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How To Print T-Shirts For Fun and Profit (2012) PDF
How To Print T-Shirts For Fun and Profit (2012) PDF
Copyright 1978, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2008, 2010, 2012 All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any
means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the
copyright owner.
Limits of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: The authors and publishers of this book have used their best efforts
in preparing the materials. They make no representation or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness
Interactive PDF Version of the contents of this book and specifically disclaim any implied warranties or merchantability or fitness for any
particular purpose, and shall in no event be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damage, including
but not limited to special, incidental, consequential or other damages.
Trademarks: All trademarks are acknowledged. Brand or product names are the trademarks, registered trade-
marks, or trade names of their respective holders. All shirt graphics shown are the copyright and/or trademarks of
their respective owners.
Acknowledgements: The authors have had a great deal of help over the years with research, evaluation products,
photographs and more, and would like to thank the following people for their help and support: John Davis,
Arizona Lithographers for printing this book since 1980 and being very patient on missed deadlines; Richard
Labov and Gordon Faulkner, Union Ink Co. for ink technical assistance and publishing support; to the many “Mr.
and Mrs. Hands” who over the years came running when asked to “hold this while we shoot a picture” Mishelle
Fresener, Michael Fresener, Sandy Holderbach, Bob Alabaster and Dan Axelsen, Chapparel Industries; Littia
White and Sandy Holderbach for illustrations; Pat Eddins, Hanes Printables for garment making technical informa-
tion; Sandy Holderbach, for research on the History of the T-Shirt; Mishelle Fresener, Mike Fresener, Asha Gopal
and Laura Hedger, for research and production assistance; and to everyone who has sent products and material for
use in our classes and training workshops.
The authors would like to especially thank the many friends, customers and students who have provided shirt sam-
ples and given suggestions and advice for this book over the years.
What can you legally do with this digital edition: This is a digital version and can be legally put on up to three
computers or smart phone/tablet devices in the same company, household or office. This document cannot be post-
ed on internet websites, transferred, given to or in any way passed to third party users or customers who did not
purchase this edition. Any unlawful use of this file will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
Photographs: Most of the photos in this book, unless a photo credit is given, are by Scott, Pat and
Michael Fresener. Some photos - especially the black and white versions are from the Fresener archives. Some
photos are from customers and suppliers.
Published by:
How-To Publishing
14747 N. Northsight Blvd. Suite 111-402
Scottsdale, Arizona 85260 USA
Phone 480-212-1078
info@howtopublishing.com
Distributed by:
T-Biz Network International, LLC
Scottsdale, Arizona 85260 USA
info@tbiznetwork.com
www.T-BizNetwork.com
3
2012 Dedication
My how time flies. Our kids grew up! The original 1978 edition was dedicated to our
young children, Mike and Mishelle Fresener who "got stuck with the dishes while mom
and dad wrote the book." Our kids have grown up in the business and it has been a joy
to watch them mature.
The second version which is only available on DVD has all of the videos embedded. The final file
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ual files. File one contains Chapters 1-6 and file two contains Chapters 7-13. The Apple iPad and
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4 CONTENTS
Contents
INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
COMMONLY ASKED QUESTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
HISTORY OF THE T-SHIRT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
HOW A SHIRT IS PRINTED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Contents
CHAPTER 5: HEAT TRANSFERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .103
Plastisol Transfers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .104 Three Point Registration . . . . . . . . . . . . . .110
Why Make a Heat Transfer? . . . . . . . . . .104 Vacuum Table Registration . . . . . . . . . . .110
The Paper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .105 Registration Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .111
Heat Transfer Plastisol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .106 Transfers for Caps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .112
The Artwork . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .106 Puff Ink Transfers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .112
The Screen Stencil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .107 Digital Heat Transfers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .112
Printing Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .107 Sublimation Transfers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .112
Curing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .108 Foil Transfers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .114
Build A Vacuum Table Plans . . . . . . . . . .109 Heat Transfer Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . .116
Multicolor Plastisol Transfers . . . . . . . . . .110 Application of Transfers . . . . . . . . . . . . . .117
Contents
CHAPTER 11: MARKETING AND SELLING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .159
Your Logo and Name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .160 Ad-Specialties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .164
Presenting the Shirts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .160 Corporate Accounts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .164
Your “Business Card” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .160 Your Website and E-mail . . . . . . . . . . . . .165
The Paperwork . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .160 Social Networking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .166
Generic Catalogs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .161 Price List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .176
Your Phone and Fax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .161 Pricing Strategies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .167
Take Credit Cards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .162 Average Markups and Printing Prices . . .169
Display at Local Trade Shows . . . . . . . . .163 Profits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .170
Where to Find Customers . . . . . . . . . . . .170
GLOSSARY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .239
INDEX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .249
Introduction
Congratulations!
You’re entering one of the few businesses that can be started with very little capital. Interest, enthu-
siasm and self motivation is the real capital needed to build this business. Many of the big companies
started out this way, in fact many started in their garages! This book provides all the information neces-
sary to print T-shirts. Put your newfound knowledge to work and add a second income, or build up a
full-time business. It's up to you!
Of course, you don’t have to limit yourself to T-shirts. Other screened items are everywhere.
Objects you don’t think about are screen printed: bottles, cans, computer control panels, labels in cloth-
ing, graphics hanging in your home, the tiniest printed circuit in your watch, to large billboards.
How To Print T-shirts For Fun And Profit! contains a good basic knowledge on the all garment
decorating processes, including screen printing, heat applied transfers, and inkjet printing directly onto
T-Shirts.
Whether you’re a beginner or already print shirts, this book is an excellent technical guide and will
be used constantly for reference, so keep it handy! A fairly respectable printed shirt could probably be
done by just following the photos in this book - but don't do it that way! Read this book completely
before you even start to do any printing. Once you’ve read it, you’ll have a basic knowledge and under-
standing of the entire process, and many of your unanswered questions won’t even have to be asked!
Some methods in this book were developed through years of trial and error; some were developed
by observing other printers and then, if necessary, changing or improving on their techniques. All the
techniques in this book have been proven in actual daily use and are commercial methods! They work.
They make it possible for you to start a printing business and make a profit!
Throughout this book you’re urged to experiment! That’s because seeing is believing. Often, very
technical information that tends to be confusing when just read, becomes crystal clear when actually,
physically, done. Experimenting will also help you build the confidence necessary to develop your own
techniques and ideas!
There are various stages in the printing process and we have tried to take them in the order that they
actually occur. We will first teach you how to prepare the artwork, then make a screen and print the
order. After all this, you’ll learn how to buy shirts for the jobs, how to print other items, how to sell the
order and how to run your business!
Remember, this book contains everything you need to know. Putting it to use is up to you.
Watch a short
items that are often decorated by the screen printing process. And, if you decide to make sub-
Garment Printing
ment.
1. Artwork
A design is drawn, traced, scanned or
created in a computer graphics
program. It is printed onto a
transparent material using a laser
printer or inkjet printer.
2. Screen
A screen frame is stretched with
polyester screen fabric called mesh.
Pre-stretched screens can be
purchased.
3. Stencil Preparation
The fabric is coated with a photo-
graphic material call emulsion
and the artwork is transferred to the
emulsion with using ultra-violet light.
The image is developed on the
video on the
basics of garment
printing. 4. Printing
Running Time 2:00 The screen is placed on top of a
garment and the ink is transferred
through the stencil with a squeegee.
5. Curing or Drying
The printed shirt is run through a
dryer or placed under a special heater
to cure the ink. If the print is
waterbased ink the shirt can be
hung to dry.
COMPUTER
GRAPHICS AND
ARTWORK
PREPARATION
This chapter deals with artwork preparation for all garment
decorating processes including Screen Printing, Heat Transfers
and Direct-to-Garment Printing.
Types of Scanners
Although you think you paid top dollar for
your $300 scanner, the reality is that the profes-
sional separators use scanners that cost thousands
of dollars.
Oversize scanners that will scan 11” x 17” or 1.17 When purchas-
12” x 18” material can cost over $1,000 but there ing a scanner, look for
are less expensive ones for under $300 (1.17). If one that is 36-bit or
the customer brings you oversize artwork you can higher. Desktop scan-
simply scan it in sections and piece it together ners sell for less than
using your computer graphic software (1.18). $200.
There is also a new breed of very low cost
scanners called contact image sensor (CIS) scan-
ners. CIS scanners use a single row of sensors that
pass very close to the artwork. These are the one's
you see for under $75.
Dynamic Range
1.18 It is fairly easy
Wider dynamic range is the key to great scans. to scan oversize art-
Dynamic range is also called pixel depth and is a work in stages on the
measurement of how much highlight and shadow scanner bed. The
detail a scanner can capture. Dynamic range is image can then be
measured from one to four with 4.0 being 100%. taken to a program
The dynamic range of a good drum scanner is like Adobe Photoshop®
around 3.5 and a flatbed scanner 2.0 to 3.0. When and pieced together
shopping for a scanner you will rarely see the seamlessly. This
dynamic range listed on inexpensive scanners. image was pieced
The lack of dynamic range is the most evident together from four
separate scans using
in the shadow areas. A more expensive scanner the Photomerge fea-
will see a number of gray levels in deep shadow ture. (Artwork by Julie
areas while a flat-bed CCD scanner will see less Jorgensen.)
gray levels and the CIS scanner may see this vari-
ation in grays as 100% black. The problem with
CIS scanners is the box doesn't always state what
type of scanner it is and you may need to check
the company's website for more detailed informa- color for the colors of RGB - red, green, blue.)
tion. Most scanners are now 32 bit or 36 bit. While 24-
bit scanners will "see" millions of colors, 36-bit
Scanner Resolution scanners "see" billions of colors. Yes, a difference
There are a number of ways to refer to scan of a few colors, but most software packages work
resolution. Some manufacturers call it dots-per- with the image as 24-bit. Even though Photoshop
inch. This is confusing because we refer to our supports up to 48-bit RGB images, the file sizes
laser printer's resolution in dots-per-inch (DPI). are astronomical and for the needs of a small
Other manufacturers refer to scan resolution in image T-shirt printer (these are not poster size
pixels-per-inch (PPI). This is almost correct. The images), this is overkill.
real way to refer to scan resolution is samples-
per-inch (SPI). Although correct, this is the least Film Output Devices For
popular name. I refer to scan resolution as DPI.
Scanner resolution is measured two ways - Screen Printing Positives
true resolution (also called optical resolution) and In the old days, a picture of the “black and
interpolated resolution. Most flatbed scanners white” artwork was taken using a very large cam-
scan at 300 x 600 dpi true resolution. To get a era called a process camera. The film in the cam-
higher resolution they use interpolation software era was clear and the image area became black.
to fill in missing information by sampling sur- This was the method used to create a film positive
rounding pixels. Although interpolation is not as for years and of course is now obsolete.
good as actual resolution, it is a means to keep the There are a number of ways to create film
scanner price affordable, yet reproduce an accept- positives that range from using overhead trans-
able scan. If shopping for a scanner you should parencies made by a local copy shop, to inkjet
purchase one that has the highest true resolution printers printing on clear film, to laser printers
as possible. printing on frosted paper, to high-resolution
devices called Imagesetters. A printer or device
Color Bit Depth for printing the image on film or paper is called
This is another confusing area. For years the an output device.
standard was 24-bit images (8 bits of data per
20 CHAPTER 1
Do You Really Need a Film? Types of Output Devices
Even though we are talking about making a
film positive to expose screens, over the last few for Screen Printing
years larger shops - tired of paying huge amounts There are a number of types of output devices
of money every year for films - have gone to the and your budget will often dictate what you buy.
newer “direct-to-screen” or “computer-to-screen” BUT, there are also lingering misconceptions or
systems. These machines bypass the need for film mis-information about what is best. Old methods
because they inkjet images directly on an emul- are hard to kill and for many printers who only do
sion coated screen - ready for exposure. Before simple one and two color images - almost any
you get too excited about this - most of these method works.
machines start at around $40,000! More on this It is when you move up to higher-end work
Chapter 2 - Preparing the Screen. that needs halftone dots to create shading and a
photorealistic effect that some output devices
Understanding PostScript don’t do a good job.
The problem with using standard laser print- Laser Printer
ers, inkjet printers or other output devices for For many years, the laser printer was the main
graphics applications is that standard desktop output device for screen printers because you
office devices are not capable of outputting could go directly from the computer to output in a
halftone dots or do special separation techniques matter of minutes. It literally replaced the camera
called trapping and overprinting (covered later in in the art room.
this chapter). Laser printers are still being used but are
The world-wide standard software for doing being rapidly replaced by inkjet output because of
this is called PostScript from Adobe Systems. the low price of inkjet printers and the fact that
PostScript is called a page description language inkjets will print on clear film with perfect regis-
that allows a graphics program to send data to a tration on multi-color jobs. Plus, there are now
printer as a series of tiny pixels. PostScript low priced RIP’s that allow inkjets to do halftone
enables the printer to print halftone dots, trap col- dots.
ors and do color matching for colored inkjet out- Since 80% of your work will be simple to
put. intermediate quality spot color work, you can
print the image from a laser printer to special
PostScript RIP frosted paper called vellum. Remember, if you
Typically, larger format (bigger than desktop want to do color separations and halftone dots, the
printers) imagesetters and laser printers have soft- laser printer must have PostScript. Most large for-
ware called a RIP (raster image processor) that mat graphics laser printers have PostScript.
basically converts the file to a PostScript file The main drawback to a laser printer is the
before sending the data to the printer. A standard page output size and paper/vellum shrinkage.
office laser printer does not have PostScript. Most desktop lasers only print up to 8-1/2 x 14 in.
