Silk screen , Screen printing

High cost of cotton hits local businesses; world prices up 132 percent in past ...

2011-03-01T22:29:00.001-08:00

News

2 new results for screen printing

iScripts.com Releases Online Design and Lettering Software: iScripts PrintLogic
PRLog.Org (press release)
This software allows independent screen printers, t-shirt designers, commercial printers, sign makers, vinyl printers and DIY printing operations to offer a customized solution for online operations and direct ecommerce transactions. ...
See all stories on this topic »

High cost of cotton hits local businesses; world prices up 132 percent in past ...
Press of Atlantic City
Michael Ein Max Padilla, left, and Ehren VonReuter, right, owner of EVR Screen Printing on West Peach Street in Vineland, unload new cotton hoodies at the business Friday. In January, cotton was worth $1.79 per pound, nearly a dollar more than a year ...
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Web

1 new result for screen printing

The Greek Corner Deal of the Day | Groupon Springfield MO
Personalize your threads however you wish with today's Groupon: for $25, you get $50 worth of screen printing at Greek Corner on East Chestnut Expressway, ...
www.groupon.com/springfield-mo/deals/greek-corner

Ultimate Screen Printing KitThis

2011-03-01T22:28:00.001-08:00

News

1 new result for screen printing

Car crashes into El Dorado business
KWCH
The Chevrolet HHR crashed into El Dorado School of Karate at 109 N. Main Street. It also damaged Wells Designs Screen Printing and Embroidery. The driver suffered a diabetic reaction but is expected to be okay. No one inside the stores were hurt.
See all stories on this topic »

Web

4 new results for screen printing

Speedball 4523 Ultimate Screen Printing KI
Speedball Ultimate Screen Printing KitThis really IS the ultimate screen printing kit. It has everything that you need to print on fabric paper cardboard wood- just about any ...

Alvin H4519 Opaque Fabric Screen Print Kit
A basic introduction to fabric screen printing with Speedball's opaque screen inks. Set includes a 10 x 14 screen frame 9 plastic squeegee three jars of 4 oz. opaque fabric ink ...

Jacquard Paint, Dye & Art Products JSI9001 Opaque Screen Printing Kit
JACQUARD-Screen Printing Kit: Opaque Colors. Make your own art prints; cards; wearable art; and more! This kit comes with opaque colors for printing on dark fabrics; papers; ...

Austin Screen Printing Provides High Quality, Low Cost Embroidery ...
AUSTIN, TX, February 24, 2011 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Austin Screen Printing has just launched their embroidery page, Austin Embroidery. ...
stocks.newsok.com/newsok/news/read?GUID=17380062

Screen Printing | Front Article

2011-03-01T22:24:00.001-08:00

News

1 new result for screen printing

TMS Group Sydney to install HP Scitex FB7500
Wide Format Online
"The success of the HP Scitex FB7500 further demonstrates HP's capabilities in providing a path for traditional screen print work to be moved to a digital ...
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Blogs

4 new results for screen printing

Screen Printing | Front Article
By rswebsubmissions
In order to create a unique look on your t-shirts and other things, you need to use screen printing. Screen printing is a great way to create a unique logo or.
Front Article - http://frontarticle.com/

bigfaqs.com » How do you screen print on dark clothing?
By admin
One Response to "How do you screen print on dark clothing?" FlowersYes says: August 23, 2010 at 8:21 am. It's the ink. You need opaque screen print ink. What you have is too transparent. ...
bigfaqs.com - http://bigfaqs.com/

Serigraph Screen Printing Process by Kolibri Art Studio ...
By admin
The series has been out of print for many years. The new edition consists of serigraphs printed by Kolibri Art Studio, an international multi award-winning atelier noted for the extremely high quality of their product. ...
Pop Art - http://www.jtfinearts.com/

Living and Dyeing Under the Big Sky: Coloring a Screen Print
By Cynthia St Charles
I use paint, dye, screen printing, natural elements, stamping, etc. to create one of a kind pieces of fabric which become the foundation for my art quilts, stretched canvas pieces and one of a kind wearable art. ...
Living and Dyeing Under the Big Sky - http://cynthia-stcharles.blogspot.com/

Web

5 new results for screen printing

How to Make Money - Screen Printing on Vimeo
Making money is easy, but requires a disciplined approach. Follow these simple rules, and you can make a lot of money with very little investment and at ...
vimeo.com/14237152

Screen printing help? - Create Products - Zazzle Forum
I've looked all over the help section, and can't find help on how to design for screen printing. Would appreciate a little help in finding it! Back to top ...
forum.zazzle.com/create/screen_printing_help?m=368296

Silk screen printing help? - Yahoo! Answers
If i silk screen print on a Hanes t-shirt will it be in violation of ... If it's for personal use, no. If you mass produce and sell them, yes. ... As long as you ...
answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid...

