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ScreenPrint Ultimate Guide
ScreenPrint Ultimate Guide
by Michelle SaintOnge
www.printcutsew.com and www.michellesaintonge.com 2009 Michelle SaintOnge
This document and its contents are for personal use only, not for commercial use.
2
for printcutsew.com
printcutsew.com SCREEN PRINT : THE ULTIMATE GUIDE
Welcome to printcutsews guide to Screen Printing: The Cheap and Easy Way. This
guide is everything you need to know to get started screen printing without an expensive
set-up and costly material investments. This is the guide I wished was around when I
started my screen printing business seven years ago. It would have saved me thousands of
dollars and gotten my business off the ground much faster. So, I decided to share
everything I have learned about the screen printing business with you so you can learn this
great craft and get started building your own income right now for less than $50.00!
Table of Contents
1. Introduction Page 3
2. Getting Started Page 4
3. The Printing Screen Page 5
4. Making Your Own Screen Page 6
5. Stencil Types and Techniques Page 11
6. Making a Film Positive Page 17
7. Shooting a Screen Page 23
8. Washing Out A Screen Page 27
9. How to Register a Print Page 28
10. Printing Inks Page 36
11. One and MultI Colour Printing Page 40
12. Printing Paper Page 41
13. Printing Fabric Page 45
14. Printing T-Shirts Page 49
15. CMYK Printing Page 50
16. Heat Setting Your Work Page 51
17. Reclaiming Your Screen Page 52
18. Appendix A: terms and definitions Page 54
19. Appendix B: materials sourcing Page 54
Introduction
Silkscreening is a printing technique thats hundreds of years old yet still mystifies lots of
people. The truth is, with just a few simple rules, tools and some practice even the most
novice of designers can be printing professional quality prints in no time.
Its arguably the most versatile of all printing processes. You can print onto almost any
surface; fabric, paper, metal, ceramic, wood, leather, walls- you can let your imagination run
wild. Its really exciting to be a silkscreen printer and so I'm happy to share everything I
know about it with you!
Its easy to get started printing; all you need is some basic equipment, a design, a few
supplies and a bit of instruction.
Getting Started
The first things you need to get are the supplies and equipment for printing. Dont let this
step intimidate you, the supplies are readily available and Ill tell where and what to ask for
when you have to source some of it outside your home. And Ill show you how to make or
build your own if its possible. For those of you who would like get all your supplies at once,
Blick Art Materials makes a great screen printing kit if you want to order all your supplies
at once.
If you want to build your own screen print kit heres what youll need:
A printing screen
A light source for exposing the screen (task light and a 150-250 watt photo flood bulb or
the sun!)
A table to print on- the printing surface differs if you print onto fabric or onto paper. You'll
need a flat smooth table for paper printing and one with some felt padding for fabric
printing.
A piece of glass to fit the inside dimension of your screen less 1/2 or photo spray
adhesive
A film positive (made from your artwork)
Silk screen inks (I recommend Permaset Fabric Inks)
Scoop coater
Rubber gloves
Dishwashing soap
Photo emulsion or other stencil system
A water source with a garden hose attachment or a sprayer attachment and a sink or tub
large enough to wash out your screen
A rubber spatula
A squeegee
Black bristol board, or black cloth or black felt
A timer
Masking Tape
Optional
fan (not heated)
photo emulsion remover (to clean your screen of an old stencil and start over)
Personally, I would buy one, they arent expensive ($25- 45$) and theyll save you lots of
time. Blick Art Materials has some screen print frames online you can buy and have
delivered to your house!
No matter where you buy your screen, online or at your local screen printing supply store or
even at your local arts and craft store, there are a few things you need to look for when you
are searching out a screen that will be right for the project you wish to undertake.
The screen size: Likely youll start out with a small screen that is ideal for t-shirt making
and other small projects, approximately 20x24 (outside dimensions). If youre going to buy
a large screen (over 24x24) youll want to make sure the frame is at least 1.5- 2 thick
around otherwise it will warp too easily.
