Let me just say, I've been browsing your community for the past 5 hours, and I have learned so much, but I'm still confused about screen printing. I've started setting up a company; I have a website, wholesalers for apparel, and clients. The only problem is I don't know to make the proper screen. I have bought wood from home depot and made frames. All I need now is 110 mesh, where can I get my hands on that? Lately I've traveled to a nearby art store, and a fabric store, and when I searched for mesh, I got this YUDU stuff, pretty much its the indrustry compacted into a personal oven. Crazy, ik. The one other thing Im not quite sure about, is curing. What is it? I've been tought on how to make frames and create screens with designs, but if you put the ink though the screen, do you heat dry it? I have no idea what curing is. I also need info on ink, and their diff properties. I dont have any equipment, I was going to make some sort of makeshift darkroom to do all of this in. If I make a darkroom, can I just take the garage, and get like a yellow lightbulb to block out the UV for the emulsion or wat.
too long didn't read:
Awesome community.
1. Where can I get 110 mesh? prefer online/cheap
2. What kind of ink should I use? Platisol? sp.How should I get it?
3. What is curing. Do I need to know about it?
4. Darkroom. How do I quite make one in a garage.
All I need is where to get 110 mesh, Its the only thing stopping me, I can buy art store ink in pints, but its whatever.
For the answer... depends what you're trying to achieve. Waterbased ink has a softer hand (i.e. feels softer on the shirt). It usually looks more matte. Plastisol is more plasticy, but if you want really bold solid colours that stand out it's usually better.
Waterbased is easier to work with in a really small environment where you're trying to minimise equipment. But conversely plastisol is easier to work with if you have an average shop setup. This is because plastisol is easier to print with (unlike waterbased it doesn't air dry), but waterbased is easier to cleanup, and the airdrying can be convenient. Waterbased is easier to cure in terms of giving you more low-range options, but harder in that a professional dryer will have an easier time of it with plastisol.
So... if budget <$1500, then waterbased is easier. If budget >$3000 plastisol easier. If budget >$30,000 it doesn't really make a difference.
"Easier" is not the only consideration of course. There is an aesthetic and physical difference, which might override other considerations.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jakeofmn
3. What is curing. Do I need to know about it?
Curing is heat setting the ink so that it is washfast. You very much need to know about it - it's probably the single most important part of the process.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jakeofmn
4. Darkroom. How do I quite make one in a garage.
Drywall, wood or heavy curtains. Make a small room in the corner. Depends what you have to work with - hopefully you have running water.
__________________ "Ah, Henny Penny," said Chicken Little, "the sky is falling, and I must go and tell the king."
>> Waterbased is easier to cure in terms of giving you more low-range options,
>>curing;the single most important part of the process.
oh lawdy, I've never heard of it b4, and i've seen so many instructional videos on how to do so. I'm aiming for that waterbased, to cure it, wouldn't you just let the ink sit on the shirt for at least an hour? What other options do you have?
>> hopefully you have running water.
Why running water? Can't you use it outside?
I have 600 to invest in this, my life savings. I have a website that I made and is currently up, and I'm ordering emulsion, and 110 mesh online, that cost me 10 dollars per yd, which I think is insanely fail.
Last edited by Solmu; July 2nd, 2009 at 07:48 PM.
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oh lawdy, I've never heard of it b4, and i've seen so many instructional videos on how to do so
If you've been watching YouTube videos, they tend to divide themselves up into each part of the process. They leave quite a lot out
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jakeofmn
I'm aiming for that waterbased, to cure it, wouldn't you just let the ink sit on the shirt for at least an hour? What other options do you have?
No, that just dries it. For waterbased ink you have the full gamut of options: hand iron, heat gun, heat press, flash dryer, tunnel dryer. Some are more ideal than others.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jakeofmn
Why running water? Can't you use it outside?
Emulsion is light sensitive, and outside means you have that giant ball of skyward UV bearing down on you. So, no. You need access to running water in your darkroom. In a pinch you might be able to create running water via a tank, or bucket and pressure washer, or similar.
__________________ "Ah, Henny Penny," said Chicken Little, "the sky is falling, and I must go and tell the king."
No i am not going to start like a *****. I want to be pro.
You may want to be a pro, but since you don't have a pro's budget reality needs to set in. With $600 you're going to "start like a *****" or you're not going to start at all. Deal with it. Lots of people start small and work their way up, it doesn't make you any less of a man
__________________ "Ah, Henny Penny," said Chicken Little, "the sky is falling, and I must go and tell the king."
Where can you get mesh and ink? Whats curing? 