Screen printing problems - Page 2 - T-Shirt Forums
Just a follow up on what I said before - try a push stroke instead of a pull stroke. After everything I did above I was still having trouble with the.
www.t-shirtforums.com/screen-printing/t125332-2.html

Screen Printing, Embroidery, Digital Printing, T shirts ...
At Creative Ink and Embroidery, all screen printing, embroidery and digital printing are done on site which saves you money. We also.
www.hotfrog.com/.../Screen-Printing-Embroidery-Digital-Prin...

Re: Google Alert - screen printing

2011-02-28T07:53:00.000-08:00

Blogs 1 new result for screen printing

SplitReason, tees that please | GEEK•LEE•TIST
By admin
After receiving the RUN R-2 shirt I can assure you the quality of both print and tee are outstanding as sh*t! Now some of you may ask…how would he know? Well… just so happens that I work at a screen printing facility here on Tashi ...
GEEK•LEE•TIST - http://geekleetist.com/

Web 5 new results for screen printing

The Max Screen Printing, LLC | LinkedIn
Welcome to the company profile of The Max Screen Printing, LLC on LinkedIn. We are a textile based screen printing company. We print T-shirts and other ...
www.linkedin.com/company/the-max-screen-printing-llc
Screen Printing On Plastic- Nightmarish? - screenprinting chicago ...
In the next couple weeks, I'm going to be learning some screen-print ... « Older How can I get my neighbours to... ...
ask.metafilter.com/.../Screen-Printing-On-Plastic-Nightmarish
3 Famous Artists Who Worked in Silk Screen Printing & Painting
Looking for a list of famous artists who worked in silk screen printing and painting? Here, Jean Scheid offers up the top 3 via her conversations with Taos, ...
www.brighthub.com/multimedia/publishing/.../108479.aspx
screen printing : fabric-crafting : crafts : Shop | Joann.com
... Best Sellers · New Products · On Sale · Online Exclusive · Top Rated · Home · > crafts · > fabric-crafting; > screen printing ...
www.joann.com/.../category.jsp?_...
Screenprinting with Black Unicorn Studios at Elm City Handmade in ...
Last Saturday at Elm City Handmade within Project Storefronts in New Haven, Andy from Black Unicorn Studios presented an extensive and detailed ...
www.designergrill.com/screenprinting-with-black-unicorn-stu...

Re: Google Alert - screen printing

2011-02-28T07:45:00.001-08:00

News 1 new result for screen printing

Chico dirt is business booster when it comes to shirts
Enterprise-Record
Screenprinting the name on heavy cotton T-shirts, he started by literally dunking T-shirts in buckets of backyard mud, swishing them around and rinsing them ...
See all stories on this topic »

Blogs 5 new results for screen printing

Article Directory|Submit Articles » Screen printing
By seattlemortgage21
What is screen printing and why is it so popular right now? It seems like just about every company is using screen printing to create custom t-shirts, blankets, sweatshirts, and many other things. Screen printing is one of the cheapest ...
Article Directory|Submit Articles - http://www.990m.com/
Articles on Screen Printing Service | ArticleSolve
Submit Screen Printing Service Articles to ArticleSolve.
ArticleSolve - http://www.articlesolve.com/
Screen printing | 9999 Articles
By seattlemortgage21
When you have the option to choose from so many different screen printing jobs, how can you figure out what type of fabric to print on and what your needs are?
9999 Articles - http://9999articles.com/
Fibra Artysta - Mixed Media Fiber Art: come take a class with me ...
By Fibra Artysta
And since I'm obsessed with thermofax screens (and think that everyone else should be as well, its become my personal quest to cover the entire world in screen printing), its only fitting that that's the topic of the class. ...
Fibra Artysta - Mixed Media Fiber Art - http://fibraartysta.blogspot.com/
China Electronics Wholesale - Discount Electronics Wholesale from ...
By chinamp4players
Except for digital printing, offset printing and printer, color and screen printing. Benefits It is known that the online printing certain advantages when compared to traditional forms of printing. Online printing is simple, ...
China Electronics Wholesale -... - http://chinamp4players.livejournal.com/