Inkjet printers often come with PostScript but paper. This means that you may have to output
since inkjet printer manufacturers ONLY think of the image in more than one piece and tape them
their device as being a color printer (why the heck together (1.19). This is called “tiling.” Over the
would you only need black and white from a last few years, oversize laser printers have
color printer.....and what the heck is a halftone become more affordable. Your office supply may
dot?), inkjets DO NOT include a RIP that will do carry standard tabloid size printers (11” x 17”) but
halftone dots. Just because a RIP claims to be you are better off considering an oversize printer
Postscript compatible does NOT mean it creates that will handle 13” x 18” (1.20) - if a laser print-
halftone dots. Typical inkjet RIP’s only do color er is the way you want to create output.
management so what you see on the monitor
should be what you get when you print a color Vellum Paper
proof. For your basic bread-and-butter jobs this is the
output material you will use if you have a laser
printer. The reason is very simple - it is cheap!
Vellum runs around 30 cents per sheet.
Remember, the customer doesn’t really like
paying $15.00 per film for a simple job when 30
cents will do!
Vellum paper is like a tracing paper and came
from the blueprint industry. Yes, you can out-
1.19 If your image is source it yourself, but it is important to know the
larger than the laser grain, the cotton content, the weight and other
printer, tell your things that help it hold toner better in your laser
graphics program to printer without jamming. For this reason we
print the image as
“tiles” that can be HIGHLY recommend purchasing it from industry
taped together. suppliers.
COMPUTER GRAPHICS AND ARTWORK PREPARATION 21
1.20 Large format
laser printers are used
to print on inexpensive
vellum paper. But, the
market has changed
and inkjet printers
with a RIP are the
standard today.
(Photo courtesy Xante
Corp., Mobile, AL.)
1.21
1.21 To make the
1.20 toner darker, spray
down the imaged vel-
The problem with vellum is that it is not very lum (or laser acetate)
stable. It will shrink as it goes through the hot fus- with an artist’s fixa-
ing rollers of your laser printer. This can mean tive. Make sure it
that multi-color separations may not lineup as DOES NOT have any
accurately when you are the printing press. UV block in it!
If you experience this problem, try pre-shrink-
ing the vellum paper by printing it out of the laser 1.22 Laser acetate is
as a blank page BEFORE you output the job on it. frosted like vellum but
You can also run it through your conveyor dryer is much more stable. It
or put it under the flash heater for a few seconds. can also be sprayed
The other problem with vellum (and laser with a fixative to dark-
burn through the image areas and not block en the image and on
acetate) is that they are both frosted and not total- enough light for a clean exposure. critical jobs you can
ly clear. This may mean a slightly longer expo- pre-shrink this material
sure time when making screens. In fact, this is the Dry Film Thermal Imagesetters just like vellum.
reason that some purist screen makers resist using In years past the term “imagesetter” meant a
vellum. If you are changing from clear film to film based device using chemicals and traditional
vellum, it may take a little experimentation to get film technology to output high quality film posi-
the proper exposure times. tives.
Another problem with vellum is that the toner As chemical/silver based film systems are
deposit may not be dense enough - depending on dying off - the term “imagesetter” now also refers
the age and quality of your laser printer (or copi- to newer thermal printers that use heat to turn
er). If the toner isn’t dark enough the exposure images on clear film dark enough to burn screens.
light may actually go through the toner and the These systems are called “dry film” because there
screen will not be exposed properly. are no chemicals and they are often referred to as
To darken the toner, spray the vellum down imagesetters.
after it has been imaged with an artist’s fixative If you are looking for a film with excellent
sold at most art supply and hardware stores registration (multi-color prints) and like the idea
(1.21). This method is so popular that many of clear rather than frosted media, then a thermal
screen print suppliers carry their own toner dark- film system may be the answer. These units start
ening sprays. around $5,000 for small table-top printers and can
go over $30,000 for large units that handle 36”
Laser Acetate wide output.
Laser acetate is the next step up from vellum. Even though dry film systems use heat to
It looks frosted like vellum but is more stable and darken areas of the film, the film itself is much
not as prone to shrinking (1.22). Yes, it is more heavier and more stable than laser acetate or vel-
money - about $1.00 per large sheet for an over- lum - but the film is fairly expensive.
size laser, but this is a small price to pay for better The extra expense of the film is offset by the
color registration at the printing press. time savings of screens that expose and washout
Again, purchase this from industry suppliers easily and images that setup quicker and in better
because they have done all the testing for you. registration at the press.
Overhead Transparency
Overhead transparency material is commonly 1.23 Dry film thermal
used for presentations with an overhead projector. printers are popular
While it is clear, it does not take the toner as well because the registration
as the rougher surface of vellum and laser acetate. is accurate and the densi-
Don’t be fooled by the image looking black on ty of the image on the film
this material. The true test is to look at the imaged is excellent. These units
material up against a light or on a light table. You are often called “image-
will see that the toner deposit is very weak and setters.” (Photo courtesy
when exposing a screen, the exposure light will OYO Instruments,
Houston, TX.)
22 CHAPTER 1
format inkjet printer is the image size. Printers
like the Epson 3880, 4880 and 4900 print up to
17” x 22” while the Epson 7880 prints 24” wide
images from any length on a roll.
The other major advantage is registration.
Laser printers have heated fuzing rollers. Inkjet
printers don’t use heat. This means that films are
printed in perfect registration from film to film
because they don’t shrink.
The other major advantage is in screen mak-
ing. Inkjet printers print on specially coated clear
film and with the proper RIP, the density of the
ink deposit is the same as from an imagesetter.
Screens expose and washout easier and jobs line
up easier at the press.
Even with a small “consumer” printer like the
Epson 1430 you can do excellent work with
1.24 Oversize inkjet Inkjet Printers for Film Output halftone dots, dense images and clean edges.
printers such as the The standard output device is now an inexpen-
Epson 1400 and 1430 sive inkjet printer with a software RIP for Film for Inkjet Printers
are the most popular There are two basic types of film for inkjet
for film positives if halftones. The reason is simple. Inkjet printers
that will print up to 13” x 19” images are now less printers. Waterproof and non-waterproof. These
you use a special RIP films have special inkjet receptive coatings on
like T-RIP and the than $300. They print in perfect registration. With
proper film and ink. A a software RIP to create halftone dots AND to them. They are similar but better than overhead
complete system like improve the density of the ink deposit on inkjet transparency material you can buy from office
this sells for less than clear film - you can have a complete high-end supply stores.
$700! (Photo courtesy film output solution for less than $700. The most popular film is waterproof. It is
T-Biz Network Remember - inkjet printers do NOT come more expensive than non-waterproof but the
International, with Postscript or a RIP that will print halftone inkjet ink dries immediately. Waterproof films are
Scottsdale, AZ) dots and most inkjet printers do not lay down not 100% clear. They have a slightly milky
enough ink to make a dark image on a film posi- appearance but they expose a great screen.
tive. Images printed on waterproof film will not
And, a computer store clerk is the last person always be dry when the film leaves the printer
1.25 A number of you want to ask “will this printer print halftone and if you are not careful the films can stick
industry suppliers offer dots?” They do not understand our needs. Or if together - especially in a humid climate.
both waterproof and you ask them “will this printer print on clear Expect to pay around $1.25 for a 13” x 18”
non-waterproof inkjet transparency?” their answer will be YES. They be sheet of waterproof film. Film is sold in boxes of
film. Inkjet ink is very right but the image on the film will be weak - we 100 sheets by almost every industry supplier
expensive when pur- (1.25).
chased in small car- need a much darker black image which is a func-
tridges. To save money tion of a RIP.
purchase bulk black A popular RIP is called T-RIP from T-Biz Ink for Inkjet Printers
ink and a refillable Network International. It works with specific Over the years, inkjet printer manufacturers
bulk ink system or a models of the Epson printer. With T-RIP and an like Epson have used pigment based ink for their
closed bag system for Epson printer you can now get imagesetter quality inkjet printers. Pigment ink has a much longer
your printer. (Photo for 1/4 the price of a laser printer! (1.24). print life which is important to photographers -
courtesy Independent Download a 15-day Free Trial of T-RIP from the main customer base for inkjet printers.
Print Supplies, www.T-BizNetwork.com. The problem with pigment ink is that it does
Leitchfield, KY.) One of the major advantages to using a large- not adhere to inkjet film as well as dye based ink.
In recent years companies like Epson have start-
ed to offer dye based ink on new model printers
like the 1400 series.
If you have a pigment based printer you can
purchase third party dye ink from almost all
industry suppliers and you can use this with a
bulk ink system or buy third party cartridges -
without any worry of having head clogs or war-
ranty issues.
Quality Differences
For the most part, the quality of all of the out-
put devices listed is acceptable for garment screen
printing.
www.IndependentPrintSupplies.com
COMPUTER GRAPHICS AND ARTWORK PREPARATION 23
Chemical Imagesetter Thermal Dry Film Laser Printer Inkjet With RIP
1.27 The photo on the
Laser printer halftone dots can be a little soft left shows halftone dots
around the edges and not as dense in the middle, exposed on a very high
but with proper exposure they work fine for gen- mesh count. The figure
eral and non-critical work. on the right shows the
Dry film systems may not be as high a resolu- same dot size on a low
tion as a laser printer but again, the halftone dot mesh count.
quality is good for garments. The cost of the units
can be prohibitive.
Inkjet output is really the best for the money
because of clean halftone dots, clear film, dense
black images, perfect registration and low cost of 1.28 The most popular
programs are Corel
the system. Draw®, Adobe
Figure 1.26 shows a magnified view of output Illustrator® and Adobe
from various devices. Notice that halftone dots Photoshop®. They are
tend to chain together. Also, notice that the dots available from most
are more ragged on lower priced units. The ques- computer stores and
tion is always one of “does it matter.” via mail order from
Figure 1.27 shows a magnified view of sources in Appendix A.
halftone dots on screen mesh. You decide.
Computer Graphics
Software
The software programs you need depend on
the type of work you plan to print. If all you want
to do is simple corporate logos and one or two
Watch a video
color images, then a vector based program is it. If
about T-RIP.
you plan to do high-end, photorealistic work on
light and dark shirts, then you will need a pixel
based program. Most shops have both.
Vector Based Programs
Vector programs are normally used for a wide
variety of work - from spot color separations for 1.29 You can never get
screen printing, to working with customer artwork enough clip art and you
for inkjet transfer and directly printing on gar- either love it or hate it.
Customers love it
ments. because it is inexpen-
Vector programs know the math coordinates sive. Some of the art is
or "vectors" between point A and point B. Vector very basic, but this
based programs love to work with typefaces, hard makes it easy to use.
edge graphics, and clip art. Without getting into a Clip art is an excellent
Mac vs PC debate, the most popular vector pro- sales tool. Show the
gram on the Windows/PC platform is CorelDraw customer the binder
(1.28). On the Mac platform it is Adobe and let them see all of
Illustrator. the images to choose
These programs generally come with hun- from. (Photos courtesy
Digital Art Solutions -
dreds of different typefaces and in the case of Smart Designs, Tempe,
CorelDraw, thousands of clip art images (stock AZ., and Action
art). Programs like this range from $300 to $700. Illustrated, Scottsdale,
AZ.
24 CHAPTER 1
1.30 You can also get
Template plugins for
Which is the Best Program?
Corel Draw that have There is no correct answer. Most computer
predone artwork or graphic departments have both vector based pro-
stock border frames grams for their text, cartoons, logos and hard edge
that you simply change graphics and pixel based programs for their pho-
the lettering, drop in a torealistic images. Don't forget, you can create
different photo or mas- part of the image in one program and take it into
cot and have instant another to add additional elements.
design. (Photos cour-
tesy Action Illustrated,
Mesa AZ.) Computer Clip Art and
Predone Templates
The real value to the computer is clip art.
