Once you have the artwork prepared, print or photocopy it onto transparent film, and you will be ready to produce the screen stencil. I coloured in the glove shapes, making sure they remained registered correctly to the drawing:Įvery colour you want to print requires a separate stencil. You can print in any colour you want, but the artwork used to make the stencil must be black. I used the photo on the left as a source to produce the drawing on the right, but I liked the red colour of the boxing gloves and wanted to include that in the final print. If you start with a photo, as in the example below, reduce the information to a line drawing, or apply a filter or halftone screen in Photoshop which will reduce the image to a series of dots. When preparing your artwork to be burned to the screen (to create the stencil), work in black and white only - grey tones and the subtleties of photographic images will not produce a workable stencil. Screen printing is a very “flat” medium, so images that are starkly contrasted work best. The flat “back” of the screen which sits on the printing surface is called the “print side” or “paper side” and the “front” of the screen, recessed inside the lip of the frame, is called the “squeegee side.” Getting any grease out helps the emulsion to bond with the fabric which gives you a crisper stencil.Īlso important is to understand the orientation of your screen (not the gender specific kind). Clean, the concentration a little bit weaker than what you would put on theįloor). Once you have bought your screen, the first important thing to do is wash it out with cold water and a degreasing agent (I use the unfortunately gender-specific Mr. His website has very detailed information about printing including some in-depth tutorials and awesome diagrams of home set-ups. Dixon, who runs G&S, knows everything about fabric printing (I almost believe he could bring about world peace) and is also very helpful about supplies and advice. If you live in Toronto, the best place to buy screens and related materials (it’s the cheapest too), is G&S Dye and Accessories at Dundas and University. A lot of folks also opt for a mesh count of about 180, which allows printing on both paper and fabric, but there is an obvious loss of fine detail if you print onto paper at that count. For fabric printing, you should use a screen with a mesh count of 110 or 160 (those tend to be the standard counts sold). Since fabric is generally more absorbent than paper, you need a screen that lets through more ink when printing on t-shirts, totebags, or anything cloth. A screen that tight will allow you to print images with finer details and thinner lines. If you are printing on paper, you want a screen with a mesh count of about 230 for really optimal results. A higher mesh count means the fibres of the mesh are closer together and a lower count means the fibres are more loosely woven, so more ink can pass through the screen. The mesh count refers the tightness of the weave in the mesh fabric of the screen. The other major factor to consider is mesh count. They’re also a lot easier to wash out than wooden screens. A sturdy aluminium screen will continue to lie flat on the printing surface after multiple uses and the mesh is pulled much tighter around an aluminium frame which produces a crisper printed image. Aluminium screens are usually only 10 dollars more than wooden screens of the same size, so even if you plan to use your screen more than one time, the extra money is definitely worthwhile. Screens with aluminium frames last much longer than wooden frames which warp after repeated washings. The first thing you need when setting up a home print shop is the screen (I know, weird).
Clean or any water based degreasing agent ~ A screen with the right mesh count for your printing surface Read on to learn how to print your own posters, shirts, or whatever you fancy printing on, and how the Virgin Mary and Spiderman join forces to help her out. Artist Shannon Gerard broke out her silkscreening gear to make cool shirts and posters for her upcoming comic launch, and despite being crazy busy has shared her skills in this funny and detailed tutorial. Silkscreening is such a great happy medium - nestled comfortably half-way between hand-drawn and mass production, more colourful than photocopying and with an aesthetic all its own.
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