Web 2 new results for screen printing

deviantART Forum: screen printing question
sooo im thinking about getting into screen printing and was wondering if you can make a screen exposure room at home without having to buy a kit to do it ...
forum.deviantart.com/community/art/1498869/
Volcom team hit up Surf City for screen printing
16 August, 2010 : - - On Wednesday 18th August at 2pm, at the SURF CITY surf shop, Joan Duru, Gony Zubizarreta, and Mitch Coleborn will print by themselves ...
www.surfersvillage.com/surfing/48190/news.htm

Re: Google Alert - screen printing

2011-02-28T07:44:00.000-08:00

News 1 new result for screen printing

Alice Waters works with Levi's on print project
Berkeleyside (blog)
... a community print shop run by the jeans maker which invites members of the public to experiment with letterpress, screenprinting and typesetting. ...
See all stories on this topic »
Berkeleyside (blog)

Blogs 5 new results for screen printing

Fun4India – Article Submission Directory » Screen printing
By seattlemortgage21
When you have the option to choose from so many different screen printing jobs, how can you figure out what type of fabric to print on and what your needs are? Contacting AtCost1.com is a great opportunity you have because we have years ...
Fun4India - Article Submission Directory - http://articles.fun4india.in/
Low-cost Screen Printing and Embroidery
By Joel Green
Screen printing is an remarkable technology or a fantastic technique where a woven mesh is used to add support to an ink blocking stencil. Now this stencil forms areas that are open on toe mesh and transfers the ink as a sharp edged ...
Free Article Directory & Free... - http://www.articlesinaclick.com/
Imperial Monogram, Custom Embroidery, Screen Printing, Promotional ...
Imperial Monogram, Custom Embroidery, Screen Printing, Promotional Products. www.imperialusa.biz. by on August 20, 2010. Imperial Monogram Embroidery, Screen Printing, Promotional Products. www.imperialusa.biz , custom shirts, ...
Teddy Bears-Personalised Gifts... - http://www.personalisedteddybeargifts.co.uk/
Scarlett Design: Screen Printing is Fun!
By Ryan
But last weekend I did try something new, which has definitely inspired me: Screen Printing. The image above is my "Queen Anne" illustration, simplified into 2 colors. I really like to create things by hand sometimes, instead of just ...
Scarlett Design - http://scarlettdesign.blogspot.com/
Simulated process screen printing separations w/ spot process Part ...
By admin
So separating colors for simulated process screen printing can be a difficult task at best. And you often need years of.
Angelontheweb.com - http://www.angelontheweb.com/br/

Web 5 new results for screen printing

YouTube - Screenprinting: Preprinted Plastisol Heat Transfers
WEBSITE: http://catspitproductionsllc.com Screen Printing: Learn How To Screen Print Tee Shirts At Home Screenprinting: Plastisol Heat Transfers Please ...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNQWl8TN04c
Discounted Screen Printing And Embroidery
Screen printing is an impressive technology or a great technique where a woven mesh is used to add support to an ink blocking stencil.
www.articlesbase.com/.../discounted-screen-printing-and-embr...
How it Works - The Art of Screen Printing and Its Application For ...
Screen printing has been around since the mid-900s AD. Traditionally, it was used for artistic or decorative purposes, dating all the way back to China's ...
ezinearticles.com/?How-it-Works---The-Art-of...
Midwest Screen Printing, Brandon SD 57005
Get discount coupons for Midwest Screen Printing and other Brandon, SD local merchants. Midwest Screen Printing will help you with all your screen printing ...
www.merchantcircle.com/.../Midwest.Screen.Printing.605-582...
Request a Quote - Blue Dolphin Screenprinting & Embroidery
--Select One--, Direct To Garment, Embroidery, Screen Printing. Invalid Input. Will you need assistance with artwork? --Select One--, Yes, No. Invalid Input ...
www.bluedolphinscreenprint.com/custom-print-quote

See New York, Make Art

2009-06-16T08:10:00.000-07:00

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

3M Announces New Reflective Films

2009-06-16T08:06:00.001-07:00

3M Announces New Reflective Films

Posted using ShareThis

Screen Printing Terms / Jargon

2009-06-15T07:28:00.002-07:00

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

Screen Press Printing: Looking At The Process

2009-06-15T07:28:00.001-07:00

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

How to Mix Ink: Ink Mixing for Pad Printing & Screen Printing

2009-06-15T07:27:00.001-07:00

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

The Screen Printing Process - Step by Step

2009-06-15T07:24:00.000-07:00

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

Understanding the Basic Screen Printing Terms

2009-06-15T07:14:00.001-07:00

Understanding the Basic Screen Printing Terms

Author: Mark D'Elena

This 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!

