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Low Budget Screen Printing (With Pics!)


Hayabusa

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Nice one mate, ah, with the "pin holes" (holes in the emulsion) get some emulsion from your bulk, and get a tomato sauce (ketchup) bottle a squeeze one and put it in there, put a drip on the screen (platen side) and use something flat and flexible to smooth it out (i use a bit of ice cream container i cut out) over all your holes, before printing otherwise you will go though a heap of sticky tape on the back of your screen :)

 

not that nail polish wouldn't work, just another thing you don't need, know what i meen,

Over the past fre years i have done heaps of experiments and had a lot of fun!

dont hesitate on trying something new!!

i think printings about getting dirty @ the start, but in the end its about being as clean as you can :) (no one likes fingerprints on shoulders)

 

I made a good as wash bay the other week for less than $100 (AUS) ;)

keen to see more prints soon!!

 

hope i helped. =)

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i really want to get down on some screen printing any idea how i would get started. like i know how to draw and stuff but i just need photoshop to make it all clean and what not, but i guess what im asking is. after i clean it from photoshop where would i go from there?

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Yo Vulcan,

 

You gotta do a film output, (your image on clear plastic).

then burn your image into a screen with emulsion and light. from there its on you :D

 

eerr lotsa typing.. umm just have a browse about the net.

 

Tshirtforums.com is a good one for starting. (google tshirt forums)

move on to screenprinters.net/forum for some more serious print heads.

 

Here is a image of how its done in the simplest way.

 

LCT.jpg

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You Print on a Transparency. set up your printer so it knows that it is printing on it.

 

 

i would suggest using a one color image to start, so you learn how it works.

 

example, but this is a really shitty choice, could be bumped up a little..

threshold.jpg

 

buy one of these kits or you can buy a screen with emulsion on it already.

41dtqoZjaVL._SS400_.jpg

(put emulsion on in the dark or with a red light(its like film)

 

you can buy one of these for about $25

500 watt min!

FPPSL500P.jpg\

place it about 12-15 inches above the screen

 

Get your image, a piece of glass ( out of a big picture frame will work,bigger than the screen)

and turn the lamp on for 11minutes above your image/screen.

 

This will burn your image onto the screen. what it does is keep whatever is in the shadow (image) wet while everything else dries up.

 

Spray off the wet emulsion off in an outside sink or on your concrete if you dont care.

 

Once cleaned, check for holes in the emulsion by putting it up to a regular light.

 

If you see any, you can use tape or nail polish to cover them up.

 

Bring your screen to your printing area, set up 1 nickel on each of the 4 corners of the frame.(you need a little space between the frame and the shirt so it bends down as you put pressure on it)

 

Make sure your printing station is stable and screen wont budge with movement. i used to put C clamps on the table.

 

Put a some ink on the top of the screen about the width of your image.

 

keep the sqeege at a 45 degree angle and push down and towards you with the

 

swipe maybe 2 times down. never bottom to top when the shirt is still under!.

 

once you lift up the screen after the pressing, Swipe the ink backup towards the top, this is called "Clearing" check your print, should be good, and dry it.

 

When i first started it used a blow dryer and it honestly took a while. i ended up going on craigslist and buying a dryer for like $120

 

 

 

****

That kit i posted was $50 at amazon.com, but i used to go to art stores and they would have just the screen for $25 and the ink was about $10 (not the best quality but works)

 

If you want to start out, just to see and have fun, you should be spending about $60 so i would go with that kit. pretty much has everything you need. but PAY ATTENTION to the directions on mixing the emulsion and remember to keep it in the dark when you put it on the screen. you can used a cereal box and bend it a little, maybe add some tape to keep it in a scoop form

 

these are the real ones, you just need a thin layer of emulsion and it should be somewhat transparent not opaque like its paint

36.jpg

^^ with the emulsion applicator, you hold the screen up 80-90 degrees, and lean this^ thing towards it so the emulsion that is inside the scoop slides onto the screen. you slowly pull up the screen (bottom to top) applying the thin layer of emulsion.\\

 

 

i might be missing out some things out but it is pretty much the basics.

 

use gloves and remember to take them off whenever handing your apparel.

 

good luck. you can find stuff on youtube too.

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  • 1 month later...
ive been screening here and there...I cant seem to get this thing poppin off. Im in a bit of financial trouble. any ideas on how to really get on the ball and sell?

 

no idea

have lots of artsy friends

go to shows wearing your gear

make it appealing to the masses who buy this shit (ie NOT hip hop kids)

 

etc

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ive been screening here and there...I cant seem to get this thing poppin off. Im in a bit of financial trouble. any ideas on how to really get on the ball and sell?

 

i don't know where you're at but if you've heard of 'buffalo exchange' those places tend to work with local printers like that.

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  • 2 weeks later...
havnt done anything in a while

ive been battling between making a real good looking image or pushing more towards a cartoony one

 

because of that, i have been on haitus from printing shirts

 

I have plenty of ideas Im just stuck on being broke. I have 5 yards of some really nice silk for making shirts, plenty of wood to make custom frames, but Im broke and dont have any more Screen filler or Photo emulsion!!!! It angers me because Im tired of wearing my old designs...been like 3 years running. haha.

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  • 5 months later...

Low Budget Screen Printing With Pics

 

Can anyone suggest a budget 20 CPU cooler thats also low profile, as it has to fit inside the Coolermaster Elite 360 which is pretty thin outside width of 148mm.

Main object of the cooler is to be quiet, at least compared to the stock cooler, dosent have to be an amazing cooler.

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  • 1 year later...

I've been doing screen printing for a few years.. I'm actually trying to sell what stuff I have due to financial issues tho.

 

To the OP- The issue you are having is in your "screens" The reason you aren't getting good line detail is because of your.. well "mesh count" I guess. Since your using just a random piece of mesh for your screens I'm sure you don't have a specific count.

 

If you go onto legit screen printing sites you'll see that they sell screen in different mesh counts and this is how you obtain finer details. Also- squeegees matter too as to how much paint you push through the screen.

 

I suggest to anyone who wants to make a business out of it to invest into some proper supplies for quality assurance.. But as far as just making some shirts for yourself and friends the OP has the right idea.

 

That said, if anyone is looking for a complete (cheap) set-up for screen printing shoot me a PM.

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