I'm a Graphic Designer and have been talking and thinking about getting in to screen printing for years now. I finally kicked myself in the butt and started to buy supplies and learn about the process, i have never screened anything before. So far, I'm understanding the process and whats involved.
What I'm looking for now is some guidance on my best next steps, i have a limited budget to get rolling, and want to pinch an penny anywhere i can.
Here is a list of what i have so far.
20x24 137 screen
17 inch Squeegee
17 inch Scoop Coater
RLX Emulsion
KIWO Stencil remover (concentrate)
Atex White with catalyst water based ink
Atex Black with catalyst water based ink
Speedball screen mounting hinges
blue block out tape
I just purchased all this a couple days ago.
Being a graphic designer i am fortunate to already own an Epson 4800 printer, however i do not have any RIP software, and don't have an extra 500 bux to purchase it at this time, if there is a way for me to print my own film i would be ecstatic. I've read some threads on here with someone mentioning a way to do it, but didn't quite understand. unless someone knows where i can pick up AccuRIP for a discounted price? I need to preserve my paper printing abilities as well as i run a lot of full color jobs weekly.
Other things i plan to purchase:
1. Nuts, bolts, washers, to use to mount my speedball hinges to my desk. (i've heard i want an 1/8in clearance between the screen and a shirt, should i purchase a 1/8 in spacer to place under the hinges?)
2. Spray Bottle for my concentrated stencil remover.(all prep and clean up will be done in a near by shower)
3. Plexi glass to use during exposure, and or use as a t-shirt mold, not sure on this solution yet. any ideas?
4. shirts, i still need a good source where to pick up some cheep shirts to get started, I've found one site that is selling some for around 1.60 a shirt, but I've heard of places doing 5 for $5 or less.
i posted this same thread in the new members area, but haven't gotten any responses there.
I worked as an artist in the industry for almost 10 years before starting my own business. I went out and bought a book about starting your own screen printing business. I also bought a book on the business of running a business. And, I got some "consultation" help from friends who worked in other areas of the screen printing business.
The forums are great for getting help on specifics... but for the bigger picture, I think it would be easier for you to buy a book or two and spend some time reviewing/studying your own specific needs.
I worked as an artist in the industry for almost 10 years before starting my own business. I went out and bought a book about starting your own screen printing business. I also bought a book on the business of running a business. And, I got some "consultation" help from friends who worked in other areas of the screen printing business.
The forums are great for getting help on specifics... but for the bigger picture, I think it would be easier for you to buy a book or two and spend some time reviewing/studying your own specific needs.
Best of luck in your new venture!
Thanks for the reply,
I think you misunderstood my post, or maybe I'm not being clear, I'm not really looking for business advice, I'm looking for advice and materials i need to start screening, ie registration issues, and will my speedball hinges on my desk even work right. basically a critique on my setup and what i can do to improve it.
You can start out with what you have, but I'd hold off on even trying to do anything that requires a RIP for the time being. Make a film positive of some type or line art, getting it as dense as you're printer will allow. Coat and dry your screen in a dust-free dark closet (an old cardboard box works well, with openings on the ends to allow for evaporation). Make a test exposure to determine exposure times (a step-wedge test of perhaps 10 minutes over a large area of, say, 3 point lines will show stencil washout and edge definition enough for a base time). It might take a few tests to get a time dialed in closely for the emulsion and light source you're using. Make a properly exposed screen once you have a time down, and print on an old tee shirt, or get some paper pellons to practice on.
You'll have plenty of things to sort out before even printing a single-color line art design on a shirt, so you might as well get a feel for all the front-end processes before even thinking about halftones and multiple colors. I'm sure you're all jazzed about slapping your great ideas on tees (we all are, trust me) but if you don't get the basic steps down first, the frustration will likely discourage you. Read these (and other) screenprinting forums, and you'll see people having all kinds of problems. I've been doing this for 4 or 5 years now, and I still have to ask for help now and then. One mistake you don't want to make (and you'll see posts on forums from those that did) is to go out and get that one or two-color halftone on black shirt job or process color job, then come here with the question, now what do I do? Take it slow, master each step as you go along (including screen coating, exposure, screen reclaiming, etc.) and take only jobs that you are confident you can do successfully. On your own time work out problems on the fancier stuff.
