing is a basic but very important step to achieve a quality imaging with screen printing or pad printing. If it is not done properly, the entire printing process can get very frustrating and, in turn, may cause a loss of production and a waste of valuable time and energy.
Before you start, it is essential that you be using the proper equipment. Unlined mixing cups (no wax), mixing sticks and a quality electronic scale with an accuracy of .1 grams are all very important. Without these items, ink mixing becomes guess work, causing the quality and precision of the print to suffer.
Step by Step Ink Mixing:
1. Zero or tare out the scale (make sure it is on a level surface).
2. Add the ink to a mixing cup. Try not to use less than 40 grams as it will not flow well in the cup or inkwell once mixed.
3. Add appropriate hardener ratio (4:1 for 1000H = 25%, 20:1 for HGL = 5%).
4. Mix these two ingredients completely. Note: pad printing and screen printing inks that are activated with hardener 1000H/1000KGL have a pot life of about 8-10 hours.
5. Begin adding thinner at a ratio of about 5%-10% then re-mix.
6. Continue to add thinner at a “drop by drop” rate until a working viscosity is achieved. Adding all the thinner at once tends to “shock” the ink. Typical mixing ratios are 15% thinner to the weight of the ink. Remember, it is easier to add than to take away. This also helps to prevent ink over thinning.
Please note that Sapphire Pad Printing & Screen Printing Inks are highly opaque and take more thinner than most inks. The adjustment of the viscosity of the ink depends on the quality of thinner that is being added. Generally you should never exceed 20-25%; however, dilution varies from series to series.
If you follow these simple steps it should help to improve your pad or screen printing process. If you ever have any questions please contact me, Pete Baxer, at 1-978-646-8980 and I will be glad to help you.
_ _ _
Inkcups Now Corporation ( http://www.inkcups.com ) is a manufacturer and distributor of pad printing and screen printing supplies, equipment and innovatory computer to plate laser plate-makers. The company is committed to supplying traditional and innovative products at competitive prices and providing excellent technical support. The consumables are manufactured in-house, enabling rapid turnaround and thorough quality control. Offices are located in the U.S. (MA, CA, GA, RI) and Canada. For more information please visit http://www.inkcups.com/dotNet/pages/2j_inks_sapphire.aspx or call 1-978-646-8980.
Sapphire pad printing and screen printing ink series are non toxic inks that comply with California Proposition 65 and European EN 71 Toy Safety standard. MB and J3 series are also Class VI certified. With Sapphire pad printing and screen printing inks you can print on almost every substrate: various plastics, metals, glass, untreated polypropylene, wood, nylon, cotton, rubber, soft touch substrates and more. This pad printing and screen printing ink product line works perfectly for promotional products, electronic devices, medical products, tag printing, automotive parts etc. The Sapphire printing ink truly is a superior product! To convince you Inkcups Now offers free ink adhesion test. Please request free ink adhesion test here: http://www.inkcups.com/dotNet/pages/2h-registration.aspx
The Screen Printing Process - Step by Step
The Screen Printing Process - Step by Step
by: Michael D'Elena
i
Here is something I wrote for all of those that continue to ask me how to screen print. It's a bit of a long read, but it's informative enough to give you a good idea of exactly what takes place. It's not completely detailed out (there are many small steps missing) but it is the key elements in screen printing.
1. Artwork. The artwork you start art with is VERY important. If you have jagged or grainy artwork, you will reproduce this. There are many art services on the internet that will supply you will screen printing artwork. If you fax them a logo, they can redraw it for you and send you a file in which you can use for the making of screens.
You can also create (or recreate) artwork yourself. It is imperative to use a vector art program like Adobe Illustrator, Corel Draw or Macromedia FreeHand. Using these programs will ensure that you will have high quality artwork in the end. Photoshop can be used as well, but this is more for full color printing, etc., which is not good to start out with since there are special techniques to master before moving into this realm.
2. Film Positives. When you have artwork that is ready to print, you can print your artwork out on a clear film instead of paper. There are different types of paper for inkjet and laserjet printers, so be sure you select the right type. For every color you have, you will print it out as a black plate on a separate film. For example, if you have a logo that is Red & Black, you would separate the two colors from themselves and print each out, changing the red to black and printing and then printing the black. Each of these would be printed on their own film.