The screen mesh: Different mesh sizes are used for different applications in the screen
printing process. If you plan on printing on fabric I would recommend a 110 mesh count and
if you are working with paper you could start with 160 mesh count. Try to buy a screen with
white monofilament polyester mesh (this is generally standard with most pre-made
screens). If you are going to make your own screen with curtain sheers the thread count
should not be too low, in other words the weave of the sheer should be fairly tight.
The Frame Type: Youll want to purchase either a wood screen frame or an aluminum
frame. I use aluminum frames which are more stable and wont warp like wood frames- If
you buy large frames they should be stored flat. Larger frames will not maintain their
straight edges either if they are stored upright instead of horizontally.
Now staple the corners. Again, keeping the fabric pulled tightly and in this case towards
the corner. Do each subsequent corner- always stapling the opposite side from the staple
you just finished. Make certain to keep the fabric from being pulled too much to one side
or the other.
Now fill in between those staples, pulling the fabric tightly until the staples are only about
1/4 apart. The number of total staples will depend on the size of your frame.
If you have some staples that are a bit raised from the frame its a good idea to hammer
then down gently to make them flush with the edge.
My top three tips for making a successful paper cut stencil are:
1. Use tools like hole punches and stamp punches to create details that
would otherwise be too hard to cut by hand.
2. Place scotch tape over small delicate sections of the stencil to add
reinforcement.
3. Cut out all the small delicate parts of your stencil first then the larger
pieces.
Heres an example of a very simple paper stencil I made to make a broccolI shaped
hangtag for a handbag I use to take to the market. Its made with two over-lapping colours
and I used a 1/16th hole punch and a 1/4 hole punch to create the top edge of the broccoli.
I have made other more complicated stencils. Like my stencil called Do Not Disturb that
can be downloaded on my site for your personal use. Its the stencil I used to create the t-
shirts for Martha Stewart's French bulldogs and as the silkscreen demo on her show. If
you are going to cut out detailed stencils like this then I would definitely use a reusable
paper such as National Geographic Adventure Paper.
Materials Needed:
A silk screen
Drawing Fluid
Screen Filler
Squeegee
Thin Brush
Gloves
Newspaper or craft paper
First thing youll do is paint the drawing fluid on all areas you want to print and let them dry
completely. I have put a few pieces of cardboard under the corners of my screen so that it
is elevated off the print surface. This gives me some room to place the image I want to
silkscreen underneath. You can, of course, paint the fluid on free-hand but I would like to
stay as close to my original drawing as possible.
Since I am going to do a two colour print I will have to do two separate drawings with the
fluid. Luckily, I have enough space on my screen to fit them both.
Once you finish your first drawing with the fluid you can slide the image underneath to the
other area of the screen and then complete your second colour for the image.
Nice thing is if you dont like your design you can just wash it out and start again when your
screen has dried. So theres no pressure to get it right the first time.
Youll then pour a bead of the filler across the top of the screen (which is still elevated off the
print table) and with a squeegee youll pull the filler across the screen- that way its an even
and smooth application.
Youll want to wait until your screen filler has dried completely before you wash out the
drawing fluid.
Once dry, spray cold water onto the top of the screen to wash out the areas covered by
drawing fluid. Let the screen dry completely again and then hold it up to a window or light.
This will allow you to check for any small holes that werent covered with the filler. I
simply paint on the filler with a small brush.
Once your touch-ups are dry you can tape off one of your drawings and get ready to print
the other.
There are four main steps involved in making a stencil with this method.
Turning your artwork into the film positive
Coating Your Screen
Exposing your screen
Washing Out Your Screen
Step 1
In a dark room mix the sensitizer into the emulsion as per the directions to activate it. Let it
sit in a cool dark room for at least two hours with the lid closed. Youll want to use a dual
cure emulsion which works well with both solvent inks and water-based inks. Also, mix this
in a well ventilated area of your house. The safety instructions do no indicate you have to
wear a vapor mask when using it but if you are sensitive to odors then I would advise you
to wear one.