About the Author:

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

Screen Printing Cool T-shirts

2009-06-15T07:11:00.000-07:00

Screen Printing Cool T-shirts

Author: Clint Jhonson

A t-shirt is a fashion statement which brings out a person’s personality. You can get a variety of prints suitable for each and every occasion, whether it is Christmas, Halloween, election time or any other. Then you have theme t-shirts that are used for teams of for corporate employees. As the demand for custom-made t-shirts has increased, you will find that the t-shirt screen printing business is booming. A lot of people like to have cool t-shirts with their own designs and slogans printed on them using screen printing.

The procedure of t-shirt screen printing comprises of several steps. First and foremost the design to be imprinted on the cotton t-shirt has to be chosen. Next the design has to be imprinted on the screen. The screen is then positioned on the t-shirt and paint is passed through the screen and on to the fabric of the t-shirt. There are different ways of creating the screen used in the process of screen printing, each of which has its own advantages or disadvantages.

The print that you select for your cool t-shirt should be striking and attractive. It might be artistic, bold or witty depending on what occasion you will be donning the t-shirt. If you have a few plain t-shirts in your wardrobe, then you might want to make use of a good personal screen printing kit. This helps the person to be artistically creative and make the t-shirt his or her canvas to unleash inner artistic talent.

As the demand for custom-made t-shirts is increasing manifold, more and more companies are getting into the business of t-shirt screen printing. This enables customers to have their choice in designs on their t-shirts. However, do keep in mind that when you order in bulk, t-shirts made using screen printing get cheaper since it is not very profitable to print just one piece. A lot of time, money and effort is involved in making the screen and so making use of it just once can be a real waste.

Today, you find more and more people trying their hand at t-shirt screen printing and moreover it adds to their joy of having created their own masterpiece. Besides, these t-shirts made using screen printing make the owner’s wardrobe very unique and bring out his or her personality. Regardless of whether the screen printing is done by individuals at home or people who take it up as a profession, these t-shirts are the ideal way of giving a personal touch to anybody’s garments.

With the introduction of heat transfer patterns, digital printing directly on garments and the continuously enhanced capability to print digitally onto t-shirts which are dark colored, you would think that the process of screen printing done by hand would no longer be in use. Even though you might find that digital printing is a great and economical way to use for small numbers of t-shorts with lots of color in the design, t-shirt screen printing is definitely much cheaper for larger quantities.

About the Author:

Visit us if you have orders for single or even bulk t-shirt screen printing; we have thousands of designs for you to choose from to get cool t-shirts printed as per your choice using screen printing.

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - Screen Printing Cool T-shirts

Aluminum Vs. Wood Screen Printing Frames: How To Select The Right Screen Printing Mesh Size

2009-06-15T07:09:00.000-07:00

Aluminum Vs. Wood Screen Printing Frames: How To Select The Right Screen Printing Mesh Size