This is simply known as art separations, or "seps". If the colors are touching in the final version of the logo, then you need to have what is called trap or choke. Basically, it's an overlapping of the artwork by a small margin. This small margin is just enough so you can register the colors so there is no space between them. On the films, you will also place registration marks. These marks usually are a circle with a verticle and horizontal line passing through it. These marks will be on the same spot on each film. This will help you line up the art later so the images match up perfectly.
3. Screen Making. When screen printing began it was called silk screening. The reason for this is, the screens used to be made from silk. Since this is no longer the case (now they are made from polyester), the name changed. A screen is simply a wooden or metal frame that has a fine mesh stretched over and attached to it. This mesh has different counts. Some examples would be 83, 110, 125, 140, 330 and on and various numbers in between. The lower the mesh count, the less detail you can print and the thicker the ink lays down. So it is an artform to say the least in dealing with correct mesh. The actual process of screen making is quite simple, just time consuming. Capillary film is stilled used but the most common technique is using a light sensitive liquid emulsion. Emulsion can be used under a yellow light so that you still can see what you are doing, but the UV light is filtered out so as not to effect the emulsion. A scoop coater is needed. You pour emulsion into the scoop coater and place it on a vertical screen. Pressing up against the screen and pulling up, you will lay a thin layer of emulsion on the outside of the screen. Turn the screen around and do the same for the inside of the screen. Turn it back around and do it once more on the outside.
Once the emulsion dries, you can "expose" the screen. You need a good light source for this process. We have an exposure unit that can expose 20" x 24" screen. It has a halogen light along with 2 black lights to help diffuse (or even out) the light. The exposure unit is basically a box with a glass top and a lid that has a black matte and a vacuum frame. The light source would be contained in this box. Some do it yourself printers that work from home actually use the sun for this process. It's very time consuming, but it works!
To expose a screen, taking the film positive you created and place it on the glass top with the right reading being up. Then take the dried screen and place it on the glass top with the film positive under it. The screen mesh will be touching the film positive. When you close the lid, there is a vacuum frame that will suck all of the extra air out of the frame. This vacuum frame will pull the matte close to the screen frame. This is essential for a crisp image to be burned into the screen mesh.
At this point, the length of time will be dependent on your emulsion and light source. This is something you can talk to your emulsion supplier about. It's really a matter of testing. Most problems occur in this stage, so it is critical that you understand this process through testing, training and trial and error. The better you are in this area, the better your prints will be.
Once the image is exposed into your emulsion, you can take the screen to a washout booth. Lightly spray both sides of the screen with water. I garden hose with a sprayer on the end works well for this procedure. You do not want a lot of pressure but you do want some. After waiting for a couple of minutes, you can go back and begin spraying your screen with water. Spray on the outside of the frame, or the side that was touching the film. The inside will naturally be softer because the light had to shine through the emulsion to get to that side. As you spray down the screen, you will see the image on your screen. What happened is, wherever there was black on your film, the light did not shine through. Since the light could not expose the emulsion, it remained water solulable. Wherever the light shine through the emulsion, it hardened and will not wash away. Let the screen(s) dry.
4. Printing Press. Choosing a printing press isn't nearly as critical, although you are looking for a quality press. To be honest, you may want to stay away from all-in-one units and similar machines. They are a waste of money. Even though you can print just as good of a print with these machines, they are costly and they slow your process down. When I started, I was told a 4 color 4 station press is just about all I needed. They were right. Very rarely did I ever need to print anything more than a 4 color design. Later, as I grew, I purchased more machines that allowed for more colors. But the first 5 years of my business, I believe I had 1 6 color job and 1 5 color job. So it wasn? critical for me to spend more money on a 6 color machine. What you are looking for in a press is a solid frame, micro registration and rotating platens. Outside of this, you don't need much more than that. Obviously, a auto-press is what we use now (and is preferred), but these can run anywhere from $50,000 - $100,000 or even more.