Step 2
Set up your screen, make sure it's clean andcompletelydry. Lean your screen against a
wall and put a piece of 2x4 behind it on the ground. this will keep the screen at an angle
and it will keep it from moving as you press the scoop coater against it.
Step 3
Pour the emulsion into the scoop coater. Fill the scoop coater 3/4 full. If youre scoop
coater has two different edges to it then use the side with the sharper edge. Your
emulsion will go on thinner- which is better for most cases.
Step 4
Hold the scoop coater from the bottom centered, making sure that it is level so that the
emulsion does not run out from the sides of each end. Firmly push into the screen and
angle the scoop flat against the screen, press against the screen and pull upward to the
top and end your stroke by quickly angling the scoop coater back to the centered position.
Step 5
Turn the screen to the inside (where the ink goes) and turn it upside down. Repeat coating
this side of the screen. (tip:If you coat your screens too thick they may not wash out. This
can be tricky because it mimics over exposure, when in fact the emulsion is just too thick
and is really under exposed, parts of the image may wash out and finer parts may not rinse
out altogether. So, rule of thumb is one coat for each side.)
And often I will run the scoop coater over each side without angling it so it actually will skim
off excess emulsion.
6. Lay your screen flat to dry with the ink side of the screen facing up. Put some sort of
spacer under each of the corners of the screen to keep the bottom of the screen off the
floor if you don't have a drying rack. (I use bottle caps or slim pieces of wood). Turn off
the safety light and let your screen dry in complete darkness. It is important that its not hot
in the room where you dry your screen- that can cause problems with exposing your
screen later. You can use a fan to dry your screens more quickly but again use a fan
without heat.
7. Your screen is dry when the emulsion is no
longer tacky.
You also need to take care to attach your film positive properly to your screen. As a
general rule you would want to make certain that your image is centered with 2-3 inches of
space from the bottom of your image to the bottom inside edge of the screen. We call this
area the well. Use a clear tape to attach it- anything else will impede that area of
exposing.
If your exposure light source comes from the top then youll place the film positive on the
print side of the screen. If the light comes from the bottom, place the film positive on the
substrate side of the screen and place it on backwards.
I also strongly advise you take the time to run a test for the right exposure time for your
light source and your emulsion. Each one is different.
Heres a great way to test which time will work best for you.
Print a transparency with numbers from 10 to 90 in increments of 5. With the light set up,
place the screen under the light to be exposed. After 10 minutes, cover the 5 with an
opaque piece of paper. After another 10 minutes passes, cover the 10. Do this until all of
the numbers are covered. Then wash out the screen. The lowest numbers that are
distinctly printed will give you your correct exposure time.
If your image is not exposing properly here are some quick troubleshooting checks:
I use two lamps but one would suffice if your screen was smaller than 21x23. Since mine
is slightly larger I need to evenly expose all areas and two bulbs is the best way to do that.
You want to position the light high enough that the whole frame gets equally exposed,
probably about 12-15. Once you have the light and placement figured out youll want to
figure out some rough times. For a 150W clear incandescent bulb the following times
might apply:
Screen size, bulb height, exposure time
810, 12 inches, 45 minutes
1014, 12 inches, 45 minutes
1218, 15 inches, 74 minutes
1620, 17 inches, 92 minutes
1820, 17 inches, 92 minutes
The higher the bulb is above the screen, the longer it needs to be exposed. If the wattage
of the bulb is lower, you need to exposure it longer. I generally need to expose my screens
for 75 minutes. Its a very long time compared to the sun or my metal halide light but I
manage by planning my exposures so that I do other work until its finished.
Youre dimensions will depend on what size lights you can buy and how big your exposure
unit needs to be. Once you determine your dimensions, you can build the box from 2x4
lengths of wood for the sides and plywood for the bottom. You should be able to set the
lights down inside the box. Remember to drill a hole in the side of the box for your wiring
or cords. Have a pane of glass made the same size as the top of your box- tempered
glass is best and then get some sort of black cover, foam core, felt or painted board to put
over top. Your top cover will have to be weighted down to achieve close contact with your
image.