Author: Ryan Moor

The advantage of an aluminum screen
printing frame is the durability and longevity it retains. Unlike wood silk screen printing frames when exposing frames to water in a dip tank or washout sink aluminum frames will not warp. This will insure a flat frame
through thousands of prints to come. Aluminum frames can also be stretched and re-stretched many times. The mesh and glue are simply removed from the frame
using a professional tool that doesn't damage the aluminum. Once cleaned, the frames can then be re-stretched which will give you the ability to use that frame for years of hard work in your shop.
Aluminum frames are also light weight which makes shipping
less expensive and saves you money in the long run. If you're looking to maximize performance in your shop, aluminum frames are a great item to add to
your screen printing equipment. More about screen printing mesh size: Different mesh sizes are used for different
applications in the screen printing process. Mesh size is measured by how many threads of mesh there are crossing per square inch. For instance, a 110 mesh
screen has 110 threads crossing per square inch. The higher the mesh count, the finer the threads and holes are in the screen. The size of the mesh has a lot to
do with how detailed your image is and how thick the ink you are using is. If
you have an image with extremely high detail, a lower mesh screen won't hold the
high detail. The fine lines or dots in the image will simply fall through the
holes in the mesh not giving you a correct representation of what your image
should be. Also if you are using a thinner ink, the ink will also flood through
the larger holes and soak onto your shirt or substrate making your image blurry
as the ink bleeds. On the other hand, if you are trying to print a thicker ink
(such as white) through to high of a mesh screen, barely any ink will print
through the mesh. You will notice that different companies have different sizes
available. If the mesh count is fairly close, such as the difference between
155 vs. 156, 196 vs. 200, or 81 vs. 86, the difference is so negligible and
small that it will not matter in your final results.
Since there are many variables involved in silk screen printing we
can't tell you exactly what mesh sizes are used for what applications. However
we can give you a general outline of what sizes to use for certain types of
printing. Your basic and most standard mesh sizes are 110 and 156. 110 mesh
lays a fairly thick layer of ink down. It's great for block text letters and
larger spot color designs. It's also a recommended mesh for white flash plates
because many times you will only have to make one print impression which speeds
up production time. 156 mesh also lays down a little thicker layer of screen
printing ink but offers you some higher detail ability in your image due to
the finer mesh. Also if you are printing with a little thinner viscosity colors
of inks, you may want to use the 156 mesh so not too much ink is passed through
your screen. Lower mesh counts like 40-86 are used for shimmer and glitter
inks. These inks have particles in them that will not pass through the typical
mesh sizes. Therefore you need a lower mesh count with large holes in order for
all the particles to pass through properly. Shimmer plastisol inks have finer particles in them so you could probably use an 86 mesh while glitter inks have much larger particles so it would be recommended to use a 40 or 60 mesh screen. 200 and 230 mesh are used for finer detailed images and thinner inks. These mesh sizes can hold larger half tone dots but are not
recommended for four color process prints or fine detail half tone printing.
Also graphic and solvent based silk screening inks that are much thinner should be used with these mesh sizes. Also if you would like a softer feel to the ink on your shirts you can
print through these higher mesh counts which will let less ink through the
screen giving you a much softer feel on the shirt. This can get tricky however,
many times a duller distressed look is wanted for the artwork but if bright
vibrant colors are desired (especially white) you will have a hard time getting
the opacity thick enough using these higher meshes. 305 mesh is used for
extremely high detail textile printing and fine halftone four color process and
simulated process prints. (Learn more about process printing here.) Fine half
tone dots need high fine detail mesh in order to hold and expose on. Higher
meshes such as 355, 380, and 400 are used mainly for graphic printing with UV
inks. UV inks are extremely thin and many times are used for high detail
printing on signs, banners, or CD's. Using a higher mesh allows the automatic
printers used in UV printing to regulate the amount of ink passed through the
screen.
Exposure Notes: Different mesh sizes hold different
amounts of emulsion, due to how big the holes in the mesh are. For instance a
110 mesh screen will hold much more emulsion then a 305 mesh screen. While the
difference isn't extreme, you will have to vary your exposure times slightly for
different mesh sizes. A finer mesh screen that holds less emulsion will expose
faster then a lower mesh screen that holds more emulsion. However, the
difference is small so you may have to only vary as slightly as 5-10% in either
direction and depending on mesh size in order to get maximum exposure
performance.

About the Author:

Ryan Moor founded the Ryonet

Corporation, a prominent online screen printing supply company. Ryan has dedicated much time to teaching and explaining screen printing processes. Find more information on

silk screen printing and screen printing equipment. Visit http://www.silkscreeningsupplies.com

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - Aluminum Vs. Wood Screen Printing Frames: How To Select The Right Screen Printing Mesh Size

Screen Printing: The Ultimate Number System

2009-06-14T08:59:00.000-07:00

Screen Printing: The Ultimate Number System

This is a demo video about a numbering system for screen printing numbers for athletics and the like. This system will fit most standard manual screen printing presses. Questions? Just ask! Integr..

This is a demo video about a numbering system for screen printing

2009-06-14T08:57:00.000-07:00

This is a demo video about a numbering system for screen printing numbers for athletics and the like. This system will fit most standard manual screen printing presses. Questions? Just ask! Integr...

Screen Printing Tips

2009-06-10T06:40:00.000-07:00

Screen Printing Tips, Helpful Info on Silk Screening White Ink and Screen Print Technique. Learn how to Screen Print White Ink Like the Pro's

