Screen printing is about the easiest and most practical way to produce custom-design shirts. In fact, many home-businesses have been born out of this low-cost and simple technique. Consult the web and you will find a host of businesses that offer this kind of service, most of which were once small-scale family business turned into a successful shirt printing and custom production operation. You will even find many-an instructional video and step by step guide that teach the simple process.
Screen or silk mesh printing is a great way to produce graphic screen print T shirts and similar types of products and unique items that will set you apart from the crowd. It allows easy transfer of designs onto fabric, using a simple stencil-based (or photo emulsion) process, which you can do even without fancy machines and overly expensive materials. If you are into this kind of hobby and would like to try screen printing yourself, here are the most important items that should be on your list:
Screen or silk mesh printing is a great way to produce graphic screen print T shirts and similar types of products and unique items that will set you apart from the crowd. It allows easy transfer of designs onto fabric, using a simple stencil-based (or photo emulsion) process, which you can do even without fancy machines and overly expensive materials. If you are into this kind of hobby and would like to try screen printing yourself, here are the most important items that should be on your list:
- Screen printing frame and mesh – You can use an aluminium or wooden frame to hold your silk or screen mesh in place for an even coating of fabric ink or paint. Pay attention to the thread count or gauge of the mesh you will use, because anything that is too tight or loose can affect the quality of your print. Common sizes of mesh used for screen printing are 156 and 110 (threads per sq. in.) for precise printing.
- Stencil/photo-emulsion materials – Beginners may want to start with simple stencils first before moving on to more complicated design methods like photo emulsion (which involves burning designs and images directly onto the silk mesh). While burned images are easier to work with, they are much harder and trickier to produce than cut-stencils (paper, transparencies, etc.).
- Ink – Fabric ink come in a wide variety of colours and formulations. Some are water and PVC-based, while other use textile ink or paint for a softer application. These inks cure and set at different rates, so be careful when choosing the type of fabric ink to use with the type of fabric the garment is made of.