You will want to buy 40 watt black light bulbs, these bulbs look just like regular fluorescent,
but do not have the 'visible light' filters that make black lights that deep violet color.
Sometimes they are carried at home building stores or at lighting supply stores. You can
likely buy the fixtures for the bulbs at the same store. If you are not handy at electrical
wiring I recommend you buy fixtures that you can plug into a wall socket.
The drawback with fluorescent exposure units is that the lamps tend to scatter the light in
all directions and can produce undercutting of the image, which will destroy fine lines and
other details. They may, however, be fine for large images such as signs and athletic
lettering or big graphic details.
A single source metal halide light is the cadillac of exposure units. It uses a single
1000watt metal halide bulb to cast a shadow from your film positive onto your screen to
create the image; a heavy rubber blanket is vacuum suctioned to your screen to eliminate
any light bounce that could happen. These machines are known for precise exposures
and short exposure times but their price tag is often $4,000-$15,000 although they tend to
last for 20-30 years.
I bought mine when I started my business but now since I have moved to a new studio its
too big and wont fit through my door- it sits in storage. Thats how I came to build my own
smaller unit which works really well. If I had known I could get great results with a
homemade unit when I started I would have skipped spending thousands on this unit.
Continue to rinse on one side only, the side that had been
directly exposed to the light source, until all the image has
been removed. You can hold your screen up to the light to
see if there is any emulsion remaining in the image area.
Its not necessary but some people wish to do this, you can
turn your screen around and quickly wash the opposite
side of the screen. Once all the emulsion is removed set
your screen aside to dry completely.
*If you have small spots of emulsion that are hard to
remove you can use the pad of your finger to rub them a
bit while you are spraying. This friction is generally enough
to help remove stubborn spots.
www.printcutsew.com and www.michellesaintonge.com 2009 Michelle SaintOnge 27
This document and its contents are for personal use only, not for commercial use.
printcutsew.com SCREEN PRINT : THE ULTIMATE GUIDE
Print Registration
Print registration happens at two levels; at the image level and the print surface level. And
it could quite easily be the least enjoyable part of the entire printing process. Well, I think
so. But its more important than anything else you do when printing and if you can do it
well, then the entire process will be easier- much much easier.
Print registration for fabric and paper are two different techniques. Registration for paper
is much simpler, mostly because paper is printed with the screen staying in the same
place and the newly printed paper being moved in and out while fabric is pinned or
adhered to a table and the screen is moved. Also, fabric printing on a table usually
involves a repeating pattern that must seamlessly fit together when its done- this can only
be achieved my proper registration.
Print Registration for Paper
Your first step in proper registration for fabric starts when you make your
film positives. You need to include a registration mark or a crop mark that is
in the same place on every colour separation for your print; so that when
you place your film positives on top of one another all the registration marks
will line up. Youll use these marks to register your screens later- so you
need to be confident that they will align when printed on top of one another.
You need to have at least three registration points on your film positive. A registration dot
usually is a circle with an x inside it. You can draw one or they can be bought (but are hard
to find) or your can print them out from a computer. Generally you can find them in your
work processors character palette (where you would find symbols and accented letters).
Once you have pinned or adhered your fabric to your print table you will want to use a T-
bar to mark the registration points along the tables edge.
A T-bar is a tool which you can make yourself that you will slide along your table to each
registration point. Your screen will lay flush with its edges so the screen stays consistently
straight along the entire table.
To make a T-bar, all you need is two pieces of very straight 2x4 pine. Attach them as you
see in this image so that one piece fits flush with the side edge of the table and the other
spans to width of the table. Put a handle on it so its easy to lift and move to the next
registration position.
I will make a mark on a ruler or tape measure and use that as a guide and mark off each
registration point. Ill first mark it on the table then Ill place my T-bar at that line, draw a
line along the edge of the T-bar and name the mark. I generally write RR1 or RR2 etc.
which stands for right registration position 1 so I know that this is the first registration point
and it should be on the right side of the T-bar.
