How To Set Up Screen Printing At Home

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Screen press is a printing technique used to apace stencil an identical image on multiple objects, often clothing. You lot build a screen and stencil, so push ink through the mesh and onto your shirt, paper, or object. Being able to screen print at home enables you to create unique pieces of clothing and other objects, and you tin can replicate the pattern on as many objects you want past using the aforementioned screen.

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Purchase a canvas stretcher frame at a craft or fine art supplies shop. These are basic, inexpensive frames made of wood for mounting a canvas. For a picayune more money you can purchase an aluminum frame that volition terminal longer, as repeated washing will warp a wooden canvas.^[one]
- Many art stores now sell pre-fabricated silkscreens also, so you could buy a standard screen if yous don't want to make a custom one.
- Ensure that your frame is big enough for your pattern. If you don't know your design yet, or want a versatile frame for multiple designs, aim for 12x18" at the minimum.
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Purchase your mesh. Y'all desire a nice, fine mesh that allows the ink to laissez passer onto the shirt, paper, or blueprint. Mesh-count measures how loose or tight the mesh is, where college numbers indicate a tighter mesh. The tighter the mesh, the more intricate your details can be. Mesh count is the number of threads in ane square inch.
- For the archetype "athletic" or collegiate print that looks worn/speckled, aim for a loose 85 mesh count.
- For a "do-it-all" mesh, aim for 110-130 mesh count.
- For paper or plastic printing, go for a mesh count near 200-250.
- In general, lighter colored objects work best with higher mesh counts. So if you're doing white newspaper, aim from 230-250.^[2]
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Staple the mesh into the frame. Make certain you pull the screen tight earlier you beginning stapling. You lot want it to exist as taut every bit possible without ripping. Stretch the mesh beyond the frame and staple around the wood every 1 to ii inches (2.54 to 5.08 cm.).
- You will likely need an electric staple gun to securely adhere the mesh.
- You can also use framing nails.
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1
Create a stencil of your design. Silkscreens can only apply one color at a fourth dimension, so create a simple shape or outline to begin learning. Any you draw volition eventually be the inked part of the print. To make your own impress, you need:^[iii]
- Poster board, thin cardboard, or other thick & sturdy paper.
- Pencil
- 10-acto pocketknife or another precision knife
2
Know the artistic limitations and challenges of screen-printed designs. Screen printing isn't difficult, as what you describe is exactly what you get on the last print. Nonetheless, there are certain principles and limitations to screen printing that y'all should know as y'all design your impress:
- Yous can just print 1 color at a time.
- High dissimilarity images (similar black on white) piece of work the best, equally you lot cannot use shading.
- For complex designs, you need to make multiple prints, one for each colour, and layer them after the ink has stale.^[4]
3
Sketch your pattern onto the affiche lath. Sketch out the blocks of your design. You tin upload photos or other images into photograph editing software also and use those. To exercise then, reduce the drawing to a basic two-tone outline so print it.
- To make a stencil on Photoshop, for example, you would take a black and white epitome and click Prototype → Adjustments → Threshold, then set it up near the highest it tin be.^[5]
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Cut the design out as a stencil. Everything that you cut away will be united nations-inked on the final print, and everything covered by the stencil will be covered in ink. For example, imagine you are printing the red logo of a bulls-center on a white t-shirt. When you cut out the stencil, all of the rings that you cut away will be white, and all of the rings that are covered by the stencil will be red.
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Alternatively, depict your pattern on transparent paper. For complex prints, it can be very difficult to cutting out the unabridged outline. In this example, use thick black ink on transparent newspaper to make your stencil.
- Your stencil or cartoon needs to block low-cal, as this is what etches the design into the screen and allows you to impress. Everything covered by a stencil or black ink will not get exposed to light, leaving it "open" and allowing ink to pass onto the shirt or item.
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one
Coat your silk screen with a thin layer of photo emulsion. Pour a line of emulsion forth a side of the screen and use the squeegee to spread a sparse line along the entire screen. Photo emulsion reacts to light, hardening when exposed, then anything not covered by your stencil volition turn into a barrier preventing ink from getting through.
- Utilize emulsion to the apartment side of the frame, not the side surrounded by forest.
- Do this in as dark a room as possible to prevent the emulsion from hardening before you're ready.^[6]
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Allow the emulsion dry in a nighttime space. Expose information technology to as piddling light as you tin. A closet or bathroom volition work well, as long every bit you lot can close some defunction
3
Gear up an "exposure expanse" while waiting for the emulsion to dry. Y'all'll need to expose the emulsion to a directly, strong low-cal to prepare information technology. Following the specification on the photo emulsion bottle, gear up a low-cal higher up your apartment black surface. Each emulsion has different times, watts, and distances needed for proper hardening, and so be sure to read the bottle before beginning. The lamp should always be 1-2 feet above the emulsion.
- If the emulsion calls for 30 minutes at 200 watts, set up upwardly a lamp with a 200W seedling 1-2 feet above a table. The screen goes under the light.
four

