Screen Printing for beginners

Screen Printing is one of the printing methods that you don’t need a printing machine for and it still looks professional. Once you have spent some time getting used to the idea it’s not hard to grasp. This can be a fun hobby and you can create some amazing designs on all sorts of fabrics along with your screen printing supplies. You could even turn your hobby into a business and start making some money by selling t-shirts, cushions, custom printed sweatshirts. There is nothing better than owning a small business that you have started off as a hobby and enjoy. This can be a lot more therapeutic than using a screen printing machine with the case of commercial screen printing.

Screen Printing supplies

For this example I’m going to describe the process that goes into printing a t-shirt, but of course you could print any sort of fabric, even a dark fabric will show nicely.

Masking Tape, which is water resistant

Screen printing squeegees

Screen printing ink

Nylon or other fine mesh material

A frame large enough to cover a t-shirt

Laundry detergent

Scissors

Rubber gloves

Newspapers

Sheet of cardboard

How to screen print

Choose a design that you like and cut it out. The ink will flow flow through like a stencil, so don’t make it too complicated at this stage.

You might want to buy a frame for the first time you try out and after that if you are feeling confident enough you could build it.

To build your frame use the pieces of wood. They should be 8 1/2 x 11′. Then take the nylon mesh, which is known as the screen printing mesh a stretch it over the wood so it is very tight. Staple it on the wood. Insert a piece of cardboard inside the t-shirt, lay it flat on a surface and lay the screen on top.

Tape your design to the back of the screen with masking tape

Drop a lump of ink on the template and spread it back and forth with the squeegee. Spread it evenly with an even amount of pressure.

Wait for a few minutes before removing the t-shirt.

The shirt should be dried overnight with the cardboard left inside and washed the next day before you are going to wear it.

http://hubpages.com/hub/T-Shirt-Printing-Business-Learn-to-screen-print-T-shirts

http://hubpages.com/hub/Start-a-T-Shirt-Business

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