Printing Inks
Printing onto paper allows you a lot of flexibility with what you use to print. If the
substance is not too thin or too dense you can likely print paper with it. But with fabric you
need to print with a printing ink that has the necessary chemicals in it so the ink adheres
to the fabric so it can be washed and dried.
For fabric you can use either pigments or dyes to print. Pigment inks are colours that
need a binder agent to attach them to the surface of the cloth. While dye actually forms a
bond with the fiber.
Pigment inks
Pigments can be used on just about any type of fabric whether its a natural fibre or a
synthetic fibre. So for that reason pigment inks are a very popular choice. The draw back
with pigments is that you can feel them on the surface of the garment; which is called the
hand feel. Higher quality pigment inks will have a softer hand feel to them, like the
Permaset Ink brand. Pigment inks can be water based or solvent based. I choose to use
water based inks because they are less toxic to be around, easier on the environment and
can be heat cured with regular heat or will self cure on their own in about a month.
The alternative to water based inks are solvent inks which are very popular (but not
necessary) for commercial t-shirt printing. Solvent inks require the use of a UV curing lamp
or a UV flash dryer for them to dry. They will remain wet forever unless you use a UV
lamp. Solvent inks come in a large range of colours and specialty applications, like gel ink
and sparkle inks. But the solvents that they are made from are harmful to the environment.
And the cleaners that are used to clean the screens are even more toxic. Lately, there
have been some soy based cleaners for solvent inks that have been introduced to the
marketplace that are much friendlier to the environment. Even so I continue to use water-
based inks which now come in glow, puff, phosphorescent and opaque colours and still
only require conventional heat for curing.
Even if the colour is removable its rare that the colour underneath will be a bright white
colour. Often its a pale yellow, pale blue or grey colour.
The nice thing about discharge paste is that you can add a colour to it. So while taking
away the ground colour you can leave another in its place. This is referred to as pigment
discharge.
Devor
Another fantastic printing technique is devor which creates a chemically achieved
embroidery look on mixed fibre cloth. The devor print paste dissolves or burns away the
image you print on your mixed fibre cloth. There are different print pastes for different kinds
of fabrics; youll want to check to see if the print paste you make or buy is the right one for
the cloth you are using. Most often there is no colour applied in the process. Strong odors
are emitted during the heating process of the cloth when the fibres are being dissolved, so
you want to be certain that you are in a very well ventilated room or are wearing a vapors
mask.
Tape two pieces of cardboard box to the underside corners of your printing screen
Lightly spray your print surface with repositionable photo adhesive or spread a tiny
amount of table adhesive or even white glue over the area so that it is slightly tacky.
Place your printing screen in the hinge clamps.
Take a large piece of transparent paper and place it over your work surface; taping it on
one side only to your print table.
Place your paper under the transparency so that your image will print where you want it
to.
Pour a bead of ink along the bottom of your screen area (the well).
Flood the screen with the screen in a raised position, then print with the screen down.
Raise the screen and flood it again. Prop up the screen with something (I use a roll of
tape) and switch in a new piece of paper. Print all pieces of paper with this screen and let
them dry.
Dont buy new paper for every Extend your paints and pigments
project. Go green and use old or with inexpensive wall paper paste
reclaimed paper. Make it wrinkle (called clear adhesive) for 1/5th the
free and crisp like new by ironing it! cost of craft store paint extender.
Once you have designed your image so that it will repeat seamlessly you will register your
repeat distance on the print table. But before that youll want to pin down a drop cloth.
Ideally a drop cloth is made from medium weight calico so that the pigments or dyes wont
seep onto your table. The drop cloth should be pinned to the table taut and with t-pins.
Begin by pinning a few on the long side, stretching and pulling taut as you go. Place t-pins
every 3-4 inches. Then move to the opposite side of the table and place pins directly
opposite the first pins you put in. Then move to the ends and repeat the same procedure.
Always keeping the drop cloth pulled taut and fairly straight. Finish at the corners and pin
them down as well.