Most programs have literally thousands of built-in
1.31 Don’t be too stock clip art designs. In fact, many of the designs
impressed by the large are in full color! Clip art can be called up and
number of “cuts” in the modified, colored and merged with text to create
consumer clipart col- quick designs.
lections that contain
dozens of DVDs of art- Clip art is normally sold royalty free with a
work. For the price, do-what-you-want-with-it agreement. Some of
you can always find these agreements forbid you to use a person’s
something to use and likeness unless you have permission and others
these DVDs pay for actually exclude using the images on T-Shirts!
themselves with just one The easiest clip art to use is industry specific -
or two jobs! meaning it is designed for use on garments. There
are a number of companies offering this type of
Adobe is one of the lead players in this area and artwork on CD. Images include everything from
they offer ALL of their programs for a monthly school mascots and sports images, to corporate
subscription fee of only $49.9 USD at logos and general business themes (1.29).
www.CreativeCloud.com. This price is VERY The corporate logo collections do not neces-
attractive and allows you to get all of the great sarily give you a license to use the image. This
Adobe products without spending thousands of you must obtain on your own.
dollars. Some collections offer templates that are pre-
done designs where all you have to do is change
Pixel/Raster Programs the wording, use a different mascot, or include
Raster or pixel based programs treat images as
additional clip art and it is an instant design (1.30).
small pixels of color. These programs work with
You can also get hundreds of thousands of clip
photorealistic images and can be used to lighten,
art images online. Some of the artwork is free and
sharpen and enhance photos. The most popular
others by monthly subscription. Favorite sites
pixel based program on both platforms is Adobe
include: www.clipart.com, www.shutterstock.com,
Photoshop®. It is not only an extremely powerful
www.actionartclub.com, and T-Biz ART from
program, but also one that has been embraced by
www.T-BizNetwork.com.
the industry as the defacto standard. For screen
printers there are also a number of automated
color separation programs designed specifically Off-The-Shelf Clip Art
for Photoshop like the popular T-Seps at
www.T-Seps.com. Download a 20-day Free Trial. You can go in to any computer store and buy
collections of 250,000 cuts (or more) for less than
$100 (1.31). It would seem that this is the best
buy. Although there is certainly some art you can
use, much of the art is not designed for T-Shirt
printing. In fact, it is easier to work with artwork
that is black-and-white so you can add the colors
you want. Much of the art in these huge collec-
tions needs to be colored for it to work as spot
color images on shirts.
1.32 You can create Most of the artwork in these collections is
some pretty amazing vector based so if you enlarge the image you
jobs and impress your- don’t lose resolution. Any photographic images,
self AND your customer though, are very low resolution and not accept-
using stock photo- able for enlarging to garment image size.
graphic images. (Photo These are still good investments because they
courtesy T-Biz Network are so inexpensive.
International,
Scottsdale, AZ.)
COMPUTER GRAPHICS AND ARTWORK PREPARATION 25
Photorealistic Images
If you want to do photorealistic images on
shirts, there are also excellent collections of royal-
ty free photographic designs available on CD or
for individual download at prices as low as 99
cents per image (1.32).
Most sites also have components such as
backgrounds where you can mix and match. Use a
background from one image and place a car or
animal in front of it - instant design!
Watch a short
section was not designed to teach you how to do whether you are going to simply create images, or
video on
the various techniques but more to open your eyes do color separations for screen printing, these pro-
Separation Types.
to how things are done. As we mentioned before, grams automate many of the tasks in Corel and
learn how to do basic spot color first and then add extra features not found in it. Items such as
Running Time 3:16 move up to higher-end printing and separating. tails on team names, class shirts, automatic under-
OK, will all that said, when do you use what bases for dark shirts and more are available. If
method? you need to increase your productivity with Corel
check out one of the demo versions of these pro-
Spot Color grams to see if you like what it does (1.45).
Obviously spot color is used where you want a
bright print or where you need to match colors. It Adobe Photoshop® Plugins for Screen
is generally used when the image is simple or Printing
Over the last few years the customer has
Watch a video on
needs a cartoon look to it.
demanded higher quality images on shirts. In the
the Basics of
CMYK Process Color early 90’s only a handful of screen printers did
Watch a video on
The problem with all of this was that if you
Corel Draw.
tions, screen making and printing technique. It
can print very smooth gradations and hold excel- need to change or fix a separation, it could be
Part One
lent detail. This is the most popular method used days before the new seps came back and the cus-
by award winning printers and the prints are tomer was waiting and in many cases, the presses
Running Time 5:48
bright because all purpose inks are used over an were waiting.
All of this changed in the mid 90’s with the
underbase.
introduction of video training tapes and courses
Index Color on high-end printing by the authors of this book.
These work well on light and dark shirts. The magic was replaced by step-by-step proce-
Index separations typically require more colors dures. Unfortunately it still took solid printing
than simulated or process color (especially if experience, a good knowledge of Photoshop® and
going on black shirts). They are very easy to print many hours of making channels, tweaking, mak-
Watch a video on
because all the dots are the same size and you are ing channels, tweaking, going to press, coming
Corel Draw.
printing square dots next to square dots rather back for adjustments, etc. It could be done, but
there was still a steep learning curve.
Part Two
than halftone dots on top of halftone dots.
At the same time, automated color separation
Separations are easy to do in Adobe Photoshop®
Running Time 6:37 programs were introduced that finally made this
and screen making and printing can be forgiving. high-end procedure easy to do. Programs like
Index prints are very production friendly and easy FastFilms™ which later became known as T-Seps
to print but the images can have a slightly grainy allow the printer to do very high-end simulated
(stippled) look. This process works well for spot process color, real cmyk process color, index
color also. color and even spot color separations with just the
Remember, don't get too caught up in using push of a button (1.46).
these terms with your customers. They don't know This allows the average and even new printer
and really don't care if you index it or make it to be able to print stunning images that were
Watch a video on
simulated process color. All they want is their never before possible in a small shop.
Corel Draw.
image to look good on a shirt. Programs like T-Seps even tell the correct
Part Three
mesh count, what ink color to use, the print order
and halftone frequency and angle.
Running Time 3:25
COMPUTER GRAPHICS AND ARTWORK PREPARATION 29
1.45 1.46
Creating Simple Designs
This is it! You have the big picture of how
things are done. You know most of the terms and
hopefully have a grasp on the type of computer
programs needed. You just need to put your
thoughts into action.
First, let’s take a typical scenario. Remember
the sketch on the napkin we talked about earlier?
1.47 A typical job in
Not every job is just point-and-click. Some the life of a screener.
require actual work. From a rough idea out
Figure 1.47 shows the end result and the of a catalog, to the
beginning of a simple design of a cowboy boot. finished image on a
You can see that the original was actually from a shirt.
western-wear catalog.
From there the image was enlarged on a copi- Type Manipulation in
er to provide a template to work from. A piece of Corel Draw
tracing paper (or vellum) was placed over the All vector based drawing programs work basi-
template and a marking pen was used to convert cally the same. This section will show pictures
the photograph into a line drawing. from CorelDraw but most of the information will
This was then scanned into the computer, text also apply to Adobe Illustrator.
added, the image was filled with color and separa- The strength of a drawing program is in it’s
tions were output. type manipulation. CorelDraw comes with over
How much time did it take? About one hour 1,000 typefaces. You don’t need to install them
from start to finish. How much was the customer all but it is nice to be able to have the typeface
when the customer brings you a low quality busi-
charged? If the job was for 1,000 shirts, nothing.
ness card and you can match the type without
If the job was for six shirts, $25 to $50. How having to scan the card. You will often find your-
Watch a 10 minute
much did the customer for six shirts want to pay self rebuilding designs from the reference materi-
Demo of T-Seps.
for the artwork and separations - nothing. al they give you.
If you are proficient with your vector graphics To bring up text on the screen in Corel, simply
program and using a mouse or graphics tablet you click on the A Type Tool. Move the cursor to the
could have either scanned and vectorized the middle of the page, click, and start typing. To
image or placed the rough image on your graphics make the text bigger or smaller click and hold
tablet and “traced” it right to your computer down the mouse button while the pointer is on
screen. one of the corner nodes (1.48).
If you didn’t want to mess with any of this To arch the text, first make sure you have
clicked on the object. Next, click on the interac-
you could have sent off the rough sketch to one of
tive Envelope button on the Toolbar. Now simply
the on-line vector conversion services and for click on the nodes and move the mouse. To move
Watch a 2 minute
about $20 you would have gotten back a vector the top and bottom together, hold down the
T-Seps.
(1.49).
30 CHAPTER 1
1.48 Programs like you must remember to always use a Spot Color
CorelDraw offer over palette. In Corel, this is called the Pantone®
a thousand typefaces Matching System palette (1.50).
and thousands of clip The reason for this is that these programs
art cuts. The strength weren’t designed for screen printing. Most other
of these programs is printing methods simply use CMYK and as you
text manipulation.
learned earlier, most of our jobs will NOT be
CMYK but will be spot color. If you use a stan-
dard (Corel calls it the Uniform) color palette,
your image will only print out as CMYK.
If you are NOT going to create images that
need to be color separated, DON’T worry
about what color palette you use.
If you change to the Pantone® palette and fill a
1.49 It is easy to arch design with red, when you go to output the image,
and distort text and you will have one film for the red. If you work in
objects in drawing the CMYK palette and fill an image with red,
programs.
when you go to output the image, you will get a
film for Magenta and one for Yellow (magenta
and yellow make red in CMYK printing). See the
problem?
To fill an object, simply click on the color on
the Color Palette, hold down the mouse button,
and drag the color to the object and release the
mouse (this is called drag-and-drop). You can
change the outline color the same way (1.51).
1.50 Make sure you
are always working in Outline/Stroke Thickness
Spot Color mode or To change the outline thickness go to the
use the Pantone® Outline Tool on the Toolbar and click. You can
Matching System color use the default outline thickness settings or you
palette. can choose your own.
When you increase the outline thickness (out-
lines are called a stroke by some programs), the
outline gets thicker from the center. This means
that if you give an object a 24 point outline or
stroke, the outline will expand from the center
and 12 points will go beyond the object and 12
1.51 All objects in a
vector based drawing points will go into the object (1.52).
program are made up Figure 1.53 gives you a reference of point
of an outline that is sizes. There are 72 points to each inch.
closed (closed shape) All computer programs have what are called
and a fill. default settings. These are settings that the soft-
ware engineers think are how you want the pro-
gram to work. They are not always logical. In
Corel Draw, the default setting for outlines is that
they are on top of the fill. You can see in figure
1.52 When you 1.52 that the image doesn’t look very good
increase an outline because the outline is covering too much of the
thickness, the outline
gets larger from the fill. By going back to the Outline tool on the tool-
center and generally is bar and clicking on the first Pen tool, one of the
placed “in front” of selections is Behind Fill (1.54). Click on this and
the fill color. now the image will look correct.
You have just made a simple two-color image.
If you are screen printing this image, every color
you want to print on a shirt will need a color sepa-
ration. To help line up the image at the printing
Use Proper Color Palette press it is common to put registration targets in
Objects in a vector based program consist of a the corner of each film (1.55).
shape that has an outline and a fill. The outline If you want to add more objects to the design,
must be a closed shape in order to fill it. go back to the A tool and bring up more text.
The colors you choose for the outline and fill Move it around and make it the correct size. You
of objects come from a Color Palette. When may not have art talent but you can probably
working with spot color in any drawing program, design the image.
COMPUTER GRAPHICS AND ARTWORK PREPARATION 31
You can even use stock shapes like circles and Point Thickness
rectangles. Fill them with different colors (1.56).
Remember, don’t use more colors than you can (72 points per inch)
print!
1
Trapping and creating an underbase in Corel
can be hard. A program like T-RIP is actually 2
much more than a RIP and can do many of these 3
functions with the push of a button. And, in Corel 4
when you mix clipart and text you often end up
5
with two blacks and more colors than you want to
print. T-RIP does automatic trapping, underbase 6
creation, color reduction and more. 10 1.53 In graphic arts
measurements, there
20 are 72 points to an
Using Tints inch.
Our design looks OK, but it is a little flat.
Gradations and tints of color can help things look
better - whether we are screen printing or just cre-
ating an image. Our image has four spot colors
(black red, blue and yellow). You can change
these colors into a tint (percentage) of a color by
simply clicking on the object to change and going 1.54 If you want a
to the Paint Bucket icon on the toolbar. Select heavy outline with a
Tint and choose a percentage (1.57). The lower normal looking fill,
the number the less coverage. When output, the place the outline
tint will print as tiny halftone dots. “behind” the fill.
If we are creating color separations for screen
printing - by using a tint on one of the blue
objects, we now have two shades of blue but will
only need one screen. Part of the blue will print
solid and part will be printed as dots.
1.58 Halftone Frequency (LPI), Tint (%) and Angle Outputting Images
All halftones shown are elliptical dots at a 25 degree angle. -Screen Print
10% 30% 50% 70% 90% This is it! You have created a simple design. If
you are making a heat transfer or are going to
print to an inkjet-to-garment machine, it is almost
35 LPI as simple as pressing the Print button. If you are
going to output individual color separations for
screen printing remember, your printer must have
PostScript that can create halftone dots in order to
45 LPI output halftones and automatic color separations.
Halftone Frequency - Screen Print
We have been talking a lot about halftones.