5. Conveyer dryer and flash unit. To actually cure the ink, you need a heat source to reach 320 degrees for your ink. If you can reach 320 degrees in 1 second, it's cured. If it's 10 seconds, it's cured. As long as it reaches 320 degrees, you are good. A flash unit is a unit that you place over your platen (arm that you place the shirt on). This flash unit is meant to flash the ink just long enough where it is not cured and it is not wet. This will allow you to print colors on top of colors if needed, and you will need it! Many people use these units to cure their shirts. This is not wise. If you have a flash unit over a platen, it has to reach 320 degrees to cure the ink. This heat will eventually warp your platens, causing printing problems in the long run. It will also heat your platen up enough that when you put another shirt on it and print, it will semi cure the ink in your screens, causing a clogging and poor printing. So buy the flash unit and use it for it? intended purpose, to flash the ink, if you have to. If I print a single color on a shirt, I will not use a flash unit at all. If it is white printing, then I will. The reason for this is, you would print white on a shirt, flash it, then when the shirt comes back around to you, it needs a second print. This gives you a good vibrant white. If you are printing a color on a dark shirt, you would also print a white underbase, flash it, then print an exact image with a different screen over top of it with the color you need.
The conveyer dryer is needed to increase your production. When you finish printing a shirt, you pull it off of your platen and place it on the conveyer dryer. Basically, it's a dryer that has a belt on it that goes through a tunnel of heat. When it comes out the other side, it is cured. There are temperature strips that you can place on the shirt to run through the dryer and make sure the heat and speed setting are correct. Raytek also makes a heat gun that when the shirt comes out, you point the laser beam at the ink and it will give you a temperature reading. Remember, 320 is the magic number!
6. Inks and miscellaneous. The ink you will use is a Plastisol ink. There are so many manufacturers and types of inks, it? good to find one and stick with them. I can give you suggestions of what I feel are good, but it's all up to you in the end. You will also need squeegees. A squeegee is basically a handle with a rubber blade on the end. This blade is what you use to push or pull the ink through the screen and onto the shirt. There are so many miscellaneous items that it would be good to talk to a supplier about what you need to get started.
7. Screen prep and registration. Your scoop coater cannot reach all areas of the screen, so you want to tape out the areas that did not have emulsion. There are special tapes made to do this, but packing tape works well if you remove it right away when you are finished. Simply tape the inside and outside of the screens wherever the emulsion did not cover. If you have a one color design, placing the screen on your press is quite simple. If you have more than one color, this is where the registration marks are needed. After placing your first screen on the press, you would do a test print. Place some ink on the screen and rest a squeegee on the frame close to the head. Pull the ink across the screen and onto the shirt. Next, take your second screen and place them on the next head. Align the registration marks on the screen to the marks on the print you made. Once in place, you can lock them in and adjust the micro registrations if necessary. Once locked in, do a test print. If everything is registered, you can tape up the registration marks on your screen and you are ready to print.
8. Your first print. You will be working upside down when you print t-shirts. The collar will be closest to you. After placing the shirt on the platen, pull your screen down. One thing I did not mention was off-contact. If you look between the shirt and the platen, you should have a gap. This is called your off-contact. You need about 1/8 between the screen and the platen. This will give you just enough room to make a print and allow for the screen to snap away from the shirt. This gives you a clean print. Some people will push their squeegee and others will pull. Whatever is comfortable to you is best for you. Personally, I've always pulled my squeegee. This means that when I pull down my screen, I grab my squeegee and pull the ink towards me. You want to have the sqeegee at an angle, but not too much. A 70 - 80 degree angle is good. If you go too much of an angle, you will get a heavy print and it won? look very good. If the angle is a 90 degree, then you won? get the proper pressure, giving you a light print. The good thing is, if the first print does not work out for you, you can print it again, right over top of it. The registration of the machine will be the same so even if you rotated the press and came back to it, it would still print good.
As with anything, practice is what is needed. Make sure that whatever you do that works, keep it consistent. A firm grip on the squeegee, a consistent angle and a quick stroke will give you a good print. When you find that print, keep it consistent. Good luck!
Article Source:
http://www.articlecity.com/articles/hobbies/article_1366.shtml
by: Michael D'Elena
i
Here is something I wrote for all of those that continue to ask me how to screen print. It's a bit of a long read, but it's informative enough to give you a good idea of exactly what takes place. It's not completely detailed out (there are many small steps missing) but it is the key elements in screen printing.