If you plan on using a table adhesive to adhere your fabric to the table you might want to
consider using a slightly plasticized or vinyl drop cloth since youll want to wash it off
between every few uses.
Next, youll want to pin your fabric onto the table. You will want to iron your fabric first and
use t-pins to pin the fabric to the table as you did with the drop cloth. The most important
thing is to make sure that you keep the grain of the fabric straight. If you pull too hard on
any direction, once you take your print off the table youll see that its distorted.
Next, tape off your screen and check for pin holes.
When youre ready, print your first run of prints;
printing every second one 1, 3, 5 etc. using the T-bar
to keep your screen straight.
When you print on fabric you will print on-contact- so
there is no need to have cardboard underneath the
screen while you print.
Pour a bead of ink into the well; the bottom 3 inches of the screen nearest you. Using a
medium to hard amount of pressure with the squeegee (65 durometer for the blade
hardness) and holding it at a 65 degree angle push the ink up the screen, place the
squeegee behind the ink and pull it towards you. Repeat the up and back motion once
more, this is referred to as four pulls of the squeegee. Once finished wash the screen and
squeegee before you begin the second run of prints.
When your first run of prints is dry, place your screen at the second print registration point
and print in between the first run of prints. If you have a second or third colour then follow
the same procedure until all of the colours have been printed. Wait for your fabric to dry
before you remove it to heat set it.
T-Shirt Printing
T-shirts have become a medium for self-expression and advertising, with any imaginable
combination of words, art or photographs, so I wanted to devote a small section just for t-
shirt printing.
Printing t-shirts easily and economically is best achieved when you use a printing press.
You can make one your self- for one colour printing, or buy one for multi-colour printing
(they start at about $400.00). They make printing tees so easy that you can do a hundred
in an afternoon.
A four colour press such as this allows you to have four spot colours or use CMYK
process screens to achieve full color prints. Each screen is clamped into one of the raised
hinges and the t-shirt is placed on the platen (the flat board with the neck shape). Each
screen is lowered, you print and then the next screen moves into place and so on.
You can easily build your own single
colour t-shirt press just like this
illustration.
All these methods are dependent on your local conditions, moisture content of fabrics etc.
Best advice is to do a test piece (or better, multiple pieces). These can be cured with the
proper print, then taken out and evaluated at various stages of the curing or heat-set
process to test washability.
Solvent Inks
Solvent inks have one outstanding characteristic, they must be heated to a very high
temperature to dry. They will not dry, or cure, at normal temperatures. For a complete cure,
they must reach 290-330 F (143-166 C). Generally a UV lamp is required for those
elevated temperatures.
When solvent inks are heated, the resin particles absorb the surrounding liquid (plasticizer)
and swell, merge with each other and form a tough, elastic film. It is generally impossible
to over-cure because the over-cure temperature is above the scorching point of the
garment. However, it is not recommended that you heat the ink layer above 350 F (176
C).
Solvent inks can generally be fully cured with a flash cure unit if the heater is set to the
highest temperature and the unit is placed 2-3 inches (5-7.6 cm) over the garment for
20-30 seconds. For curing between colors where only a partial cure is required, the time
can be less.
Dyes
To be safe your print should air dry for 24 hours. Then the fabric must be steamed, rinsed
in cold water, then hot with a little soap (Synthrapol brand) and then in cool water until the
water runs clear.
Remove all tape from your screen and then wet both sides with water.
Appendix A
Terms and Definitions
Silkscreen printing is a great way to have fun, make some money and expand yourself as
the creative being you know you are! But it's hard to get started sometimes when you have
no idea what you're talking about. So this is my beginners guide to the meanings and uses
for all the terms silkscreen printing pros use to, well, sound like pros. Learn these and you
can walk into any supply store, art store or printing shop and get the respect you deserve-
and the products you'll need.