The frequency or number of halftone-dots-per-
55 LPI inch (also known as lines-per-inch), determines
how large the dot is. When putting images on
lower mesh counts, a larger dot will be easier to
expose. As a general rule, when doing cartoon
type designs (like figure 1.59), use a halftone fre-
Using Gradations quency of 35 lpi. If your image has more detail
Gradations give designs more of a three- and a lot of gradations, use 45 lpi. If it is photore-
dimensional look. In Corel, this is called the inter- alistic with lots of detail use 55 lpi.
active fill tool and you simply click on it and drag Dot Shape and Angle - Screen Print
it across the object you want to fill with a gradi-
The dot shape should be set for elliptical and
ent. You can change the beginning and ending for your average designs use an angle of 25
colors and even add colors in-between like the degrees on all colors to minimize moire patterns.
text in image 1.59. In the old days we recommended using differ-
ent angles for CMYK prints but the truth is you
can also use 25 degrees for CMYK, too!
In Corel, if the Advanced button in the Print
Menu is gray, you don’t have PostScript and can’t
change the default settings for the frequency and
angle (1.60). These defaults are for lithography
paper printing and are much too high for screen
printing.
1.59 Clip art is easy to To output the color separations, check Print
use. It can be filled Separations, change the Frequency, Angles and
with solid color, tints Dot Shape, preview the image to see that it will
of color, or gradient print on the page correctly and press the Print
fills. button (1.61).
Remember, to print halftone dots you need a
RIP so you will select your RIP as the printer.
The image will be sent from Corel to the RIP and
the RIP will print to the printer.
Newer versions of Corel Draw have a pro-
1.60 If using halftones, gram called GhostScript that will allow you to
tints or gradations in print halftones to your printer!
an image you must be
able to change the
angles, frequency and
Advanced Screen Print
dot shape. Techniques
Color Trapping
When you printed out the color separations in
the previous example, they were called butt regis-
ter. This means that each color butts or touches
the other colors. The problem is that if you are
using a laser printer with vellum or acetate it
1.61 Many programs might shrink slightly when going through the
let you preview the heated fusing rollers, your frames might change
actual separations shape due to temperature or humidity extremes, or
before you print them
out. your printing press just might be sloppy.
COMPUTER GRAPHICS AND ARTWORK PREPARATION 33
If the image prints out-of-register you will see
the shirt showing through or “peeking” out
around colors and image edges.To minimize this
problem, colors can be spread slightly so that they
trap under the black outline color. Trapping is
commonly done on cartoon jobs or images where
there is a dark outline commonly called a keyline.
Don’t trap too much. The more you trap, the
more the print may get muddy as you do more
and more shirts. A normal trap is 2 to 3 points. 1.62 Images that are
Figure 1.62 shows that the colored fill is slightly trapped are easier to
larger than the center of the letter. Each program setup and screen print.
traps differently. They generally add an outline or
stroke to just the color areas of an image. You can
trap less if using perfect registration output 1.63 This image not
devices like inkjet printers with a software RIP. only has white as an
And, programs like T-RIP do automatic trapping outline but it has white
for you! under the red. You
can’t see the white
under the red because
Underbase for Darks the white has been
For simple screen print designs that are going choked slightly.
on dark shirts you will need a solid white under-
base (1.63). More complex, photorealistic images 1.64 A choke makes an
need a halftoned underbase that is beyond the image skinnier (not
smaller). The image on
scope of this chapter. the left is an exagger-
The problem with printing solid white directly ated choke of the
under other colors is that if the top color is even image on the right.
slightly off-register, you will see the white peek
out around the edge. For this reason an underbase 1.63 There is no hope
is made slightly skinnier. This is called a choke - for some customer art.
and is just the opposite of a trap (1.64). Pieces like this can
To choke simple images, duplicate the image, take hours to touch up
edges before they are
fill everything with solid black (it will be printed taken to the scanner.
with white ink), and give it a 2 or 3 point WHITE Good artists can scan
outline. On the monitor the image will appear bad images and re-
skinnier because of the white outline. create them on the
computer using the
scan as a template.
Using Customer Art There are now many
As we mentioned earlier, now that everyone online services who
has a computer on their desk, they think they are will vectorize images
artists. Customers either bring you computer files from your poor quality
that don’t work, the sketch on a napkin, or art- artwork. Do a web
work that is too small to use (1.63). In the later is that you will generally be placing your line art search of “vectorize
case, you will have to trace it or re-create it in the scans into a tracing program such as Adobe artwork.”
computer. If you trace it, you will then need to
scan the image. Streamline or Corel Trace. If you scan at a low
resolution the trace program has less dots to trace
Scanning Black and White Line Art around. Unfortunately this makes the file size
Scanners have replaced process cameras in the quite large. Doubling the resolution of the scan
art room. Scanners convert the black and white or increases the file size by a factor of 4.
colored image into a series of small dots or pixels.
Scanner resolution is measured in pixels-per-inch Quality and Size of Original Line Art
Keep in mind that programs like CorelDraw Although image manipulation programs let
work in vectors. If your image is a line drawing, you make images better, if you start with small
you will have to scan the image and then take the artwork that is of poor quality, there isn't much
scan to a program that converts the little pixels to the scanning software can do. We all want the
vectors (closed shapes that you can fill). computer to do everything and forget that tradi-
Scanning is where most people make a mis- tional methods of clean-up are often quicker than
take. Even though a scanner can scan at a high spending hours on the computer.
resolution, many scanners default to a very low Altering the image size of a scan (after the
resolution of 72dpi. This is far too low for a line scan) also changes the resolution. If you scan an
art scan. You should scan line art at from 600 to image at 300 ppi and then enlarge the image
1000 dpi. The reason to scan at a high resolution 200% the resolution drops to 150 ppi.
34 CHAPTER 1
1.64 Tracing programs
like Corel Trace convert
Customer Approval
pixel based images to It is a common practice to show the customer
vectors that can be used a “proof” of what the image will look like and in
in vector programs. The many cases to print a sample shirt for larger
image on the left is the orders (1.65). Customers have a way of telling
original scan. The you they want one thing and then saying it isn't
image on the right is a exactly what they had in mind when they see the
traced version that is final product! If the job is critical or the order
ready to be placed in a
drawing program. large enough you should print an actual sample
shirt for the customer to approve.
Third party programs
are often better and can Artists
convert scanned fonts to
a real font. Imagaro Z When you first set up shop, try to create as
claims to be able to rec- much of the artwork as possible yourself. With a
ognize over 40,000 dif- computer graphics system, you should be able to
ferent fonts. Top graph- create respectable designs with lettering and clip-
ic from Corel Trace. art. Of course, the time will come when a cus-
ImagaroZ from tomer will ask for an original design. If you have
ImagaroAB, Skovde,
Sweden and available no real drawing talent, this could be a problem.
through a global dealer Believe it or not, there are a lot of artists avail-
network. able. Artists often have a hard time finding good
jobs where they can use their talent, so many of
them work other jobs and do art on the side.
Tracing Programs
Try your local college or better yet, in today’s
Tracing programs have saved the day for internet age, go online to industry forums. You
1.65 Create a proof artists. You can do a simple scan, take the image will find a lot of experienced screen print artists.
sheet in your favorite into programs like Corel Trace or Illustrator Trace There are some pitfalls in dealing with artists
vector program so that and tell them to convert the image from pixels to
you can easily drop a that you should be aware of. Many artists come
vectors with the push of a button. There are also out of school and think they know it all. Sure,
sample of the image on excellent third party programs like ImagaroZ
the appropriate shirt maybe they can do a nice watercolor, but when
(www.imagaro.com) that also convert a traced you ask them to create screen print separations
color with all the job
details. Have the cus- font to a real vector font. (1.64). they draw a blank. What we are trying to say is
tomer sign this. that schools do not always teach people what they
need to know in the real world of commercial
work! Don't assume that just because an artist has
had schooling and has a nice portfolio that he can
do layout, create seps or draw a quick cartoon!
Paying Artists
Many larger shops have their own art depart-
ment and pay artists by the hour. This is probably
the cheapest way if you have a lot of work and
can keep them busy. If not, then you should pay
them by the job on a freelance basis.
Words of caution: Artists love to be creative
and while there is definitely a place for creativity,
if the customer wants an elephant on a design,
don't let an artist tell you he needs a mouse! Tell
the artist exactly what the customer wants, give
him as much information as possible and then let
him be creative.
Always discuss money up-front! If all you
want to spend for a design is $25, tell the artist
that.
Learning More
There is obviously a lot of information online
(and some mis-information, too). As a good start
go to www.T-BizNetwork.com for articles, how-
to videos, free software downloads and more.
COMPUTER GRAPHICS AND ARTWORK PREPARATION 35
BONUS SECTION
Learn more about how to use Adobe Photoshop to manipulate and create images.
Photoshop Overview 1.66 Adobe Photoshop
is the world’s number
The previous section covered a lot of basic one image manipula-
computer graphics and artwork preparation infor- tion program. It’s
mation for image creation and color separations strength is working
for screen printing. Even though the “world” uses with photorealistic
Corel Draw and Adobe Illustrator (for vector images.
based “cartoon” type images), the most powerful
and popular program is Adobe Photoshop (1.66).
And, because of it’s power, it can be a very con-
fusing program.
This section will deal with specifics of using 1.67 Raster/Pixel
Photoshop and will explain how it works and how based images are
to do image creation, manipulation and cleanup. made up of millions of
The best way to use this section is install small square pixels in
various colors.
Photoshop and follow along.
As for which program is better, certainly Corel
and Illustrator are the best for hard edge graphics
with hot text. In fact, many of you will use those
programs most of the time. Photoshops strength is
taking pixel based images (1.67) and manipulat-
ing them. Now that everyone has a computer, the
customer will often have an image that might
have been created in Corel or Illustrator but all
they has is a pixel based JPG of this image. JPG
Watch a
files are very hard to manipulate in Corel or
Photoshop
Illustrator.
Training Video.
In this short section it will be very hard to tell
Part One
you everything you ever wanted to know about
Photoshop. Our goal here is to get you up to Running Time 14:12
speed and at least out of the box with the pro- Photoshop Basics
gram. Like other programs, Photoshop can be
OVERWHELMING and very intimidating. Just Let's start with some basics. We will assume
keep in mind the age old 80/20 rule. As it applies you have installed Photoshop and followed the
to Photoshop, you will use 20% of the program steps in their excellent manual.
80% of the time. It is actually more like the 90/10 You will notice Photoshop has a variety of
rule. items on the right of the screen that have divider
tabs on top. These are called Palettes and you can
Watch a
Where to get Photoshop
Photoshop
"hide" them or "show" them (1.68). If you go to
Photoshop is the flagship product of Adobe
Training Video.
the Window pull down menu you will see the
Systems at www.adobe.com. It retails for around
Palette list. You don't need all of the Palettes open
Part Two
$699. It is also sold as a bundle called a Creative
Suite that include Illustrator and In Design. It is for basic work. In fact, the one's we like to
always nice to have the latest and greatest ver- "show" are: Layers, Channels, History, Actions, Running Time 13:52
sion, but frankly, you can do everything we show Info. The rest you can close by clicking in the
here with version 5.0 or higher (over ten years upper right X in each Palette. You can group
old). If you are a student, teach, or work for a Palettes together by "docking" them. You can also
school, you may be eligible for an "educator ver- click and drag on a Palette name and "undock" it.
sion" from places like The idea here is to keep the working area clear of
www.academicsuperstore.com. clutter. Keep the Palettes docked and to the right
Even if you don’t have Photoshop, you can of the page.
Watch a
download a free trial from www.Adobe.com. The top Menu bar has lots of "Pull Down"
Photoshop
Better yet, sign up for their menus and there is a typical "Toolbar" on the
Training Video.
www.CreativeCloud.com service where you get right.
Part Three
all the Adobe products for a small monthly fee.
Additional
Figure 1.71 shows a magnified view of a file
Technical Articles
that is 300 dpi and one that is 72 dpi. Obviously,
at T-Biz Network
the 72 dpi file will be softer. And, if the physical
size of the file is small, when you enlarge the
To "Open" a file. Go to the File menu and then image to print full-size on a shirt, the image will
Creating Class Name to Open. Search your hard disk for a test file, or if be softer yet.
Shirts in Corel Draw needed, find the Samples folder that comes with What if the file size and resolution is not cor-
Photoshop. Open or load a file. If the file is an rect? This is where it gets hard. Let's say your file
Halftone Dots Made Easy EPS or AI (Adobe Illustrator) file, you will be is only 5" in width and 72 dpi, AND you want it
asked what resolution you want to open the file. to print 10" wide. In the Image Size window,
Improving Photographic
Images in Corel Draw Keep the file around 300 dpi at the final physical under Document Size, if you uncheck Resample
size (more on resolution shortly). Image, you will see that all three windows are
Improving Photographic now "locked" together. If you change the file size
Images in Photoshop Photoshop File Types
Photoshop will let you "Open" a wide variety to 10" notice that the resolution changed to 36!
Creating an Underbase in of files including, TIF, JPG, GIF, EPS, PSD, AI 36 dpi is a LONG WAY from 300 dpi.