You'll need either at minimum a 500w halogen worklight to expose your emulsion, or use the sun (although from day to day, that's a little inconsistent). Your equipment is pretty rudimentary, to say the least, but you can print a t-shirt with it, so before going nuts on buying a bunch more stuff, I'd give it a try using what you have. You might even find out that it's more work (and more trouble) than you were expecting, and at least you won't be broke.
Also , don't use plexiglass to expose your screens. Go to home depot and get a piece of glass larger than your screen frame (tape around the edges).
You can start out with what you have, but I'd hold off on even trying to do anything that requires a RIP for the time being. Make a film positive of some type or line art, getting it as dense as you're printer will allow. Coat and dry your screen in a dust-free dark closet (an old cardboard box works well, with openings on the ends to allow for evaporation). Make a test exposure to determine exposure times (a step-wedge test of perhaps 10 minutes over a large area of, say, 3 point lines will show stencil washout and edge definition enough for a base time). It might take a few tests to get a time dialed in closely for the emulsion and light source you're using. Make a properly exposed screen once you have a time down, and print on an old tee shirt, or get some paper pellons to practice on.
You'll have plenty of things to sort out before even printing a single-color line art design on a shirt, so you might as well get a feel for all the front-end processes before even thinking about halftones and multiple colors. I'm sure you're all jazzed about slapping your great ideas on tees (we all are, trust me) but if you don't get the basic steps down first, the frustration will likely discourage you. Read these (and other) screenprinting forums, and you'll see people having all kinds of problems. I've been doing this for 4 or 5 years now, and I still have to ask for help now and then. One mistake you don't want to make (and you'll see posts on forums from those that did) is to go out and get that one or two-color halftone on black shirt job or process color job, then come here with the question, now what do I do? Take it slow, master each step as you go along (including screen coating, exposure, screen reclaiming, etc.) and take only jobs that you are confident you can do successfully. On your own time work out problems on the fancier stuff.
You'll need either at minimum a 500w halogen worklight to expose your emulsion, or use the sun (although from day to day, that's a little inconsistent). Your equipment is pretty rudimentary, to say the least, but you can print a t-shirt with it, so before going nuts on buying a bunch more stuff, I'd give it a try using what you have. You might even find out that it's more work (and more trouble) than you were expecting, and at least you won't be broke.
Also , don't use plexiglass to expose your screens. Go to home depot and get a piece of glass larger than your screen frame (tape around the edges).
Thank you!
i know i have pretty much the basic of basics equipment wise, and it seams like it's going to be a lot of work, I'm all for taking it slow and learning.
some more specific questions.
do you think it would be wise to build a small drying rack to fit under my desk there? i don't really have a closet i can use.
anyone know of a guide to building your own light box/exposure box?
where can i get a t-shirt mold, so what can i use to keep my registration?
What do you mean by T-shirt mold?
And by registraion do you mean that you want to print multi color designs on T's with that set up? If thats the case I think your going to have a lot of trouble. What you have there is more of a flat stock kind of set up. I've printed multi color signs on a table like that. you just build a jig on 2 sides for the sign material to butt up against and let the colors dry between prints. With fabric like T's your not going to be able to line up the shirt a second time. If you do print T's on that set up you will want to put something inside the shirt so any ink doesn't transfer all the way through to the other side.
i know i have pretty much the basic of basics equipment wise, and it seams like it's going to be a lot of work, I'm all for taking it slow and learning.
some more specific questions.
do you think it would be wise to build a small drying rack to fit under my desk there? i don't really have a closet i can use.
anyone know of a guide to building your own light box/exposure box?
where can i get a t-shirt mold, so what can i use to keep my registration?