It seems that one of the most common problems new screen printers run into is printing white ink. I've heard a lot of questions like: Why do all my other colors print fine and white is so tough? Why is it that my white ink is so thick? Why can't I get a smooth white ink? It's always rough and seems to have texture to it. Is there anything I can do to thin my white ink to make it easier to print? Also comments like: "Our white ink is bad, it comes off after only a couple of washes." "There's something wrong with my press, it prints fine when I am printing on white shirts, but when I print on dark shirts the white ink is very blurry." Unfortunately, the answers to these quarries usually lie in the printer themselves. No, your white ink isn't defecting, your press probably works fine, and you shouldn't need to thin the ink. Yes, you probably need to change some variables and techniques during the printing process. The truth of the mater is, the answer is in the question all along.So why does the screen printing process work fine for a while and then as soon as you start printing white ink, smash, a road block. The truth is, you may have been doing the wrong things the whole time, it just didn't show up yet . It's like swimming, sure you can dog paddle and flounder around the pool all day. However, when it comes to swimming a long distance, without the proper techniques you'll work twice as hard and get half as far. Printing on light garments is much easier than printing white on dark garments. On a light garment, not as much ink is required to achieve good coverage. Also many times you're working with thinner inks. Ink varies in viscosity according to how much pigment it has in it. For instance, a black ink is almost always going to be printed on lighter colors, the pigments needed for the black to show up are considerably less then the pigments needed for a white ink to cover a dark garment. Thus, you're black ink is much thinner and easier to work with. You can do almost every technique wrong when printing black ink on a white shirt, and there's still a good chance that your final print will look pretty good. Since the ink is thinner, it passes through the screen mesh much easier, with less force, and clears the screen better. (For those unfamiliar with the term "clearing the screen," this defines the point when all ink is cleared out of the screen mesh and properly transferred to the shirt.)So basically when setting up a screen printing job that requires black ink on a white shirt, you can use the wrong screen mesh, have no off contact, and print with the completely wrong squeegee technique and still get an "OK" looking final print. However, if these same wrong techniques are tried when printing white ink, uh oh, game over! The unfortunate thing is, many printers start out this way and teach themselves completely wrong. In fact, this is how I learned. It's not the end of the world though! The first thing you'll have to understand and come to terms with is the fact that white ink is probably going to be the thickest ink you'll ever use. To achieve a bright white image on a black shirt, the ink has to be opaque which in turn means thicker. Sure you can find thinner white inks, or try to reduce the thicker ones, however you're defeating the purpose and you'll end up printing twice as much to try and achieve the same result. On the other hand, if you learn how to print correctly, then printing white is like taking a walk in the park.Over the past several years, every ink manufacturer in the country has been on the hunt for the "best" white ink on the market. Yes, they've come a long way. In fact twenty or thirty years ago white on black looked more like a light tan or gray than white. Now with inks available like Triangle Phoenix White or International Coatings White, you can achieve maximum coverage with minimal passes. Still, white ink has to be loaded with pigment which means it will always have a high viscosity.So what's the trick? How can you print white ink like the
pros.? The answer usually lies in a few simple changes to your setup and
technique. Apply these changes and really, it's not that hard.Before we delve into techniques, let's first discuss a little bit about pre press and setup.To properly setup a job using white ink you first must
understand a little bit on how to select the proper mesh size. Because white is
thicker, you want to print through the lowest proper mesh size that applies to
that print. If you try and print white through a higher mesh screen which has
much smaller holes in it (SEE MORE INFO on Silk Screening Mesh Sizes) its going to make it much harder to push the ink through the screen. It's also not going to allow as much ink through the screen as a lower mesh would.Typically you want to print white through mesh sizes ranging from 110-156. Granted sometimes the image dictates a high mesh count. For instance, since a half tone or fine line drawing cannot hold on a lower mesh screen, you'll have to use a high mesh frame and apply more passes to achieve a bright white. For the most part however, you'll want to use the lower meshes so that a larger amount of ink is deposited on the shirt.The second part of setup is to insure the screen is adjusted properly on the press. You want to be sure that you have a proper off contact of about 1/8-1/16 of an inch. Since white is a little thicker, you may want to go with a slightly higher off contact then normal, perhaps around 1/8 of an inch. Off contact is the height between the screen mesh and the substrate you are printing on.Proper off contact also allows the ink to be cleared from the screen mesh easily by releasing the mesh upward directly after the print stroke leaving all the ink smoothly on the shirt. One thing that you also want to be sure to apply when printing white ink is an off contact tab. This is a small piece of material (ie. a penny, cardboard, paper, a piece of plastic) that is the height of your off contact. This tab