Corel Draw and others. If you open a file that is vector based The problem you have is the file is very low
like one from Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop will resolution.Your only real choice is to check
Color Separation Tips for Resample Image and change the width to 10" and
Corel Draw convert the file from mathematical vectors to
small pixels. This is called Rasterizing a file. the resolution to 300 dpi. Photoshop "upsampled"
Check for New Articles at The most common file type is called a JPG. the image. But, it has to guess at where to place
the T-Biz Network This is typically a file that someone has made all the extra pixels and what color to make the
Articles page. using their digital camera, or from a website. JPG pixels. Images can get softer when upsampled -
COMPUTER GRAPHICS AND ARTWORK PREPARATION 37
1.70 Use the Noise
Filter in Photoshop to
improve low quality
JPG images.
Using Extract
Photoshop also has a Filter called Extract
(1.81) where you draw around an image and then
fill the center with color and Photoshop removes
all the areas around the image leaving you with a
transparent background. Extract works OK but is
not the magic bullet for removing backgrounds.
1.79
40 CHAPTER 1
Figure (1.82) shows what appears to be a sim-
ple image for a dance studio. It was supplied by
the studio as "the only artwork we have." On the
surface it appeared pretty clean but upon closer
1.80 Use the Magic examination (use the zoom tool) it was very pixi-
Wand, the Lasso Tool lated. Also, by checking the image size
or even the Path Tool (Image/Image Size) it is only 72 dpi.
to select around an
image and then copy OK, so "they have what they have." No use
this selection to a new crying about it. Yes, you could take this poor
Layer. original into Corel Trace or Adobe Streamline,
but those programs will give you poor results
because they will trace "around" the large (low
resolution) pixels and it will still not be smooth.
Adjust Resolution
You need to upsample this image to 600 to 800
dpi at the final print size. If you scan the image,
you should be at 600 dpi or higher (scan photore-
alistic images at 200 to 300 dpi but black and
1.81 You can Extract white images at 600 dpi or higher). To upsample
the image from the an image in Photoshop, simply go to Image/Image
background with the Size and change the resolution to whatever you
Extract Tool. want. Make sure the physical size is also the size
you want it to end up.
Airbrush Tool
If you need to paint areas of an image, you can
"spray" color out of the airbrush. The Toolbar has
two color squares near the bottom. The color "in
front" is called the Foreground color. It is a color
you paint with any of the painting tools. The color
behind is called the Background color and is the
1.88 Set the distressed color that you "replace" in an image when you
layer to Multiply. erase or delete areas.
If you click on the Foreground color, you get a
window called the Color Picker. Simply pick the
color you want to paint and say OK. You will
notice that the Foreground color is now the picked
1.89 Flatten the image color.
and then invert it and To use the Airbrush tool, pick a color, choose
you have the popular a brush tip and hold the mouse button down and
distressed look. These start to move the Airbrush around. Fun!!
overlay files also work
in Corel, Illustrator Filters
and Freehand. A filter is actually an effect. The name is con-
fusing. There are hundreds of filters in Photoshop.
Other Adjustments and Effects You can apply most filters to entire images or just
Dodge/Burn Tool to selected areas. Try this. Use the Lasso tool to
If you want to lighten or darken select areas of select an area of an image. Go to
an image, select the "lollipop" looking tool. This Filter/Adjust/Twirl. Set the Angle to 100 and see
what happens. Neat!
PREPARING
THE SCREEN
This chapter deals with screen making for the
Screen Printing process.
video about
The function of the frame is to act as a sup- blade and cut the fabric from the retensionable to
1. Attach fabric to the frame using 2. Soften corners so you can 3. Turn frame over and tighten
the appropriate locking strip. Make touch the table through the fabric. side #2 at least 60° depending on
sure the fabric is parallel to the The softer they are, the tighter you the mesh count. You will not get a
frame bar. can get the screen. reading on the meter yet.
4. Tension side #3 to ½ of final 5. Tension side #4 to the proper 6. Check the tension to see if it is
first tension. Consult the tension- first tensioning level. If you feel the even. Let the fabric relax 10 - 20
ing chart supplied by the manufac- wrench stop or "stall," then you minutes and retension. Let it relax
turer. have gone far enough. again and retension. Re-soften
corners if necessary.
Degreasing
Before the stencil material is applied, you
should wash or degrease the screen fabric. The
oil, dust and impurities on it need to be removed
2.13 The screen fabric so the stencil system will stick to it properly. If
should always be the screen was used for a previous job, it may
degreased before an
emulsion or stencil is have ink, solvent or reclaimer residues on the fab-
applied. Simply scrub ric.
the screen on both Although suppliers carry standard degreasers,
sides and rinse thor- they are generally just concentrated cleaners and
oughly.
PREPARING THE SCREEN 49
soaps that can be purchased from hardware stores for less than $20 and are a must for applying
or janitorial supply companies. Do not use house- direct emulsion!
hold products like dishwashing liquids (they con- There is a wide variety of direct emulsions.
tain perfumes and hand softeners) or scouring Some suppliers offer dozens of varieties, which
powders (they contain bleach and the particles can confuse the new printer.
will embed in the fabric).
Regardless of whether you use a standard Dual-Cure Photopolymer Emulsions
For years, we used standard diazo-sensitized
degreaser or industrial cleaner, simply spray or
emulsions. Diazo emulsions have been slowly
wipe it on both sides of a wet screen and work up
replaced with dual-cure emulsions that are also
a lather. Rinse the screen off with warm or hot
called photopolymer or diazo-sensitized pho-
water and let it dry (cold water is OK). Make sure
topolymer emulsions. These emulsions have less
to get all of the soap out of the fabric, and do not
water than the older diazos and do not shrink as
touch the screen after you have degreased it
much when they dry. This gives a sharper edge to
(2.13)!
the screen and makes screen making faster. They
Some suppliers still recommend using a grit or
are also more durable when used with water-
roughening agent to give the slick monofilament
based ink systems.
fibers a rougher edge to them. This was the way
Besides dual-cure emulsions, some large
to prepare a screen in the old days of indirect
shops use pure photopolymer emulsions or one-
films that had a hard time adhering to the fabric.
pot photopolymers. Pure photopolymer emulsions
This is not necessary when using direct emulsions
are premixed and have a very fast exposure time.
and actually weakens the fabric!
They are also more expensive than dual-cure.
Don’t let all of this confuse you, though, because
Stencil Systems you can simply call your supplier and ask for a
Once the fabric is stretched and degreased, standard dual-cure emulsion. These are standard
you need to make a stencil that will mask the products carried by all screen printing supply
open areas of the screen and allow just the ink to companies.
pass through where desired. Some brands offer thicker and thinner ver-
There are various kinds of stencils including sions called light deposit and heavy deposit emul-
hand-cut paper, hand-cut film, direct photo emul- sions. For average T-shirt printing, use the heavy
sion and capillary film. The stencil system you deposit because it is a little thicker.
choose will depend on the amount of detail in the If you will be using water-based inks for
print and the size of the printing run. longer print runs (500 or more impressions), you
Other than paper stencils for athletic number- will need a special water-resistant emulsion.
ing (discussed in the Printing section), direct Standard dual-cure and pure photopolymer emul-
emulsion and capillary direct film are the most sions are fairly water resistant, but will not hold
popular stencil systems. We will not discuss up for longer print runs.
hand-cut films because they are antiquated and
Mixing the Emulsion
very rarely used in garment-printing shops.
Dual-cure and general diazo emulsions are
supplied unmixed in two parts (2.14). One part is
Photostencil Systems the glue base and the other part is the light-sensi-
Don’t let this throw you. Direct photostencil tive sensitizer. You simply add warm water to the
systems are used by everyone and they are very little bottle to dissolve the powder and then add
easy to use! They are simply light-sensitive liq- this mixture to the base emulsion (2.15). Stir this
uids or films that are coated or adhered to the mixture together, let it stand for a few hours to
screen fabric and then exposed to ultraviolet light allow any air bubbles to escape and then just use
with a film positive of the image on top of them. it!
The area where the light hits the emulsion Emulsions are very heat sensitive. They
becomes water resistant. The area where the should be kept below 95° F (35° C). If your shop
image on the film blocks the light, the emulsion is hot, then store the emulsion in a refrigerator.
remains water soluble and washes away or devel- After they are mixed they will last for three to
ops with water. four months before they become clay-like and do
not work.
Direct Emulsions Pure photopolymer emulsions are supplied
Direct emulsions are simply glue-like liquids premixed and have an almost unlimited shelf life.
that are light sensitive. They are coated on the Advantages of Direct Emulsions
degreased (and thoroughly dry) screen with a spe- Direct emulsions are extremely durable and
cial tool called a scoop coater. Scoop coaters sell can be used with any kind of screen mesh. They
50 CHAPTER 2
Coating the Screen
There are various ways to coat the emulsion
on the screen. While you can use a sharp
squeegee or stiff piece of cardboard we highly
recommend purchasing an inexpensive scoop
coater (2.16). Available in a variety of lengths,
the coater should be slightly smaller than the
inside dimension of the screen. This way, it will
only touch the stretched fabric and not be held off
the fabric by the frame. Some coaters have both a
round and a sharp edge. Always use the sharp
edge!
2.14 2.15 Working under subdued light, pour enough
2.14 & 2.15 The emul- emulsion into the coater to almost fill it up (less if
sion is supplied in two
parts. Simply add warm are practically impervious to all inks, including only doing a few screens). If the emulsion was
water to the powdered water-based textile dyes. Because the emulsion stored in the refrigerator you may want to let it
sensitizer and mix it actually embeds in the fabric, the screen will hold warm to room temperature since it will be thicker
with the emulsion base. the finest detail. when cold. If the coater came with a protective
Direct-emulsion screens can be cleaned and rubber edge, remove it before you use the coater!
then stored between printing without fear of dam- Hold the screen in a vertical position, place the
aging the image. In most cases (except emulsion coater edge against the fabric at the bottom of the
screen (on the outside of the screen), tilt the
with hardeners), the screens can be reclaimed by
coater slightly forward so that the emulsion touch-
using household bleach (diluted with water) or
es the fabric and slowly pull the coater up the
reclaiming or stripping solution.
screen (2.17).
Handling Direct Emulsion Sound hard? It really isn’t once you get the
Direct emulsions are fairly light sensitive. hang of it. Now repeat this process on the inside
This does not mean you have to work in total of the screen. Most manufacturers recommend
darkness though. You can work under subdued coating two or three times on the outside and
light such as a 50 watt bulb or yellow bug light. another two or three on the inside. This is actually
Do not use emulsion near a window or in any area too thick a coating and can cause problems with
where there is a lot of ultraviolet light. If you are underexposure and loss of fine lines.
working out of your home you may need to put a Put any unused emulsion back in the container
shade or cover on the windows when using direct and then make sure to clean the coater right away
after you use it. If you don’t, the emulsion will
emulsion.
dry and form a skin over it just like white glue.
Take care not to nick or damage the edge of the
coater. A nick will leave a streak in the coating.
Once coated, the screen is now ready to be
dried in a dark area in front of a fan – preferably
in a horizontal position with the bottom of the
screen down. If you have high humidity, the
screen may take all day to dry all the way
through. Normally the screen will dry in 30-60
min.
The coating process may have to be repeated
again, depending on how coarse the fabric is. If
you are using a very fine mesh, one application
may be enough. With dual-cure or pure pho-
topolymer emulsions, one or two coats on both
2.16 Use a professional sides should be enough. If using a normal diazo
scoop coater to apply emulsion you may need to coat again after the
the emulsion to the screen is dry to build up the thickness and help
screen fabric. Some prevent having to spend an hour blocking out pin-
coaters come with both holes.
a sharp and dull edge
(top photo). For best After the screen is dry you can store it in a
results use the sharp dark cabinet or light-tight box for up to three
edge. Many coaters months before using it. (Remember to keep the
come with a rubber pro- screen from getting too hot!) This allows you to
tective edge cover. coat a batch of screens at one time for future use.
Remove this before use.
PREPARING THE SCREEN 51
After you have degreased, roughened (option- 2.17 Place the edge of
Capillary Direct Film al) and wet the screen, simply roll or lay a piece the coater against the
Another popular stencil system is called capil- bottom outside of the
of the capillary direct film onto the bottom of the
lary direct film or capillary film. This is simply a screen and slowly pull
screen with the dull side against the screen mesh. the coater to the top.
clear acetate carrier with a direct emulsion pre-
The water in the screen fabric actually draws the Tilt the coater back to
coated on it. This stencil film is adhered or stuck let the emulsion flow
emulsion up around the screen mesh by a process
to the screen mesh with water. back into it and then
called “capillary action.”
Capillary direct films are actually easier to use remoe the coater from
You can take a squeegee and squeegee the
than direct emulsions because there is no mixing the screen. Repeat this
inside and outside of the screen to push the water procedure on the other
and much less mess. They do not work as well on
from the screen and aid adhesion. If some areas side.
fine mesh counts, though, and will occasionally
have not adhered well just spray some water (very
fail if not used properly.
fine mist) on the inside of the screen. You may
The beauty of capillary direct film is that it
need to wipe excess water from around the frame.
gives a very sharp edge to your stencil (2.18).