I am a Graphic Designer, too, and basically at the same point with getting ready to screen print. I got the following info on creating a home exposure unit:
1 or 2 bath towels
black cloth
piece of clear glass just smaller than the inside dimensions of screen
aluminum lampshade, 10 or 12 inch, or disposable aluminum foil pan
standard light socket
250 watt household build
extension stand or arm from which to extend the light to the proper height
sheet of cardboard the same size as the screen's frame
tabletop for assembly
timer
4 small wooden blocks
Hope this is of some help. PM if you would like me to send you the book title - it goes into depth on how to do the actual exposure.
It would be a little hard printing more than one color on a single set-up. You can print with multiple colors that don't butt up to each other which doesn't require registration. Use proper glass as tpitman advised for exposing your screens.
I used inkjet transparency film to print my positives on high quality, printed 2 copies and lay on top of each other taping 'em down. It's worked for me in the past and have found it to be inexpensive, there is also some paper called jetfilm I've heard of, after printing you spray some sort of paint or clear that enriches the black.
Hope this helps.
What do you mean by T-shirt mold?
And by registraion do you mean that you want to print multi color designs on T's with that set up? If thats the case I think your going to have a lot of trouble. What you have there is more of a flat stock kind of set up. I've printed multi color signs on a table like that. you just build a jig on 2 sides for the sign material to butt up against and let the colors dry between prints. With fabric like T's your not going to be able to line up the shirt a second time. If you do print T's on that set up you will want to put something inside the shirt so any ink doesn't transfer all the way through to the other side.
I'd like to do multi color screens with this set if possible, what i was referring to was what you said about putting something inside the shirts. IE like those mini ironing board looking boards on larger multi color presses. I'm looking for a solution that i can add to my desk set up.
Also, just in general even when i do one color, what is good way to keep everything steady, should it just be pressure from me screening, make my ink passes then pull the shirt out to dry?
I am a Graphic Designer, too, and basically at the same point with getting ready to screen print. I got the following info on creating a home exposure unit:
1 or 2 bath towels
black cloth
piece of clear glass just smaller than the inside dimensions of screen
aluminum lampshade, 10 or 12 inch, or disposable aluminum foil pan
standard light socket
250 watt household build
extension stand or arm from which to extend the light to the proper height
sheet of cardboard the same size as the screen's frame
tabletop for assembly
timer
4 small wooden blocks
Hope this is of some help. PM if you would like me to send you the book title - it goes into depth on how to do the actual exposure.
Good luck in your business venture!
Kimberly
Cool thanks for the materials, is there a website or video on how to construct the box?
Before you do anything else, you really ought to see if you can buy or borrow a copy of the book "How to Print T-Shirts for Fun and Profit" by Scott Fresner. There is info in there that will give you a much better picture of the process of screenprinting shirts using the most basic home-built press and exposure units up to professional equipment. Seriously, using a pie pan and a 250 watt bulb doesn't even rise to ghetto equipment. You can get a 500 watt quartz-halogen worklight for $12 or less in home depot. You can cobble up a press out of wood that will work satisfactorily pretty cheaply that would get you going.
Before buying more towels? at the very least spend a little more time on this forum, and go over to screenprinters.net and haunt those forums for awhile. You can go on Youtube and do a search for screenprinting. There are several fairly good videos there showing different aspects of screenprinting.
Before you do anything else, you really ought to see if you can buy or borrow a copy of the book "How to Print T-Shirts for Fun and Profit" by Scott Fresner. There is info in there that will give you a much better picture of the process of screenprinting shirts using the most basic home-built press and exposure units up to professional equipment. Seriously, using a pie pan and a 250 watt bulb doesn't even rise to ghetto equipment. You can get a 500 watt quartz-halogen worklight for $12 or less in home depot. You can cobble up a press out of wood that will work satisfactorily pretty cheaply that would get you going.
Before buying more towels? at the very least spend a little more time on this forum, and go over to screenprinters.net and haunt those forums for awhile. You can go on Youtube and do a search for screenprinting. There are several fairly good videos there showing different aspects of screenprinting.
Thank you for the light specs, very helpful!
that book was also recommended to me at the place i bought all my supplies, and so far they also had it for the cheapest price, i guess I'm going to have to make the trek back across the bay to pick it up.
Newbie help - Home based 
Re: Newbie help - Home based 
Re: Newbie help - Home based 
