Using Screen Printing Equipment

Create flawless prints using screen printing equipment
By Nikki Wheeler Screen printing is the process of applying a design to fabric using ink and a stencil. The process can be as simple as using only one color, or become quite complicated by using many colors.

After careful analysis of your screen printing needs, the proper screen print equipment needs to be chosen and then properly used to maximize the results of the screen printing. Consider the following when choosing silk screen equipment:

1. Determine the quantity of items that will be screen printed using the screen printing press.

2. Plan out the design that will be used in the screen printer; the size of the design and the amount of color used will set limitations on what screen printing equipment can be used.

3. Consider how quickly the screen printing process must happen. Determine whether it can be done one at a time in a single-color silk screen press or if it must happen much faster.

Prepare the screen print equipment for the screen filler method

Using a soft lead pencil, lightly sketch or trace your design directly onto the mesh screen. Use various-sized brushes to paint the screen filler directly onto the screen in the negative space surrounding the design.
Try:  Watch the instructional video found on Expert Village demonstrating exactly how to prepare a screen for screen printing with screen filler. Shop Dick Blick Art Materials for various screen fillers, including filler pens for tight spaces and details.

Use the right silk screen supplies for photo emulsion

The photo-emulsion technique of preparing the screen requires more supplies and time but provides the widest range of possibilities in your design. It allows for fine details, a painterly quality and range in tone. For photo-emulsion, the screen needs to be first coated with light-sensitive chemicals, an opaque image on a translucent screen needs to be prepared and then it is exposed to light.
Try:  Watch instructional videos on how to prepare a screen for photo-emulsion, how to set up a dark room and how to finish the photo-emulsion process on SilkScreeningSupplies.com. Purchase a kit from ArtSuppliesOnline.com containing all chemicals and supplies needed for photo-emulsion.

Print with single-color screen printers

Attach the prepared screen to a base to hold it in a stationary position, place the fabric underneath and lower the screen. Put ink in the reservoir at the bottom of the screen and push it over the design using a squeegee.
Try:  Follow the step-by-step guide for printing with a single color on eHow. Find a single-color screen print press at Dharma Trading Co.

Screen print using a multi-color silk screen machine

Screen printing using multiple colors is made much easier with the use of a multi-color printing press. A multi-color press allows the set-up of multiple colors and multiple screens at the same time, leaving the fabric in a stationary position. The presses are placed on the fabric, leaving one layer of the design.
Try:  Watch a demo on YouTube for screen printing multiple colors using an 8-color printing press. Buy a multi-color screen print press from Riley Hopkins Promotions Limited.

• Practice by using paper in screen printing machines before putting ink directly onto the fabric.