Each manufacturer has their own directions
This is because there is no shrinkage when it dries
and you should read the instructions accompany-
and you only adhere the film to the bottom of the
ing the capillary direct film you use.
screen. Capillary direct films are great for print-
After adhering the capillary direct film, dry
ing on non-textile items like decals, bumper stick-
the screen in a dark area with a fan blowing
ers and posters where you need a very sharp edge
across it. The screen should dry in 30 minutes or
to the print.
less (2.19). When dry, peel off the clear carrier
Capillary direct films are sold by the roll or
sheet. You are now ready to expose the screen.
Watch a short
cut sheet. They are also sold in various coating
Many printers prefer capillary direct film to
direct emulsion.
micron film is fine. These films are light sensitive
film, it will probably be on mesh counts of 200
just like direct emulsions and need to be handled
under subdued light and kept cool when stored. Running Time 10:16
Screens with capillary direct film can be prepared
and not used until months later.
Adhering Capillary Films
Capillary direct film is adhered to a wet screen
that has already been degreased. The real secret to
getting it to work is to thoroughly degrease the 2.18 Capillary direct film
(bottom) produces the
screen. In fact, it actually helps to roughen-up the sharpest edge definition
fabric slightly with an abrading solution – espe- on the stencil. Direct
cially on high mesh counts. Many manufacturers emulsion (top) does a bet-
sell a combination liquid degreaser/abrader that is ter job of holding halftone
put on the bottom of the screen and worked dots on high mesh counts
but can shrink as it dries.
around in a circular motion with a brush.
Another chemical, called a wetting agent,
greatly improves adhesion by helping the screen
to hold more water. To use it, simply squirt the
wetting agent on the screen, wipe it in with a
sponge and then rinse it off just prior to adhering
the film.
52 CHAPTER 2
1. Cut a piece of film from the roll or 2. Degrease the screen fabric. On 3. For better adhesion to higher
use a pre-cut sheet. The film is light higher mesh counts use a combina- mesh counts, use a wetting agent to
sensitive just like emulsion and tion degreaser/roughener and thor- help the fabric retain more water
should be handled under subdued oughly rinse the fabric. while you are applying the film.
light.
4. Immediately after decreasing and 5. Keep a spray bottle handy for 6. Dry the screen in front of a fan.
rinsing, and applying the wetting small areas that did not adhere. When dry in 20 minutes, peel off the
agent and rinsing, roll the film Squeegee the bottom and inside of clear backing sheet and you are
(shiney side out) onto the wet fabric the screen to remove excess water. ready to expose the screen.
on the bottom of the screen. 2.19
SIDE
glue and wood screws.
TOP
2.24
PREPARING THE SCREEN 55
down on the film and provide good contact 2.25 Lay the film on
between the emulsion of the film and the emul-
Exposure Times the glass, place the
The chart in figure 2.27 shows estimated screen on top, and lay a
sion on the screen. Even ink cans can be used for black cloth inside the
extra weight. exposure times based on the most common stencil
screen. Place a piece of
The only drawback to the fluorescent tube systems. For general work with little detail, the glass (or flat steel
exposure unit is that you will not be able to exposure times can be off a little and the screen weight) ontop of the
will still wash out fine. If you are trying to hold cloth and then more
expose really fine halftone dots because you are weight if you need to
using a diffused light source rather than a point fine lines or small halftone dots you will need to
help maintain good
light source. You get a little more undercutting be more precise. contact between the
around fine lines with a diffused light source. If you underexpose a screen, the emulsion bottom glass, the film,
does not harden all the way through and it may and the emulsion on the
screen.
Exposure Units actually wash off during development. If it is only
slightly underexposed. It will be a little slimy
Professional exposure units have powerful
when the screen is washed out.
point lights and a rubber vacuum blanket that
comes down around the screen to provide good If you overexpose a screen, the light will actu-
contact between the film and emulsion (2.26). ally burn through the film positive or vellum and
These units generally sell for over $1,500 and expose the emulsion under it. If there are fine
offer a very consistent exposure and the ability to lines in the design, the light will burn around
hold very fine lines and halftones. them and they will just disappear and not wash
out of the screen.
Watch a short
video about
Screen Exposure.
Running Time 7:36
Increase the time 30% when using dyed fabric. Times will vary between brands. Use an exposure calculator to
determine correct time. Increase times 30% to 50% when using vellums. If trying to expose fine detail, shorten time
slightly and post expose screen after wash-out. For 40 micron capillary direct film use the 120 mesh times
increased by 50%. 2.27
To determine the correct exposure, you will if you expose with a 500 watt quartz backyard
have to expose a couple of screens to see how light for 10 min and the emulsion is soft, try
they turn out. Obviously if the emulsion washes going for 13 min. If you only increase the time a
away, the time is too short. Since emulsion is a few seconds, you won’t really know if it worked.
relatively slow-speed material you will need to
adjust the test times to give you a good sampling Exposure Calculator
of what is too short and too long. As an example,
A simpler method is to use a tool called an
exposure calculator (2.28). This is a piece of film
or vellum that has five exposure times built into it.
Each exposure test section of the calculator has
detailed resolution targets that are covered with
different density levels of a gray film called a
neutral density filter. In simple terms, these film
block different amounts of light Simply expose it
onto the screen. With this one exposure you will
be able to see a range of five different exposure
times. Don’t let this confuse you!
All of the emulsion manufacturers offer these
simple devices - in fact many will give them to
you! They come with directions too!
2.28 Exposure calcu- Once you establish the correct time, it really
lators are a great help never changes unless you change to a different (or
in determining the newer) light source or change brands of emulsion
proper exposure. The or film.
calculator on the top Keep in mind that with a finer mesh you must
goes all the way down expose the screen for less time (for direct emul-
to a 2% dot pattern. sion only) because the coating is thinner. For cap-
The bottom photo illary direct film, the time remains constant from
shows how a screen mesh to mesh because the coating is always the
looks after washout. same thickness.
The inset is of the The idea is to be consistent and to document
vellum test calculator the correct times for future reference. Use the
that was used. wall chart in Appendix B.
After developing the
exposed screen, simply Exposure Tips
determine which image Direct emulsions and capillary direct films are
is the best, has the most actually very forgiving. For general-purpose
detail and is a good screens, you can overexpose or underexpose them
stencil. This will tell and they will still work. However, you might run
you what the proper into problems when trying to hold fine lines and
exposure time should halftone dots. For more detailed screens, use a
have been.
PREPARING THE SCREEN 57
thinner coating of emulsion or a thinner capillary
direct film. Try exposing them for a little less
time than normal. This underexposure will result 2.29a After exposure,
in a stencil that has all the detail but may be soft place the screen in a
or slimy when washing out the screen. washout sink and get it
An underexposed screen may not reclaim wet on both sides with
light water pressure. If
properly because any solvent in the ink will mix you can’t afford a pro-
with the softer emulsion coating. If you underex- fessional sink, a laun-
pose a screen to try to hold fine detail it is very dry tub, bathtub or
important to post expose it after the screen is shower stall are good
developed and dried. This means putting it back starts.
on the exposure and exposing the developed
screen again. An easier method is to just set the 2.29b Professional
screen outside for a few minutes to dry and post sinks are available
expose. from screen printing
supply companies.
(Photo courtesy
Washout Lawson Screen
After exposure, take the screen to the washout Products, St. Louis,
sink and rinse it off with water (2.29). Make sure MO.)
there isn’t too much light in this area (from win-
dows) because the emulsion that was covered
with the film positive is still light sensitive and
can actually expose while you are washing it out.
Using a sink sprayer, shower sprayer, garden
hose or whatever, wash out the screen from the
inside. Just don’t use too much pressure in the
beginning. In a few minutes, the image area will
2.30 After about one
start to wash away where the film positive kept minute of washout, the
the light from hitting the emulsion (2.30). unexposed emulsion
If there are spots that don’t seem to want to starts to wash away.
wash out, take a sponge or your finger and gently
wipe these areas. You may have to increase the
water pressure to remove stubborn spots. If you
have underexposed the screen, the stencil may be
very soft at this point, so be careful!
The washout process should only take a few
minutes. If it takes longer, the screen may have
gotten too hot during drying and storage or you
may have fogged the screen by getting light to it
while it was drying or just by walking from your
exposure unit to the washout sink. Remember: if
you can expose a screen in 30 sec in sunlight, you
can partially expose it by just walking past a win-
dow!
You will find that washout is easier if you
have a low-level ordinary fluorescent light behind 2.31 Blot the screen
the sink so you can see the image develop. dry with a paper towel
or newsprint after you
Blotting and Drying have finished washing
out the image.
After washout, and once you are sure that all
the image areas are developed, you will need to
blot the screen dry. You can use paper towels,
Blockout and Touchup
newsprint (available from your local paper as an Pinholes
end roll), a chamois cloth or compressed air or a When the screen is dry, it is ready to be
hair dryer (2.31). Simply lay the screen on top of prepped for printing. This includes covering up
the blotting paper (bottom side down) and blot the any small, open areas in the stencil called pin-
inside at the same time. holes. To spot the pinholes, simply hold the
If the screen was underexposed you should screen up to a light and look for little dots of light
always blot it dry to prevent scumming in the coming through the stencil. Pinholes are generally
image area. caused from dusty glass or film, underexposure,
The screen is now ready to dry in front of a too much water pressure or not enough coats of
fan, outside, or in a drying cabinet (2.32). emulsion if using a standard diazo emulsion.
58 CHAPTER 2
2.32 Screens can be Pinholes are covered or blocked on the bottom
dried in front of a fan of the screen with a solution called blockout.
or in a drying cabinet. Blockout is a liquid that is used to fill in areas of
This homemade cabinet the screen where ink should not pass through.
has a blower on top Pinholes can also be covered with scotch tape or
that blows air into the masking tape if the print run is short (100 shirts or
cabinet and around the less).
screens. The cabinet To block-out pinholes, simply hold the screen
has doors that close to
keep light from getting up to the light and put a drop of blockout over the
to coated screens. pinhole with a small paint brush or the tip of a
pencil (2.33).
You can also use a special block-out pen that
dispenses blockout when you depress the tip.
The fabric edges near the frame where the
mesh is not covered with emulsion also needs to
be covered with blockout. Simply pour a small
amount on the bottom of the screen and spread it
around the edges (2.34).
Taping the Screen
After the blockout is dry, you can tape off the
Watch a short
bottom of the screen and the inside around the
video about
frame (2.35). Although you can use standard
Reclaiming and
masking tape or plastic packaging tape, a higher-
Cleanup.
grade screen printer's tape will adhere better and
not leave a sticky residue when reclaiming the
Running Time 10:21 screen.
Other Considerations
If you are using retensionable frames, be care-
ful not to get blockout in the locking strip groove.
2.33 Cover up any pin- In fact it is common to NOT use blockout on
holes in the emulsion retensionable frames and to use a lot more tape.
with a small drop of
screen blockout or filler For short print runs, you may not want to use
on the bottom of the any blockout. Just tape the screen on the inside
screen. only and print the job. This will make it easier to
clean up afterwards.
When taping retensionable screens, care must
2.34 Pour a small be taken to tape the inside and outside to keep ink
amount of blockout on
the bottom of the screen from getting in the locking strip grooves. You can
and spread it around the also get a special “split” tape that keeps the adhe-
edges with a stiff piece of sive of the tape from touching the frame bars.
cardboard.
Reclaiming
Emulsions can be removed from the screen by
using special reclaiming liquids or pastes sold by
suppliers. If you are ever in an emergency and out
of reclaimer you can use household bleach. To
reclaim the image from the fabric, first clean all
2.35 Tape off the bottom of the ink out of the screen and remove any tape.
and also the inside of the If you used a water-soluble blockout, you can
screen with a special remove it with reclaimer. Solvent based blockouts
screeners tape, plastic will need to be reclaimed with a solvent.
packaging tape or mask- Spray or wipe the reclaimer on both sides of
ing tape. the screen and let it sit for 1 - 2 min. Next, use a
garden hose sprayer or high-pressure washer to
remove the emulsion from the screen (2.36). Do
not allow the reclaimer to dry on the screen. It
will harden in the mesh and totally block the
screen.
It may take a number of applications of
reclaimer to get a screen really clean. Expect to
PREPARING THE SCREEN 59
have a ghost of the previous image on the screen
from where the pigment in the ink dyed the screen
fabric. As long as the ghost does not clog the fab-
ric, there should be no problems with future use.
Eventually you will have so many ghosts that you
will need to remove the fabric from the frame and
restretch the screen.
Sometimes there will be stubborn spots or
clogs and you may have to resort to a harsher
paste called a haze remover to get these spots out.
Haze remover is very caustic and should be used
in small amounts. It is so strong that it will actual-
ly eat a hole in the fabric if left on it too long!
