Is there a comprehensive list of supplies I need for screen printing? I didn't see anything about supplies in the faq.
I have a 4 screen printer, conveyor dryer, flash dryer.
I have an exposure unit(I think that's the name, box with a think elastic blanket on the top with a compressor for sucking out air.)
I have some blank shirts to learn with.
What else do I need?
I need plastisol ink....
I need squegees, but know nothing about the squegees I need.
What do I need for creating screens?
Anything else I'm missing?
These supplies are the next step learning how to use my screen printer.
maybe check out a company that sells "complete starter package" kits. they should have a breakdown of everything included to start printing... you can get your head around the products needed and then research them as to why you need them/ what they are used for.
+1 for CCI - we use allot of their stuff. Also, check with your local supply house. Many times the local screen-printing supply vendors will have samples they can set you up with, and you don't have to wait for shipping when buying locally.
Is there a comprehensive list of supplies I need for screen printing? I didn't see anything about supplies in the faq.
I have a 4 screen printer, conveyor dryer, flash dryer.
I have an exposure unit(I think that's the name, box with a think elastic blanket on the top with a compressor for sucking out air.)
I have some blank shirts to learn with.
What else do I need?
I need plastisol ink....
I need squegees, but know nothing about the squegees I need.
What do I need for creating screens?
Anything else I'm missing?
These supplies are the next step learning how to use my screen printer.
I think that would be great if we could get a list going in this thread that we could refer back to.
I think that would be great if we could get a list going in this thread that we could refer back to.
It would depend on what type of printing you plan on doing, coming down to what type of inks you'll be using. Different inks require different emulsions and different chemicals for cleanup.
Okay, so here's my contribution to the "comprehensive list" for printing t-shirts with plastisol inks:
Equipment:
Scoop Coater for coating screens
Drying rack for drying / storing pre-exposed screens
Exposure unit
Wash-out sink
Pressure washer
Storage for exposed screens
Printing Press - size & type depends on type of work you'll do
Flash cure unit
Conveyor dryer
Squeegees, 50-80 durometer, lengths sufficient for your needs.
"Goop Scoops" for dishing out inks
Supplies:
Cloth rags
Blue paper towels
PVC low-adhesive tape ("screen tape")
Scrub pads - keep them separated by use so that you never use one for degreasing or cleaning that you used for reclaiming or dehazing.
Trash bags
Chemicals:
Diazo dual-cure emulsion
Degreaser for washing screens pre-coat
Spot blocker for filling pinholes in screens (can also use emulsion for this)
Press-wipe solution for cleaning glue & ink off press
spray adhesive for holding shirts down
Screen wash solution, such as Citri-paste, for cleaning ink off screens
Emulsion remover for reclaiming screens
Dehazer for removing ghost images when reclaiming screens
Hand cleaner
Tri-chlor based aerosol degreaser for spot-cleaning problems on shirts (be careful using this stuff, it's really bad for you - don't breath it or get it on your skin)
That's off the top of my head, but I think that's about it for the printing part. Of course, you still need everything for printing your artwork onto films - computer, software, printer, film, ink, skills.
Preparing your artwork, printing films and exposing screens is a couple workshops in itself, but all you need to print the film is a computer with appropriate graphics software, a printer, and blank film appropriate for your printer. To make the screen you need a darkroom, emulsion, a scoop coater, a blank screen, and some type of exposure unit.
When I first started screen printing, I had the cheapest laser printer I could find - an Okidata, at that time. I bought the cheap transparency films from Office max, and was using Adobe Illustrator 9.0. The printer wouldn't print dark enough to keep light from going through the image, so I would print 2 copies of the art and overlap the films & tape them together at the edges with scotch tape. Sometimes the image was larger than the 8 X 10 1/2" area my printer would print, so I'd break up the image into quadrants and add extra registration marks to line up all the pieces - some art took 8 sheets of film! Wow, what a pain, but it worked. I'd set the color in CMYK to 100, 100, 100, 100, so it gets maximum toner, set the paper type to the heaviest setting, and select the best photo setting for the printer. Now, that's not the best setup, but it does work - it's time consuming to double up the film and make sure its lined up perfectly, the cheap film shrinks a bit when it's exposed so if you're wanting to do half tones or simulated process colors this probably won't even work.
Now I use an epson inkjet with roll-fed film and fastink from fastfilms. Set the color to 0, 0, 0, 100, and one pass does it - one piece of film, so simple. You can get good deals on the small epson roll-fed printers, like the photo 2200, on ebay.
For exposure, I started out with a 500-watt halogen shop light on a stand I built out of 1" pvc pipe. I was using, and still use, diazo dual-cure water-based emulsion. Keep everything light safe in your darkroom until you're ready to expose. Place the coated screen under the light, bottom up, and align the film on the screen, image down. Set a piece of clear glass over the film to keep the film pressed against the emulsion. Turn the light on for 12 1/2 minutes, then turn it off. Remove the glass and the film.
Hopefully you have a sink and a pressure washer in your darkroom? Take the exposed screen to the sink and wet both sides, then wait 30 seconds. Spray it with the pressure washer from the ink side, and the image area will wash out, leaving the rest coated with emulsion. Once the image area is clear, stop! Shake off the extra water, and put the screen in front of a fan to dry. That's it - done, now take it into the light and use it.
If you don't have a sink in your darkroom, put the exposed screen in a black trash bag and take it to wherever you can wash it out. Keeping it in the bag, wet both sides of the screen and wait 30 seconds. Don't let light get to it during this time! Now, take it out and wash out the image area - be quick, because it will expose, and definitely stay out of the direct sun. If you don't have a pressure washer, a garden hose with a focused spray nozzle will usually work if your pressure is high enough.