1. Artwork. The artwork you start art with is VERY important. If you have jagged or grainy artwork, you will reproduce this. There are many art services on the internet that will supply you will screen printing artwork. If you fax them a logo, they can redraw it for you and send you a file in which you can use for the making of screens.
You can also create (or recreate) artwork yourself. It is imperative to use a vector art program like Adobe Illustrator, Corel Draw or Macromedia FreeHand. Using these programs will ensure that you will have high quality artwork in the end. Photoshop can be used as well, but this is more for full color printing, etc., which is not good to start out with since there are special techniques to master before moving into this realm.
2. Film Positives. When you have artwork that is ready to print, you can print your artwork out on a clear film instead of paper. There are different types of paper for inkjet and laserjet printers, so be sure you select the right type. For every color you have, you will print it out as a black plate on a separate film. For example, if you have a logo that is Red & Black, you would separate the two colors from themselves and print each out, changing the red to black and printing and then printing the black. Each of these would be printed on their own film.
This is simply known as art separations, or "seps". If the colors are touching in the final version of the logo, then you need to have what is called trap or choke. Basically, it's an overlapping of the artwork by a small margin. This small margin is just enough so you can register the colors so there is no space between them. On the films, you will also place registration marks. These marks usually are a circle with a verticle and horizontal line passing through it. These marks will be on the same spot on each film. This will help you line up the art later so the images match up perfectly.
3. Screen Making. When screen printing began it was called silk screening. The reason for this is, the screens used to be made from silk. Since this is no longer the case (now they are made from polyester), the name changed. A screen is simply a wooden or metal frame that has a fine mesh stretched over and attached to it. This mesh has different counts. Some examples would be 83, 110, 125, 140, 330 and on and various numbers in between. The lower the mesh count, the less detail you can print and the thicker the ink lays down. So it is an artform to say the least in dealing with correct mesh. The actual process of screen making is quite simple, just time consuming. Capillary film is stilled used but the most common technique is using a light sensitive liquid emulsion. Emulsion can be used under a yellow light so that you still can see what you are doing, but the UV light is filtered out so as not to effect the emulsion. A scoop coater is needed. You pour emulsion into the scoop coater and place it on a vertical screen. Pressing up against the screen and pulling up, you will lay a thin layer of emulsion on the outside of the screen. Turn the screen around and do the same for the inside of the screen. Turn it back around and do it once more on the outside.
Once the emulsion dries, you can "expose" the screen. You need a good light source for this process. We have an exposure unit that can expose 20" x 24" screen. It has a halogen light along with 2 black lights to help diffuse (or even out) the light. The exposure unit is basically a box with a glass top and a lid that has a black matte and a vacuum frame. The light source would be contained in this box. Some do it yourself printers that work from home actually use the sun for this process. It's very time consuming, but it works!
To expose a screen, taking the film positive you created and place it on the glass top with the right reading being up. Then take the dried screen and place it on the glass top with the film positive under it. The screen mesh will be touching the film positive. When you close the lid, there is a vacuum frame that will suck all of the extra air out of the frame. This vacuum frame will pull the matte close to the screen frame. This is essential for a crisp image to be burned into the screen mesh.
At this point, the length of time will be dependent on your emulsion and light source. This is something you can talk to your emulsion supplier about. It's really a matter of testing. Most problems occur in this stage, so it is critical that you understand this process through testing, training and trial and error. The better you are in this area, the better your prints will be.
Once the image is exposed into your emulsion, you can take the screen to a washout booth. Lightly spray both sides of the screen with water. I garden hose with a sprayer on the end works well for this procedure. You do not want a lot of pressure but you do want some. After waiting for a couple of minutes, you can go back and begin spraying your screen with water. Spray on the outside of the frame, or the side that was touching the film. The inside will naturally be softer because the light had to shine through the emulsion to get to that side. As you spray down the screen, you will see the image on your screen. What happened is, wherever there was black on your film, the light did not shine through. Since the light could not expose the emulsion, it remained water solulable. Wherever the light shine through the emulsion, it hardened and will not wash away. Let the screen(s) dry.