Certain brands of emulsion are very water
resistant and are not reclaimable. and place each film or vellum the same distance 2.36 A high-pressure
Some companies offer dip tanks that you sim- on each screen (2.37). washer is a must for
A good method to expose screens in register is reclaiming screens. They
ply place the screen in and it removes the ink and can be purchased from
the emulsion. to make a Pre-Registration Guideboard. This can your local building sup-
be cardboard or foamcore. Simply lay your stan- ply for under $150, or
dard size screen on the guideboard and draw a
Health Aspects line around it. Next, mark off the center of the
from industry sources.
Get one that has at least
There are obviously some products that are screen on the guideboard. 1000 psi and an
more toxic than others. In screen making, the To use the guideboard, simply lay one of the adjustable spray nozzle.
more harmful products are the reclaimers and positives of the artwork in the correct print loca-
haze removers. If you are on a septic system and tion and tape it in place. Then lay one of the coat-
making just a few screens a week, you should be ed screens on the board and mark on the screen
okay as long as you minimize reclaiming and do where the registration targets are on the positive
not use haze removers. If you have any questions (2.38). Now simply turn the screen over and tape
concerning disposal or safe handling procedures,
contact the emulsion manufacturer for assistance 2.37 To line-up each
or your local water company. film in the same loca-
tion from screen to
When reclaiming screens you should wear a screen, simply mea-
protective mask and if doing a lot of these a respi- sure the distance from
rator. To minimize misting of the solution into the the bottom of the
air, we suggest that you wipe the reclaimer on the frame and the design.
screen rather than spraying. Place each film in the
same location as you
expose the screens.
Special Techniques
Multicolor Exposure
After you have mastered the simple tech-
niques in this book, it’s time to move into the
more advanced area of multicolor printing.
We’ve already discussed separations for mul-
ticolor printing, but the screens have to be
exposed in register also. What this means is that
the distance from the bottom of the screen and the 2.38 To use the guide-
board, place the master
end of the artwork must be the same on all the film in the correct loca-
screens in a multicolor job. If the main outline tion for printing and
color is exposed on one screen, the other colors lightly tape it in place.
must be exposed in the same spot on their screens
in register with the outline. Each screen is placed
The reason for this will be obvious when lin- over the guideboard and
ing up the first multicolor job! The outline screen marked using the regis-
is placed on the press first and a print is made. tration target on the film
The second color is then placed on the press and below as a guide.
lined up on the print that was just made. What if
that color is 2 or 3 in. (5.08 or 7.62 cm) too low or
high? It won’t line up! It must be in register with
the outline color in relationship to the bottom of
the frame.
A simple method is to just measure the dis-
tance from the bottom of the vellum to the frame
60 CHAPTER 2
2.39 Pre-registration of the screen with blockout and then lay the fabric
systems are available over the blockout, kind of like fixing an inner
that include special tube. After letting this dry, the screen will be
punches for films, expo- good as new unless the tear is in a design area! In
sure unit guides and this case, a new screen will have to be made.
press guides that allow
you to burn screens in Clogged Areas
perfect registration and Occasionally, a screen will get washed out,
then put them on the dried, blocked out and taped before you discover
press in perfect registra-
tion with no guesswork. a tiny dot or two that didn’t wash out. Take a
(Photo courtesy M&R straight pin or push-pin and poke the dried emul-
Sales and Service,Glen sion out. It may damage the fabric slightly but it
Ellyn, IL.) shouldn’t affect the print. If the clogged emulsion
one of the positives for the job on this screen, is in an open area you can also put a small drop of
making sure to line-up to targets on the art to the reclaimer on a Q-tip and carefully apply it the
target on the screen. Expose this screen. clogged emulsion. Rinse this area when done.
Do the same for each additional screen. When
you are done, the images will be in the same loca- Filing System
tion for all of the screens! An ongoing debate in the industry is whether
Obviously if there was a method to make each to library screens or not. You can store screens
screen in exact registration and then have each with images on them so when the customer re-
screen be put on the press in exact registration - orders, there is no need to re-expose the screen.
job setup would be much faster. Those methods This is called a screen library.
exist and many manufacturers off pre-registration You can also choose to reclaim each screen
systems (2.39). When using an automatic press when the job is done and re-expose and prep the
printing a lot of colors this can cut setup time at screen when the customer reorders. Obviously, it
the press from hours to minutes! takes much more room to library screens. But, if
you have customers who repeat their orders fre-
Gang Screens quently, this will save time in the long run.
As your business grows and you’re doing If you are using retensionable screens it will
more and more work, there will be times when be more efficient to NOT library screens but to
you want to put more than one design on the same just have enough retensionable screens on hand to
screen. This is called a gang screen and will save handle a few weeks worth of work.
money (2.40)! As screens are exposed and if they are going
If you have a lot of small designs to print, put to be kept for a reorder, place a number and title
Watch a short
them all on one screen. (Remember to use the cor- on the end of the frame. Now, instead of just plac-
Color Screen
When it comes time to tape the screen, tape over the rest of the screens.
Exposure.
the designs that will not be printed first on the Try keeping a file card for each customer. On
inside of the screen. As one design is printed, this card, you can keep important information
move on to the next by untaping it and taping about the customer and the job, including the
Running Time 9:00
over the old one on the bottom of the screen. screen number. When they reorder, you can check
Torn Screens the card and find the screen easily. This system
also works if a stencil is going to be filed. Even
Every now and then a screen will tear – usual-
the artwork can be assigned this number.
ly when least expected, like right before it’s going
If you reuse frames a lot, it might be wise not
to be used! Making a temporary patch is a fairly
to write the name of the customer on it. Just use
simple operation.
the number and keep a separate sheet of the frame
Cut a piece of screen fabric larger than the
numbers and what is on each particular screen.
tear. Coat the area around the tear on the outside
Then, as a screen is reclaimed or restretched and
2.40 Save money by used for different jobs, you can change the name
ganging more than one of the customer on the screen sheet.
image on the same If you use retensionables, it is very important
screen. to permanently mark the mesh count on the
frame. Since you will be using this screen for a
variety of jobs, simply place a piece of masking
tape on the frame with the job name on it. This
can be removed easily during reclaiming, but the
mesh count will remain permanent.
Screen Storage
Screen storage can be a problem. Hopefully,
the more work you do, the more screens you will
accumulate. A simple shelf made of two-by-fours
PREPARING THE SCREEN 61
(2 x 4 in.) (5.08 x 10.16 cm) will do for screen
storage. Try building shelves up high and out of
the way and storing screens vertically. This will
keep them from getting torn or warped (2.41).
There are also excellent portable racks that
can be used for storage or for screen drying.
These racks are adjustable to accommodate differ-
ent frame sizes (2.42).
Computer-to-Screen
This is the latest trend in screen making.
Figure 2.43 shows a variety of computer-to-
screen machines - commonly called direct-to-
screen or CTS or DTS. These systems allow you
to print the image directly on an emulsion coated 2.41 2.42
screen with black inkjet ink or black wax - with-
out the need for a film positive. without instructions and you’ll have to ask for 2.41 Simple screen
them. All chemicals are required by law to be storage racks can be
For a small shop the high equipment cost of made out of wood. You
$40,000 or more is hard to justify. For large shops supplied with Material Safety Data Sheets
(MSDS) that tell how to handle them safely. might want a rack for
imaging a lot of screens each day - the savings in screens you “library”
film and time is huge and very attractive. Make sure you read these and make them accessi- along with a separate
It is interesting to note that this process has ble to your employees. rack for screens that are
really gained interest in the last few years - yet it ready to be printed.
has been around since 1992 when industry veter- Troubleshooting 2.42 You can purchase
an, Geoff McCue, introduced the Screen Jet and or make screen storage
Copy the charts on the last two pages of this
patented the process. racks. (Rolling Rack
chapter and post them in the screen making area.
photo courtesy Saturn
Other Information Rack Company,
Kennesaw, GA.)
It’s a good idea to start a file of the instruction
sheets that come with the different capillary direct
films and emulsions. Sometimes they’ll come
Typical screen making departments. If you don’t keep screens put away, things can get out of hand very quickly.
62 CHAPTER 2
CTS - Computer-to-Screen
As technology has gotten better and computer and printer speeds have increased, the latest trend in high-end
screen making is called computer-to-screen - CTS, and direct-to-screen - DTS. These systems print the
design with either UV blocking black dye or wax directly onto an emulsion coated screen. High resolution and
fine halftone dots are possible and these systems eliminate the need for film output. They range in price from
$40,000 to over $100,000 depending on the screen size. While this may seem very expensive - for large
shops producing dozens and even hundreds of screens per day the film and time savings can pay for a sys-
tem sometimes in less than one year and the cost to image a screen is pennies compared to dollars for film.
Photo courtesy M&R Sales and Service, Glen Ellyn, IL. Photo courtesy Kiwo Inc, Seabrook, TX.
Photo courtesy OYO Instruments, Houston, TX. Photo courtesy Lawson Screen and Digital Products, St. Louis, MO.
2.42
PREPARING THE SCREEN 63
Excessive Pinholes Both – Dust or dirt on film, exposure glass or uncoated screen.
Improve housekeeping in screen area.
Both – Improper decreasing. Dirt or grease still on screen.
Both – Underexposure. Increase exposure time. Use an exposure calculator.
Expose longer with vellum or dyed screen mesh.
Both – Washout water pressure to high. Reduce spray.
DE – Emulsion coating too thin. Use higher solids emulsion, slow down
coating speed, or coat more than one time on coarse mesh.
DE – Emulsion not thoroughly dry before second coat. Use a fan to speed
drying and add a dehumidifier to drying box.
DE – Air bubbles in emulsion. Allow emulsion to settle for two hours
after mixing.
CDF – Film too thin for mesh. Use higher micron film or increase mesh count.
CDF – Not enough fabric wetness during adhering. Adhere film immediately
after decreasing and use a wetting agent.
Both – Aggressive solvents or water in ink. Use more water or solvent resistant
stencil system.
Washout Breakdown Both – Underexposure. Use exposure calculator to determine correct time.
Both – Excessive water pressure. Decrease water pressure and wash out time.
– Poor coating technique. Coating too thick or uneven. Use the sharp
edge of a professional scoop coater.
CDF – Improper film adhesion. Use an abrading agent when decreasing the
screen. Use a wetting agent to make the water "wetter."
Both – Outdated film or emulsion. Check package date.
CDF – Film fogged before use. Handle under very subdued light and keep film
container light-tight before use.
Early Stencil Both – Underexposure. Use an exposure calculator. Screen should not feel
Breakdown slimy or soft on inside during wash out. If purposely underexpos-
ing to hold detail make sure to post expose screen. Vellum expo-
sure times need to be longer to expose through translucent paper.
DE – Emulsion coating too thin. Use one coat on the underside and one coat
on the inside (pure photopolymer or dual-cure). Thoroughly dry
and coat again on the underside if using coarse mesh or standard
diazo emulsion.
Both – Screen not thoroughly dry prior to exposure. Use a dehumidifier or fan.
CDF – Stencil too thin for mesh. Use recommended stencil thickness.
Both – Excessive humidity. Maintain humidity in printing room at 45-65%.
Both – Aggressive solvents or water in ink. Use correct stencil system for ink
system. Change to more durable stencil for longer run jobs with
solvent or water based inks.
Both – Mesh not tight enough. Excessive rippling of stencil during printing. Use
a tension meter to properly tension mesh.
Difficult Wash Out Both – Overexposure. Decrease exposure time and use an exposure calculator
and Loss of Detail to determine correct time.
Both – Weak film or vellum. Excessive burn through exposes stencil under
image area. Reshoot film, improve toner deposit of vellum, or
double-up film or vellum. Running a vellum through dryer or
using a spray fixative improves density.
Both – Fogged screen. Keep screen in a light-tight area prior to exposure.
Both – Excessive heat during drying and storage. Do not exceed 110° F (43° C)
For best results do not exceed 85°-95° F (30°-35° C).
Both – Coated or filmed screen stored too long before exposure. For best
results do not store coated or filmed screens more than two or
three months. Maintain proper room temperature and keep
screens light-safe when in storage.
Both – Poor stencil-to-film contact. Use a vacuum frame or additional weight or
pressure on exposure unit.
Both – Layered or taped positive causing loss of detail in certain areas.
Minimize taping or overlapping of films or vellums, especially in
halftone dot areas. Reshoot as single piece.
Sawtooth Edge Both – Too much water pressure and temperature. Reduce pressure and keep
water temperature below 95° F (35° C).
Both – Underexposure. Use exposure calculator to determine time. Increase
exposure for dyed fabric and vellums.
DE – Incorrect coating technique. Emulsion must be thicker on underside of
screen. Dry screen horizontally, underside down, and do last coat
on inside to push the emulsion to the underside. If coating after
drying, coat on underside only.
Both – Stencil too thin. Use more coats or thicker film.
Image Distortion Both – Excessive heat build-up on the exposure glass during multiple
exposures may distort the film or screen fabric. Let glass cool
between exposures.
Both – Loose screen fabric. Use a tension meter to insure proper tension.