is placed on the end of the screen frame where it hits the top of the neck platen and not the shirt. By using an off contact tab, you insure that your off contact will remain through the entire print stroke. The tab keeps the end of the screen up although you are pushing down on the mesh during the stroke. Without an off contact tab, you may find that you have a harder time clearing the mesh because the screen wants to stay flat against the shirt with ink stuck in it.If you don't have the proper off contact a few problems could arise. If your off contact is too low then you will not be able to clear the screen properly. You should see the screen mesh bounce off the shirt and be able to see the ink and the shirt through a cleared screen mesh. If your ink stays in the screen mesh and the screen mesh sticks to the shirt, when you pull the screen up your ink will look very rough and parts may pull back off the shirt. If you're having this problem you may need to raise the off contact a little bit. Also, this problem could arise from your actual print stroke which will be discussed later.On the other end of the spectrum, if you're off contact is too high; you'll have to push down extremely hard on the squeegee in order to get all the ink down onto the shirt. I've been out to shops to help customers who literally had almost a half of inch of off contact. If your off contact is too high, not only will it be hard to transfer the ink onto the shirt, but there's a good chance that your screen won't come down in the same spot every time. This could cause a blurry image or double images after a flashing. A proper off contact is extremely important for a good looking image and an easy print.
Next let's take a look at technique. The majority of the technique in the screen printing process involves the print stroke. This includes squeegee angle, pressure, speed and release. That standard tendency of a new printer is to literally smash the ink through the screen by pulling the squeegee across the screen with an extremely low angle.When using thin inks, this impropertechnique could work because the ink passes through the screen so easily. However, if tried with white, you'll not only have trouble passing the ink through the screen but also have very blurry images because you're pulling the screen mesh so hard. Your squeegee should actually be about an 80-85 degree angle facing toward you. You should also focus your pressure over and down on the print and not on pulling the squeegee against the mesh.
SEE THE RIGHT SQUEEGEE ANGLE PICTURE
Many new printers stand back from the press, you actually need to stand over the press to focus your pressure down and not back. When your pressure is focused down, then you simply move the squeegee back over the print. With the proper squeegee angle, all of the ink will properly shear through the image and over your screen. In fact you should be able to run your finger over the design after its printed and barely any ink should show up on your finger.Now let's talk about the speed of your print. When we instruct printers to use the proper squeegee angle and pressure, the first impulse they have is to move the squeegee about the speed of a turtle. If your speed is too slow you won't be able to properly release and clear the screen. After a print stoke, many beginners tend to sit back and look at their print, then slowly pull up on the squeegee not allowing the screen mesh to bounce back up leaving ink still stuck in the screen. After a faster stroke, you need to almost give the screen a little pop in order to get the mesh to bounce back up leave a smooth crisp print on your shirt. This is achieved by a simple flick of the wrist, the same flick you would make to insure that you pick up all the ink on your squeegee blade. Only to create this pop and release the screen, the flick must be done a little faster.Finally, when flashing in between passes, you must wait until the shirt cools down a little until you print again. This is much easier to achieve on a multiple station press because it allows the pallets to cool down. On a single station press you may have to wait a few moments and wave your hand across the pallet to cool it down. If the ink is too hot from theprevious flash, you may have trouble clearing the screen because the ink will want to stick instead of release the mesh. It could also cause ink to partially cure in the mesh. Since white ink is thicker and you apply more layers of it, you MUST insure a proper final cure.White ink tends to reflect heat away instead of absorbing it in. This means that the ink and the entire print area must be cured from top to bottom at 320 degrees for about 45 seconds. Obviously the best way to cure white is in a conveyor belt dryer, however if you are using a flash dryer you want to be sure that the whole design gets the same amount of heat.One of the best ways to insure a proper cure is called the stretch test. Since your white image will be a little thicker, this test is easy to read the results. After your shirt is cured, simply take a small section of your design and stretch it slightly between your fingers. If the design sticks together like plastic and stretches well, then it is cured and you can continue with those curing parameters. However, if the ink cracks or breaks apart, this means the base of the ink is not cured properly and you need to increase yourcuring time for the shirt.
By following these steps and techniques you should find printing white ink a little easier. Granted, because there are so many variables involved in screen printing, you may have to work a little at it and modify slightly. However, after a few times printing the right way, you'll start seeing better results and have fewer problems.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/home-business-articles/screen-printing-tips-helpful-info-on-silk-screening-white-ink-and-screen-print-technique-learn-how-to-screen-print-white-ink-like-the-pros-40313.html

