How to screen-printing T-shirts reception
Screen printing is a simple thanks to making a singular T-shirt. Grab your squeegee and follow Foster's simple instructions.
Once I first started my Bonbi Bon hand-printed T-shirts and accessories I started Screen printing five years ago. When I started my design stencil, which was lovely, rather time-consuming. There had to be a far better way! I made a decision to possess a go at screen printing and, with a touch of trial and error, I taught myself reception.
Five years later and thousands of plants, I now have a floral heat setting machine and use a photo emulsion stencil-making method, but I still use quite a rustic set-up for my printing. For this tutorial, I wanted to point out how screen-printing short runs of an easy design on T-shirts are often done very easily reception with just a screen, a squeegee, some ink, a bit of paper, and a craft knife. It's how I started, and if you wish it you've got the fundamentals to start out experimenting with more technical ways of creating screen stencils.
What you would like
Screen printing fabric ink. Try a ready-mixed ink to start with, like the Speedball range. Follow the instructions on the link to form sure your design is washable.
A screen. you'll buy this ready-made (which are often a touch pricey), or buy the mesh and an inexpensive canvas stretcher frame and make your own by stretching the mesh over the frame and stapling evenly at the sides so it's taut, sort of a drum. 43T mesh is best for general printing.
A squeegee. will be bought from most craft supply stores that sell screen printing supplies. For printing on fabric, I even have always used a D-Cut blade, but a square-edged one is additionally good. (If you only want to possess bash at printing, a tough piece of plastic or very stiff, a thick card will do too, goodbye because the edge is extremely straight and firm.)
Plain paper
Craft knife
Roll of masking paper
Basic cotton jersey T-shirt or fabric
How much will it cost?
An A4 screen made up of scratch (mesh, staples, frame) plus ink and a squeegee will set you back around £25. It sounds tons, but if you opt to try to do more printing, a well looked-after Screen printing and squeegee will last an extended time.
What to do
1. Come up with a design that you simply can easily cut out of the paper with a craft knife. an easy design of shapes like triangles or diamonds during a circle or scattered randomly is often very effective. Cut your design out.
2. Take your Screen printing and mask off around the edges of the underside (the side which will be in touch with the fabric), in order that once you lay your stencil paper on top there's no mesh showing around the edges - you do not want paint creeping over the sides of your stencil. Don't tape your stencil to the mesh though!
3. Lay your T-shirt or fabric flat and lay the paper stencil thereon where you would like your design to be. Place the screen on top, taking care to not move the paper and ensuring the Screen printing is centered over it.
4. Blob a tablespoon of ink during a line at the highest fringe of your Screen printing.
5. Holding the Screen printing firmly down, place the squeegee above the ink, and, applying some pressure, pull it down the Screen printing, taking the ink with it (pull at a 50º angle for a square blade and upright for D-Cut). Repeat, then put the squeegee to at least one side, being careful to not dripping excess ink.
6. Holding the material down with one hand, lift the Screen printing up from the rock bottom edge then away. Voila! Admire your design.
7. you'll notice that the paper stencil sticks to the screen with the ink. it's important at this stage that you simply make your next prints quickly and if you notice the ink beginning to seem drier you want to wash the Screen printing immediately - once water-based ink is dry within the screen it's impossible to urge out.
8. once you have finished your press run, discard the paper stencil and wash the screen with cold water. Scrub it lightly with a sponge or nylon washing-up brush to form sure you get all the ink out. Leave the Screen printing to air-dry before printing again.
Tips
Always print a test before printing on your 'finished' surface.
Paper stencils will need to be discarded when the Screen printing is washed, so if you would like to try too many an equivalent print, make several stencils directly for further printing sessions.
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