| There are several steps involved with learning how | | | | produce the highest quality print in the least amount |
| to screen print. Each step will take you closer to the | | | | of time with the least amount of effort. That means |
| actual printing of the tee shirt. But the learning curve | | | | it should be fast and easy to print really great looking |
| can appear to be too great to accomplish if we over | | | | prints on tee shirts. |
| analyze and look at the whole endeavor at once. We | | | | This is something to consider as printing in general is |
| can break the process down into 7 very basic parts: | | | | riddled with deadlines and large quantity pricing. That |
| 1- Create the artwork positive. | | | | means as the customer buys more shirts, you sell |
| 2- Output the artwork to film. | | | | them at a lesser price per shirt. You will actually make |
| 3- Make the screen. | | | | more money by printing high volume jobs than |
| 4- Expose your film positive to the screen. | | | | smaller runs. That is where your equipment needs to |
| 5- Washout stencil in screen. | | | | be able to produce for you. |
| 6- Print shirts. | | | | That is where the expense of printing commercially |
| 7- Cure printed shirts in oven. | | | | comes into the picture. If you want to be serious |
| Now there are many different ways of accomplishing | | | | about screen print jobs, you need at least a few key |
| a screen print. The above checklist would be more of | | | | components to your equipment line up. The tee shirt |
| a rough commercial outline. However, printing at | | | | press is an essential piece of equipment for |
| home in an arts and crafts fashion is fun and easy. | | | | professionals. Of course a belt dryer and an exposure |
| You can use everyday items such as an old picture | | | | unit would also be important. |
| frame or an embroidery type hoop as your frame. | | | | Have no fear; there is hope for the merging of the 2 |
| Some people have used white, sheer nylon curtains | | | | different sides of screen printing. One could always |
| as the mesh. There are even ways of hand applying | | | | buy only the key pieces of equipment one would |
| a stencil to the screen so there is no need for | | | | need and then fill in the blanks with homemade or |
| complicated equipment or light sensitive chemicals. | | | | hand crafted tools or accessories. And perhaps set it |
| Since screen printing is a basic stenciling process, you | | | | all up in your garage? |
| don't necessarily need to push ink through the screen | | | | Many screen printing businesses have been started |
| with any kind of squeegee. Many dab or swab | | | | that way. Just think, you could print tee shirts for |
| different kinds of inks and paint through the screen | | | | you mothers birthday party and pay for the shirts |
| with brushes or paint rollers. There are even fabric | | | | with the money you make printing shirts |
| additives for standard acrylic paints that can be used. | | | | commercially. |
| They only need to be set with an iron. | | | | Well, there is yet another thing to consider with that. |
| The possibilities of screen printing at home are | | | | Be careful to abide by any local environmental laws |
| endless. It can be fun and educational while producing | | | | pertaining to the usage and disposal of screen printing |
| a lasting keepsake. You can refine your techniques to | | | | related chemicals and products. Vendors of screen |
| screen print at home quite well in fact. Many people | | | | printing products will be happy to provide Material |
| end up doing shirts for friends and family. You can | | | | Safety Data Sheets, (MSDS), for chemical makeup |
| get good enough to consider going commercial but | | | | and hazardous materials information as well as |
| there are many things to consider in commercial | | | | precautionary information for human usage. This also |
| screen printing. | | | | means checking into local zoning laws that may |
| Although you can do quite a lot at home and even | | | | restrict or prohibit such semi industrial activities in a |
| print shirts for money with a "home brew" style of | | | | residential area. This of course would not apply to a |
| screen printing, going commercial is a little bit | | | | hobby or home craft style of screen printing. |
| different. The idea in commercial screen printing is to | | | | |