[Solmu]

silk screen? then why not just have a company silk screen your shirts, then you can avoid all of the start up costs, and you don't have to learn anything either, besides creating the design of course.

Some would say learning something new is half the point .

The original poster may have been referring to one of those manual home kit type screenprinting setups. You could definitely buy one of those for under $300. I don't know much about them though, just know a few friends have played around with them a bit.

Anyone here have experience with those? Too much fussing to be worth the effort? Or a good start for someone who wants to get their feet wet cheaply?

 

[Solmu]

Do you happen to know who makes these cheap screenprinting setups? I'd be interested in picking one up just to play around with and get my feet wet without diving right in to screenprinting.

If you try googling for something like Fabric Screen Printing Kit, or some kind of similar keywords, you should be able to find some online - some as cheap as $50 or so (I don't know if they have everything you'd need to start though - that seems too cheap).

They're the kind of thing that art supply stores often have. Your local art supply store is probably the easiest and cheapest way to buy one (no shipping fees).

As others have said they're not an alternative to professional screen printing. That said, I think they do have their uses and they are very cheap. For those starting out they give you a way to print a few shirts at home for yourself without meeting minimums. I imagine they'd also be useful for proofing designs - print out a test print for yourself to wear, and if the design "works" you can get a run of them done at a professional screenprinter to sell.

Without the proper curing equipment I wouldn't expect the prints from home kits to be anywhere near as long lasting, and they do limit your ink choices and so on. Can't fault the prices though, so I think if people have realistic expectations they'd probably find them worthwhile.