The Screen Printing Process

2009-06-10T06:35:00.000-07:00

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’t 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’s 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’s 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’t look very good. If the angle is a 90 degree, then you won’t 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!

I know that throughout this article I left out smaller details of the process, but I figured this was long enough. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at 480.678.4488 during business hours.

-Michael D’Elena

Owner/President

Reckless T-shirts

Need screen printing? Check us out at: http://www.recklesstshirts.com or http://www.recklessts.com

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/graphic-design-articles/the-screen-printing-process-894859.html

Screen_print_diagram

2008-10-18T07:50:00.000-07:00

screen_print_diagram

More detail
http://www.photoshop911.com

อุปกรณ์สำหรับการทำ Screen printing

2008-10-13T09:50:00.000-07:00

อุปกรณ์สำหรับการทำ Screen printing เบื้องต้น

การทำแบบสกรีนจากคอมพิวเตอร์

อุปกรณ์ - คอมพิวเตอร์ - เครื่อง printer laser หรือ เครื่องถ่ายดอกสารขาวดำ - แผ่นใส

เตรียมรูปที่ต้องการสกรีน แล้วเปิดเข้าไปในโปรแกรม Photoshop

รูปที่ 1

เราจะทำการเปลี่ยนรูปนี้ให้เป็นขาวดำ เพื่อจะใช้ทำแบบลายสกรีน

เข้าเมนูตามรูปที่2

รูปที่2

ก็จะได้ลักษณะดังรูปที่ 3 เลือกตามเหมายเลข 1 และเลือกสีขาวดำ ตามเลข 2 แล้วคลิกเมาท์มี่แถมสีขาวดำใหญ่

ในช่อง 1 เพื่อเข้าไปปรับความเข้มของสีขาว และ ดำ

รูปที่ 3

แล้วจะปรากฏหน้าต่าง Gradian Editor

รูปที่ 4

ทำการเลื่อนปุ่มในวง 1 ไปทางขวาเพื่อให้ได้สีดำที่เข้ม และปรับปุ่มในวง 2

ไปทางซ้ายเล็กน้อยเพื่อให้ได้สีขาวที่ชัดขึ้น จะได้ภามดังรูปที่ 5

รูปที่ 5

ตอบโอเค และ save เราก็จะได้ภาพต้นแบบแล้ว

ภาพต้นแบบจำเป็นต้องเป็นภาพขาวดำหรือสีทึบเท่านั้น เพราะจะต้องนำ print ลงแผ่นใสโดยตรง

หรือ print ใส่กระดาษแล้วนำไปถ่ายเอกสารลงแผ่นใส เพื่อที่จะใช้เป็นแบบต่อไป

น้ำยากันตัน - Guntun

2008-10-13T09:17:00.000-07:00

น้ำยากันตัน - Guntun

คือน้ำยาที่ใช้ผสมสีสกรีน เพื่อที่จะให้บล็อคสกรีนนั้นอุดตันช้าลง ลักษณะจะเป็นน้ำใสๆ กลิ่นคล้ายน้ำมันสน
ใช้ผมได้ทุกสี บริมาณการใช้น้ำขึ้นอยู่กับบริมาณสี และ บางครั้งต้องอยู่ที่ประสพการณ์ด้วย

กรอบสกรีน หรือ บล็อคสกรีน

2008-10-13T08:59:00.000-07:00

กรอบสกรีน หรือ บล็อคสกรีน
ตามรูปด้านบน เป็นการทำบล็อคแบบง่ายๆ ใช้ไม้เนื้ออ่อนธรรมดาทั่วไป การขึ้งผ้าจริงแล้วจะต้องตึง
จึงจะได้งานที่ดี แต่บล็อคอันนี้ใช้ขึงมือ ขึงคนเดียว ใช้แม็กเย็บ

Screen printing fabric

2008-06-28T08:02:00.000-07:00

Screen printing fabric

How to Stretch a Silk Screen

2008-06-28T07:43:00.000-07:00

How to Stretch a Silk Screen

Stretch a Silk Screen on a Preroutered Frame

Step1

Buy a piece of silk-screen fabric that is at least 2 inches larger than your frame (all the way around). 200x mesh nylon is a good, all-around choice.

Step2

Immerse it in water and have a sponge handy to keep it moist during the stretching process.

Step3

Cut between four and eight 1-inch lengths of rope and one piece that is the circumference of the frame.

..Read more >>

Sreen printing block

2008-06-28T02:45:00.000-07:00

Sreen printing block

This is a step by step guide to stretching fabric on a wood frame. The text following each picture explains what's going on.

I use a staple gun to attach the fabric, but there are alternative methods you can use if you choose. With staples, the fabric edges do not need to be finished.

If you have finished edges (usually with a width of fabric that wraps around the edge and is stronger) you can leave more space between attach points. You can use snaps (screw the male portion directly to the frame using cap-head screws that fit inside the snap) or velcro in this case as well.

Home Screenprinting Tutorial

2008-06-27T06:22:00.000-07:00

Home Screenprinting tools

~ The screen
~ Emulsion and sensitiser
~ A scoop coater or squeegee
~ Rubber gloves
~ A rubber spatula
~ A darkroom and photosafe light
~ Black bristol board, or black cloth or felt
~ Transparencies containing your artwork
~ A sheet of glass
~ A light fixture with a 250 watt photo flood bulb
~ A timer
~ A spray bottle full of cold water
~ A shower head

This my T-shirt product

2008-06-27T06:20:00.000-07:00

This my T-shirt product

Screen Print is easy

2008-06-12T08:52:00.001-07:00

Screen Print is easy