Silkscreen Printing: Other wise known as screen printing, silkscreening, silk screening
and serigraph. These are ALL the same things. The most common way to refer to the
process is 'screen print' mostly because there is significant confusion in the general public
about the 'silk' in the term silkscreen printing. Frankly, silk isn't really any part of the
process- not since the 60's at least. It was used as the mesh for the screen print frame but
has been replaced by polyester mesh which is vastly superior. Officially, screen printing is a
printing technique that uses a woven mesh to support some sort of stencil (we'll look at
stencil definitions in another post). That stencil can be made of a lot of different things but
each stencil system will act as a resist for ink, blocking out some areas and leaving others
open to the mesh. The printer passes a squeegee over the screen which forces the ink into
the open areas of the stencil and through the mesh onto your substrate.
Squeegee: A screen print squeegee is a longish rectangular tool often made from wood
with a rubber blade inserted into it. As you pass the squeegee over the silkscreen frame
mesh it squeezes the ink through the open areas of the mesh depositing it onto your
substrate surface. The squeegee comes in quite a few shapes and sizes. The handle part
of the component is of least importance. What you really need to know are the technical
specs on the blade- the rubber part. The squeegee blade can be square, rounded or pointy
and it can be hard or soft. Generally, flexible squeegees with rounded blade edges are
used for fabric printing, while hard, square edged squeegees are for printing on paper,
wood and other surfaces. The lower the durometer the softer the blade. I have always used
a 60 durometer square blade. (I print mainly on fabric and I like the sharper image that a
square blade gives me and the softness of the 60 durometer blade). 60 durometer is great
for high density printing because it allows a good amount of ink to roll through the stencil. It
can be a tough blade for thicker inks but I have always managed nevertheless. There are
many companies that sell a 70 durometer blade as their standard and that is OK too. And
there are some blades that have multiple durometers within a single blade. The triple
durometer squeegee is great for more difficult types of printing applications. Many screen
printers use it for process printing or printing of thicker inks (such as white or opaque inks).
75/90/75 durometer blade means that your blade has softer edges for smooth printing
application but a stiff center for a rigid blade angle. 80 Durometer squeegee is great for
more difficult types of printing applications and thicker inks.
Screen Mesh: The mesh is the fabric part of your silk screen frame. It is made from high
grade monofilament polyester. The mesh can be yellow or white and range in thread count
from 40 to 400. Fabric printers might use 80 or 110 thread/in. for applications where they
need to lay down white or light colored inks on dark fabrics. As the mesh count rises, the
amount of ink flow and deposit thickness decreases. In graphics applications on non-
porous materials like paper, less ink is required for coverage, and higher mesh counts
above 300 threads/in. allow finer images and details to be printed. I use a white 110 mesh
and sometimes a white 156 mesh most often because I print onto fabric and with water
based pigment inks. There are some inks that have specific characteristics that put
limitations on mesh counts. UV inks require thin ink deposits for proper curing and wont dry
in the screen, so mesh counts above 305 are used. When you get different fabrics in the
higher mesh counts, you will notice there are white meshes and yellow meshes, many in
the same counts. Generally, whites are less expensive than the dyed/colored mesh. When
exposing a positive on white mesh, especially halftones and fine lines, you may notice the
edge definition and the quality of the image is rougher than the positive. This is due to light
bounce. The white threads reflect light in different directions and produce soft edges on the
stencil. Yellow mesh minimizes this effect and produces sharper images. This is not so
critical on coarser meshes where details are bolder (i.e. for t-shirts or basic designs with flat
colors) But it does become critical in halftone or fine-detail printing. You can buy the screen
mesh here online.
flood Stroke: Flooding ink across the entire image area before every print is necessary to
stop air-drying inks from drying in the screen. This is done with the screen raised.
Print Stroke: The screen is lowered, but is not actually touching the substrate (off-contact)
because the edges have been slightly built up. The print stroke requires slightly firmer
pressure on the squeegee than the flood stroke, to push the ink through the open mesh to
the substrate. As the squeegee passes over the screen moves down and then lifts, and is
again off-contact.
Appendix B
Materials Sourcing List
Squeegee
Happy Printing!
Michelle SaintOnge
www.printcutsew.com
www.michellesaintonge.com