4. Printing Press. Choosing a printing press isn't nearly as critical, although you are looking for a quality press. To be honest, you may want to stay away from all-in-one units and similar machines. They are a waste of money. Even though you can print just as good of a print with these machines, they are costly and they slow your process down. When I started, I was told a 4 color 4 station press is just about all I needed. They were right. Very rarely did I ever need to print anything more than a 4 color design. Later, as I grew, I purchased more machines that allowed for more colors. But the first 5 years of my business, I believe I had 1 6 color job and 1 5 color job. So it wasn? critical for me to spend more money on a 6 color machine. What you are looking for in a press is a solid frame, micro registration and rotating platens. Outside of this, you don't need much more than that. Obviously, a auto-press is what we use now (and is preferred), but these can run anywhere from $50,000 - $100,000 or even more.
5. Conveyer dryer and flash unit. To actually cure the ink, you need a heat source to reach 320 degrees for your ink. If you can reach 320 degrees in 1 second, it's cured. If it's 10 seconds, it's cured. As long as it reaches 320 degrees, you are good. A flash unit is a unit that you place over your platen (arm that you place the shirt on). This flash unit is meant to flash the ink just long enough where it is not cured and it is not wet. This will allow you to print colors on top of colors if needed, and you will need it! Many people use these units to cure their shirts. This is not wise. If you have a flash unit over a platen, it has to reach 320 degrees to cure the ink. This heat will eventually warp your platens, causing printing problems in the long run. It will also heat your platen up enough that when you put another shirt on it and print, it will semi cure the ink in your screens, causing a clogging and poor printing. So buy the flash unit and use it for it? intended purpose, to flash the ink, if you have to. If I print a single color on a shirt, I will not use a flash unit at all. If it is white printing, then I will. The reason for this is, you would print white on a shirt, flash it, then when the shirt comes back around to you, it needs a second print. This gives you a good vibrant white. If you are printing a color on a dark shirt, you would also print a white underbase, flash it, then print an exact image with a different screen over top of it with the color you need.
The conveyer dryer is needed to increase your production. When you finish printing a shirt, you pull it off of your platen and place it on the conveyer dryer. Basically, it's a dryer that has a belt on it that goes through a tunnel of heat. When it comes out the other side, it is cured. There are temperature strips that you can place on the shirt to run through the dryer and make sure the heat and speed setting are correct. Raytek also makes a heat gun that when the shirt comes out, you point the laser beam at the ink and it will give you a temperature reading. Remember, 320 is the magic number!
6. Inks and miscellaneous. The ink you will use is a Plastisol ink. There are so many manufacturers and types of inks, it? good to find one and stick with them. I can give you suggestions of what I feel are good, but it's all up to you in the end. You will also need squeegees. A squeegee is basically a handle with a rubber blade on the end. This blade is what you use to push or pull the ink through the screen and onto the shirt. There are so many miscellaneous items that it would be good to talk to a supplier about what you need to get started.
7. Screen prep and registration. Your scoop coater cannot reach all areas of the screen, so you want to tape out the areas that did not have emulsion. There are special tapes made to do this, but packing tape works well if you remove it right away when you are finished. Simply tape the inside and outside of the screens wherever the emulsion did not cover. If you have a one color design, placing the screen on your press is quite simple. If you have more than one color, this is where the registration marks are needed. After placing your first screen on the press, you would do a test print. Place some ink on the screen and rest a squeegee on the frame close to the head. Pull the ink across the screen and onto the shirt. Next, take your second screen and place them on the next head. Align the registration marks on the screen to the marks on the print you made. Once in place, you can lock them in and adjust the micro registrations if necessary. Once locked in, do a test print. If everything is registered, you can tape up the registration marks on your screen and you are ready to print.
8. Your first print. You will be working upside down when you print t-shirts. The collar will be closest to you. After placing the shirt on the platen, pull your screen down. One thing I did not mention was off-contact. If you look between the shirt and the platen, you should have a gap. This is called your off-contact. You need about 1/8 between the screen and the platen. This will give you just enough room to make a print and allow for the screen to snap away from the shirt. This gives you a clean print. Some people will push their squeegee and others will pull. Whatever is comfortable to you is best for you. Personally, I've always pulled my squeegee. This means that when I pull down my screen, I grab my squeegee and pull the ink towards me. You want to have the sqeegee at an angle, but not too much. A 70 - 80 degree angle is good. If you go too much of an angle, you will get a heavy print and it won? look very good. If the angle is a 90 degree, then you won? get the proper pressure, giving you a light print. The good thing is, if the first print does not work out for you, you can print it again, right over top of it. The registration of the machine will be the same so even if you rotated the press and came back to it, it would still print good.