Place your screen under the lite in the exposure area. As you're moving the screen, encompass it with a towel so it does non react to incidental light. Place information technology under the lamp in your station, leaving the towel on for now.^[7]
5
Put your stencil backwards on the heart of the screen. The screen should be emulsion side up. The mesh will be lifted a few inches off the tabular array and resting on the frame. Place your stencil in the center of the screen with 4-5 inches of space between the design and the edge of the frame.
- You must identify your stencil down in opposite to get the right image. Look at your stencil the way you desire it, then flip it over before you put it down. Otherwise, you will get a mirror image when you start printing.
- If there is a breeze, or your stencil is very light, place a clear slice of glass on top of information technology to keep it from moving.
- Do non push, prod, or motion your screen, calorie-free, or stencil once it is placed and set.^[8]
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Plough on the light for the recommended time. Simply follow the instructions on your emulsion bottle and remove the screen when information technology is done. When information technology is washed, remove the stencil and set it aside for after. If you aroma anything burning during this procedure, turn off the light immediately.
- If y'all prepared the emulsion correctly, you should see the faint outline of your stencil in the emulsion when the design is removed.
7
Blast off the emulsion with cold water. Have any high-powered water source (shower, faucet, hose) and launder off the screen, focusing on your image. The water will launder abroad the unhardened emulsion around your design. Y'all should see the outline of your stencil announced. Keep on spraying until you can see your image well. ^[9]
- Allow the screen dry before moving on to the side by side pace.
8
Line up your screen above the object you're printing on. The mesh should be touching whatever yous're printing on, like paper or a shirt.
- If you're using a shirt, slide some paper-thin between the layers of the shirt to prevent the ink from bleeding through.
ix
Squeegee some ink over your design. Put a thin line of ink just in a higher place your design. And then drag the duster over your design firmly, coating the unabridged stencil in ink.
- The harder you printing the darker your image volition be. ^[x]
ten

Slowly pull off your silkscreen. Pull the screen off the t-shirt/paper with even pressure, then hang the shirt up to dry. Your design will exist printed.
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Repeat with as many shirts equally you desire, cleaning the screen occasionally. Yous can use your silkscreen again with another t-shirt if y'all want, adding more ink as necessary. Only wipe down the backside after every shirt and reapply ink. If yous're using the same print for multiple days in a row, rinse and dry it at the end of each 24-hour interval.

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Question

How conscientious do I accept to exist with the mesh and frame?

You have to exist very careful with the mesh and frame since any type of cut tin allow the paint to spread and damage the image that y'all are printing.

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You tin can buy pre-fabricated screens at many arts and crafts stores, simply these vary in price and can be quite pricey.

Cheers for submitting a tip for review!

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Exercise not leave ink on the screen to dry. It will render the screen unusable.
Always wear gloves and cover your surface with newspaper or plastic when treatment permanent ink.
Practice not choose overly detailed images for screen printing. The details might non materialize as you expected.

Things You lot'll Need

Textile
Sail stretcher
43T mesh
Staples
Staple gun
Thick printer paper
Printer (optional)
Pencil
Utility knife
Masking tape
Screen printing fabric ink
Duster (D-cut or square-edged)
Water
Sponge

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Article Summary X

To screen print at home, offset by blanket the mesh screen with a layer of photo emulsion, and letting it dry out nether a light in a dark space, like a cupboard. And so, place your stencil on the screen in reverse, since you'll be flipping it over when you start printing. Adjacent, place the screen under a light source for the recommended time on your emulsion bottle, then wash off the emulsion with common cold h2o. Afterwards, line up the screen above the object you're printing on, squeegee the ink over the stencil, and slowly pull off the screen to reveal your pattern. . To learn more, including how to make your own custom stencils, read on.

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