Again, that's kind of crude, but it gets the job done. Best to use an exposure table with UV tubes, and a vacuum table is even better. Nice, even consistent exposures every time.
Yes, your emulsion and coated screens have to be kept light-safe at all times prior to exposure. It's pretty simple to set up, though.
Block the windows with cardboard, put a towel under the door, and use a bug light from home depot - the yellow light bulbs they sell are non-uv, so they won't expose your emulsion. Keep your emulsion sealed in its container and your coated screens in a black trash bag until the room is safe.
Probably the most important thing is some small level of artistic ability and a genuine love for printing. Sure you need emulsion, ink and cleaning chemicals to produce a screen, but it is the art which makes a shirt.
My first shirts were produced with sunlight and screened putting the shirt on a board and laying the screen on top of the shirt. To this day, some of those low budget shirts are some of our best work. One of the reasons is that i had an artist draw the art with a sharpie and the authenticity of the artwork came through in the final shirt. Later shirts are much better produced, but lack "old school" feel.
This is tried and true
Screens and prep
Any commercial degreaser like Simple green diluted 8-1 and a scrubby sponge
I've even used dishwashing soap
12" emulsion coater
Small Fan to dry emulsion between coats
An Exposure Unit - Attend police auctions they always have 1000w MH & ballasts
I bought 2 MH for $10 and the gave me the ballast
PRINTING
Latex examining gloves - every time you handle ink
drafting dots - round thin masking tape that dispenses from a box - Pin Holes
cheap packaging tape - apply to the back end where the ink wells - After your
job cleanup is easy the ink pretty much wipes right off
with paper towels, and keeping ink off the emulsion is
to wash out.
Acetone - removes cured plastisol- can blot out inkprints-most supply houses sell
the fluid for the blow out guns and all it is Acetone at 5X the price.
NazDar Non Stop - best stuff ever invented - this breaks dried ink in the stencil-
even vinyls and air cure on the press. Cleans wet ink then
evaporates.
3M Super 77 - the finest all purpose adhesive- 1 can will literally last 10k-15k pcs
$15 At first evry third piece and after a while it builds up and evry
6th shirt and if you flashing it heats up and keeps going doesnt
stain or get everywhere like that crap they sell you.
Household Bleach - Reclaim screens IMPORTANT dilute with water 5-1 put in spray
bottle. Wet screen DEGREASE screen and spray it on and use
pressure hose to wash out. And if you applied the emulsion
correctly you will have NO problems-thick emulsion coating
oily greasy screens are the root cause
FOR COATED SCREEN STORAGE
Get a red or amber bulb for your bathroom and coat and dry (fan) I'll repeat proper method coat print side then coat ink side dry with fan (5min) coat print side (optional) coat ink side. Dry then put in garbage bag seal up. As long as it is not in direct light they will be fine for about two weeks.
If you know anyone going to Vegas tell them to bring back 'slot cups' they are free heavy duty plastic cups perfect for mixing ink and after cover with cello
This is tried and true
Screens and prep
Any commercial degreaser like Simple green diluted 8-1 and a scrubby sponge
I've even used dishwashing soap
12" emulsion coater
Small Fan to dry emulsion between coats
An Exposure Unit - Attend police auctions they always have 1000w MH & ballasts
I bought 2 MH for $10 and the gave me the ballast
PRINTING
Latex examining gloves - every time you handle ink
drafting dots - round thin masking tape that dispenses from a box - Pin Holes
cheap packaging tape - apply to the back end where the ink wells - After your
job cleanup is easy the ink pretty much wipes right off
with paper towels, and keeping ink off the emulsion is
to wash out.
Acetone - removes cured plastisol- can blot out inkprints-most supply houses sell
the fluid for the blow out guns and all it is Acetone at 5X the price.
NazDar Non Stop - best stuff ever invented - this breaks dried ink in the stencil-
even vinyls and air cure on the press. Cleans wet ink then
evaporates.
3M Super 77 - the finest all purpose adhesive- 1 can will literally last 10k-15k pcs
$15 At first evry third piece and after a while it builds up and evry
6th shirt and if you flashing it heats up and keeps going doesnt
stain or get everywhere like that crap they sell you.
Household Bleach - Reclaim screens IMPORTANT dilute with water 5-1 put in spray
bottle. Wet screen DEGREASE screen and spray it on and use
pressure hose to wash out. And if you applied the emulsion
correctly you will have NO problems-thick emulsion coating
oily greasy screens are the root cause
FOR COATED SCREEN STORAGE
Get a red or amber bulb for your bathroom and coat and dry (fan) I'll repeat proper method coat print side then coat ink side dry with fan (5min) coat print side (optional) coat ink side. Dry then put in garbage bag seal up. As long as it is not in direct light they will be fine for about two weeks.
If you know anyone going to Vegas tell them to bring back 'slot cups' they are free heavy duty plastic cups perfect for mixing ink and after cover with cello
Don't use bleach to reclaim screens, it's best to use emulsion remover concentrate, very cheap. Use proper textile tack and not 3M spray glue, same price anyway.....
For screens...do not wait 5 minutes for one side... Coat print side (side that touches shirt) first, immediately after coat the squeegee side. Lay print side downwards horizontally (make sure you have pegs or something similar so it doesn't touch surface), and invest in a dehumidifier for your dark room as it speeds up drying. If you have room in your shop/house, I suggest making a corner dedicated for your "darkroom." Black felt fabric, a curved curtain rod, and a piece of black felt for the top is good enough as long as no uv lights go through...
Build a drying rack so you can emulsion multiple screens at a time and keep them in storage. And good luck...
Comprehensive screen printing supply list? 