As with anything, practice is what is needed. Make sure that whatever you do that works, keep it consistent. A firm grip on the squeegee, a consistent angle and a quick stroke will give you a good print. When you find that print, keep it consistent. Good luck!
Article Source:
http://www.articlecity.com/articles/hobbies/article_1366.shtml
Understanding the Basic Screen Printing Terms
Understanding the Basic Screen Printing Terms
Understanding the Basic Screen Printing Terms
Author: Mark D'ElenaThis handy guide will allow you to quickly learn the basic terms and materials needed to screen print.
1. YOUR ARTWORK.
This can be a picture, drawing, cartoon, or words you want to put on your t-shirt. This is the starting point of screen printing your t-shirt. This can be done in many different ways using many different software packages. What is key is that the art must be done in vector format. The the main programs professionals (and amateurs) use are Adobe Illustrator and Corel Draw.
2. SEPARATIONS or “SEPS”.
Once your art is created, each color must be printed on clear film called separations. These will be used to burn the images for each color into the screen.
3. THE SCREEN.
This is a square metal (usually aluminum) or wooden frame with a screen made of mesh material very tightly stretched over it. It will be used to burn your seps into and to print on the actual shirt.
4. MESH.
This is the material which is stretched over the silk screen frame itself, (as in number 3 above). This mesh material, as its name suggests, has holes in it that can vary in size. The holes allow ink to flow through onto your fabric, in varying quantities depending on your t-shirt design. Different screens have different mesh counts. The lower the number, the more ink it allows in.
5.EMULSION.
This is a substance that when put into the screen, and dried in a dark room it blocks the mesh, preventing the ink flowing through onto your fabric. In areas where the emulsion hardens (by exposure to bright light), the screen is blocked so no ink can pass through. This is imperative to ensure that nothing other than the image you intend to print appears on the final print.
6. COAT THE SCREEN.
This simply means putting the emulsion onto the screen before you begin to burn your artwork to the silkscreen. See number 5.
7. BURNING A SCREEN.
This is the process of using a halogen light (or very high wattage light bulb) to burn your artwork image to the silkscreen. In areas where the emulsion is kept soft (by your image blocking the light) and is eventually washed out of the screen, the ink will pass through to produce your print.
8. HALOGEN OR HIGH WATTAGE LIGHT BULB.
These lights are used to permanently dry the emulsion onto the screen, so no ink can flow through to the screen. It's used to burn the artwork image onto the screen, so only holes where the artwork blocked the hardening of the emulsion as in 7 above, ink can easily flow through onto your t-shirt creating your design.
9. SQUEEGEE.
This is a tool with a flat rubber blade on one side used to pull ink evenly across the screen mesh.
10. PLASTISOL.
The type of ink used for screen printing. The ink has unique properties, for example, it will not dry even when left out until it is cured under a heat source of 320 degrees.
11. FLASH UNIT.
A device used to dry ink enough to print another color on top of it, but not enough to completely cure it. It is essential when printing colors on top of each other.
12. PALLET.
A piece of rounded wood that you place the shirt on to be printed. There are various sizes to fit various jobs.
13. AUTO PRESS or “AUTO”.
This screen printing press is a very large piece of equipment that once set up properly, will print up to 14 colors automatically. All you have to do is put the shirts on the pallets and take them off.
14. CONVEYOR DRYER.
A large dryer that has a conveyor belt on it so shirts pass through it and then out the other end.
I hope you find this helpful!
We are a Phoenix, AZ based company that specializes in Screen Printing and Embroidery for various clients including schools, businesses/organizations, Greek Life, non-profits, and many more. Although custom T-shirt printing is our specialty, we also offer hundreds of other high quality imprintable products to fit your needs.
Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - Understanding the Basic Screen Printing Terms
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