Both – Uncoated (sealed) or loose wooden screen frame. Use a well-made,
sealed wooden frame or properly tensioned retensionable screen
frame.
Difficulty Reclaiming Both – Mesh count high. Fine meshes are more difficult to reclaim. Use
increased water pressure from pressure washer.
Both – Multifilament fabric. Multifilament fabric will not reclaim as easy as
monofilament.
Both – Old screen. Stencils will harden with age and be more difficult to reclaim.
Both – Underexposure. Unexposed emulsion will lock in screen when a solvent
is used to clean screen. Use proper exposure or post expose
screen after wash out.
ALL ABOUT INK 65
ALL
ABOUT
INK
This chapter is all about inks used in the
Screen Printing process.
here are a lot of different ink manufac- What you can’t do with plastisol ink is dry-
Watch a video
what you can add to make them work better and al must be able to withstand a curing temperature
about using
how to dry or cure them. of 300° F (149° C) and must be porous enough to
plastisol ink.
As with many products in the printing indus- permit good ink penetration.
try, most inks come with no directions. Screen Plastisol does not actually dye the fabric by
printing inks are no exception. Don’t expect to penetrating into it like a water-based ink does. Running Time 8:20
see a lot of data on the containers other than Instead, the ink wraps around the fibers in the
health and safety warnings. Make sure to start material. It is really classified as a surface coating
collecting technical data sheets (TDS’s) from ink because it makes a mechanical bond with the fab-
companies. They contain a wealth of information ric (3.2).
about each particular ink and will be a good
resource to help you learn what you can and can’t
do with each product (3.1).
Plastisol Ink
Plastisol is the most popular ink in the indus-
try because it will work on practically everything
you print. It is a very stretchy, durable ink that
does not dry in the screen, making it easy to print. 3.1 Collect all of the
It can be printed thick on athletic uniforms and ink manufacturers
thin on fashion items. It can be used to make heat catalogs and techni-
transfers, print puff designs, print on 100% cot- cal data sheets. They
ton, and polyester/cotton blends, print light and all have extensive
websites with a
dark shirts and even print nylon jackets if you add wealth of informa-
a special bonding agent. What else could you ask tion about how to use
for? their products.
66 CHAPTER 3
In the US, the Consumer Products Safety
Commission passed sweeping legislation that
basically mandates testing of children's items
(clothing included) for lead content. This can
cause a large burden on anyone making products
for children. This law is called the Consumer
Products Safety Improvement Act and went into
effect in October of 2011. For more information
on this and the latest updates go to www.T-
BizNetwork.com.
Types of Plastisol
A wide variety of plastisol inks are available
in dozens of standard colors. To make things easi-
3.2 Plastisol ink er, we have grouped the types of plastisols into
wraps around the gar- four major categories. Some manufacturers offer
ment threads and does a variety of inks for every application so that you
not dye or penetrate could conceivably have eight to ten different
the fibers. whites, blacks and colors. Your ink inventory
could really get out of hand! When possible, try to
use multipurpose inks to reduce your ink invento-
ry.
All-Purpose Inks
3.3 All-purpose plasti- This is the ink you will use on most items
sols work best on light (3.3). All-purpose plastisols are fairly creamy and
shirts or printed over good for printing on light-colored shirts and as the
an underbase of white overprinting ink on a underbase white (for dark
ink. shirts). Your main ink inventory will be AP plas-
tisols. They are not opaque enough to work on
dark substrates, though.
High Opacity Inks
High opacity inks (HO) are specially formu-
lated to cover dark backgrounds (3.4). They are
thicker than AP plastisols and have fillers to give
3.4 High opacity inks them better hiding power when printing on dark
are designed to cover items. HO inks are available in a more limited
dark backgrounds. range of colors, the most popular of which are
This image has high white and golden yellow.
opacity white plastisol
as a “base” and then High Opacity Low-Bleed Inks
general purpose plasti- When printing high opacity inks on shirts with
sol printed on top.
Because plastisol has no real adhesive power, polyester and polyester blends, the dyes in the
it is not used on nonporous materials such as plas- polyester will often bleed into the ink. This is
tic, metal and glass. It will also not work properly what turns white ink pink on a red shirt. The
on waterproofed nylon without adding a special problem is more severe with certain brands of ink
and can happen over a period of weeks after the
bonding agent.
shirts are printed.
Ink companies offer special low-bleed white
Ink and the Law inks designed to eliminate this problem. You can
Over the last few years there has been a trend also print low-bleed inks on 100% cotton shirts
to go to PVC and/or phthalate free plastisol inks. but it is not recommended by the ink companies.
The original demand came from large customers Make sure to read any warning notices on the
like Nike and others who feared the long term low-bleed containers regarding curing tempera-
consequences of exposure to possible harmful tures and possible ghosting problems.
products. Then, local governments and even High Opacity Inks
countries started demanding this. Today, it is In the category of high opacity inks, are spe-
standard to be able to buy lead free, phthalate free cial white inks that can be semi-cured in a second
and often PVC free inks from most major manu- or two without any tack to the surface (3.5).
facturers. These are designed to be used as an underbase
ALL ABOUT INK 67
and are often called underbase or flash-cure
whites.
Curing Units
If you are going to print T-shirts with plastisol
ink, you must have a curing unit. Whether it be
your oven at home or a large flameless gas dryer,
you must have a “heater” somewhere in your
shop. 3.8 Process plastisols
are very transparent
This section will detail some of the features to and are designed for
look for when purchasing curing equipment. If printing 4-color
you already have some of this equipment, maybe process on light shirts.
68 CHAPTER 3
you will find ideas for future upgrades. If you are A flash-curing unit is the same heater that’s in
just about to make your first purchase then hope- a conveyor dryer without the conveyor or tunnel.
fully you will find some tips you can use to stump And, since these are infrared heaters that do not
the salesperson. heat the air but only heat what the infrared radia-
tion touches, you really don’t need a tunnel to
Flash-Curing Units contain the heat.
You really must have a flash-curing unit (3.9).
Even if you have a dryer, you will need to flash Important Flash-Cure Unit
cure between colors on some jobs. The reason Features
they are called flash- or spot-cure units is because
if you put them close to the ink, you can soft-cure Heater Size
it in only a few seconds. Generally, a flash-cure Since so many customers want large prints , if
unit is set so that the element is 1½ to 2 inch (3.81 you buy a unit with a curing area of less than 16
to 5.08 cm) above the garment. x16 inch (40.64 x 40.64 cm), you are kidding
Before we talk about the features of flash-cur- yourself. Invest in a 16 x 20 inch (40.64 x 50.8
ing units, let’s clarify one major point. You can cm) or even a 24 x 24 inch (60.96 x 60.96 cm)
use a flash-cure unit as a full-cure unit! Some unit if possible (3.10). The larger units are 220
suppliers will tell you that a flash-cure unit can volts, but the size is worth it. If the flash-curing
only be used for curing between colors and not to unit will be your main heater, you will have less
achieve a full cure, but this is absolutely not true. undercuring problems around the edge of the
There are thousands of printers who use a flash- prints with a larger model.
cure unit to fully cure shirts everyday. Size of Stand
If you have ever tipped over a flash-cure unit,
you know that a sturdy, wide-leg stand is a must.
Wheels are also indispensable because you
always need to move it around. Larger wheels are
better because they don’t get caught in cracks and
on cords.
Automatic Cycle Feature
You will never know how great this feature is
until you try it.
The automatic cycle is controlled by a foot
switch, and you can set the amount of time the
heater is over the garment so you get a consistent
cure every time (3.11).
Okay, so it’s like buying a Cadillac, but this
3.9 A flash-curing unit feature is really worth the money.
can be used as your
"dryer" and to cure Heat Controller
between colors. Since you are generally going to run your
Conveyor Dryers
Dryers come in all sizes (3.13) and range in
price from $2,000 for a small infrared dryer to Important Dryer Features
over $15,000 for a gas-fired dryer. Remember, as
you grow the dryer is the first piece of equipment Conveyor Size
you outgrow! By our standards, a small dryer is 6-8 feet.
One shop’s small dryer is another shop’s giant (1.829-2.438 m) long with an 18 to 24 inch (45.72
dryer! Look at the following list with your overall - 60.96 cm) wide conveyor belt. These dryers are
production and future growth in mind. If you plan just one step above a flash-cure unit and will han-
to print only a few dozen shirts a week, then a dle from 8 - 12 dozen shirts per hour (regardless
flash-curing unit will do the job forever. If you of what the manufacturer says). They are great for
have lofty goals of being the T-shirt tycoon of small shops, but will not be able to keep up with
your area, then get a dryer that can handle larger the production of more than one printing press
quantities and higher production. feeding it shirts.
Photos courtesy:
Upper Left
Black Body Co.,
Fenton, MO.
Upper Right
Workhorse Products,
Phoenix, AZ.
Middle Left
Vastex International,
Allentown, PA.
Middle Right
Lawson Screen and
Digital Products. Inc.,
St. Louis, MO.
Lower Left
Hix Corporation,
Pittsburg, KS.
Lower Right
M&R Sales and
Service, Glen Ellyn,
IL.
70 CHAPTER 3
3.14 When buying a aren’t the one who will fix it, keep in mind that
dryer remember - it someone has to be able to take it apart. Some dry-
will be the first piece ers have so many “pop rivets” and twists and
of equipment you will turns that it takes days to get the thing apart.
outgrow. If you get a
wide enough belt you Again, you will never know how much you need
can put two shirts this feature until you realize that somehow you
side-by-side and dou- have got to get the dryer fixed quickly so you
ble the throughput of don’t lose too much production time!
the dryer.
Forced Air
This feature is important only if you will be
printing air-dry inks on towels, non-textiles, etc.
If you can afford it, buy at least the next Although forced air may help minimize scorch-
largest dryer. If you are looking at a 6 foot. dryer, ing, you will find that forced air flowing through
see if you can swing an 8 or 10 foot one. If you the dryer may also cool the ink and keep it from
are looking at a 24 inch wide belt, try to move up curing properly. Many manufacturers claim you
to a 30 or 36 inch (76.2-91.44 cm) wide belt. You must have forced air (and preferably hot air) flow-
can almost double the amount of throughput by ing through the dryer, millions of shirts have been
just increasing the width of the belt (3.14). cured at high production rates without forced air.
As the trend continues towards more water-
Adjustable Heater Height based ink like discharge ink (see Special Effects
Being able to raise and lower the heater height chapter), good air flow in a dry is a must.
is very handy especially if you have a small dryer.
Not all manufacturers offer this. By simply lower-
ing the heating element, the ink gets hotter faster.
Can You Build a Dryer?
(There is a point where you will burn shirts, Yes, you can actually build a dryer. Figure
though.) This allows you to increase production 3.15 shows a variety of pictures of a homemade
on shirt jobs, and still fit puffy jackets and tall dryer. Heater manufacturers (like Black Body -
caps through the tunnel when needed. Having this see Appendix A) will sell the heaters direct, and
feature will keep you from being locked into a set you can buy the heat controllers and conveyor
heater height and a set amount of production. belts from industry suppliers. There are really no
plans available for building a dryer so you will
3.15 These photos of Ease of Maintenance have to look at commercial dryers to get ideas.
a typical homemade Sooner or later, you will burn out a heating Unless you are experienced in 220 volt wiring and
dryer will give you element or a temperature controller. You need to have a knack for building things, you should stick
some ideas on how to be able to easily get inside the dryer to drop out a with buying a new or used commercial dryer.
make your own. heater or do other electrical repair. Even if you
3.15
ALL ABOUT INK 71
Determining Full Cure nies. They should be used daily to safeguard get-
ting a full cure. For direct printing plastisol ink,
Although washing the garment is the first, and
you need a #5 tape that reads from 290-330° F
the definitive test for curing, there are other meth-
(143-166° C). When undercuring ink (as with heat
ods you can use to determine if the ink film has
transfers) you’ll need a #3 paper thermometer – it
fully cured. The most popular method is to simply
will read temperatures of 190-230° F (88-110° C).
stretch the print. If the print cracks badly and does
To use these tapes, simply place a strip on the
not retract, the ink is probably undercured. In this
garment and run it through the dryer or place the
case, the print needs to reach a higher temperature
tape on a shirt under the flash-curing unit. Note
and the belt speed should be slowed down. By
that the tapes are only accurate within + or - 15°
increasing the amount of time the garment is
(3.18). To conserve money, you can cut the tapes
under the heaters the ink film will reach a higher
in half before using them. Paper thermometers
temperature. Of course, you might also be run-
cannot be reused. Once one goes through the
ning the heater temperature too low. If this is the
dryer, take a reading and throw it away.
case, increase the temperature.
The stretch test does not always work on thick Temperature Probes and Infrared
deposits of ink such as athletic prints. The top Guns
layer may stretch, but the ink deep down in the You can also measure the temperature of the
fibers may still be undercured. ink (also called the belt temperature) with special
heat sensing temperature probes that you run
through the dryer (3.19).
Measuring the Ink and Another popular method is the use of inexpen-
Dryer Temperature sive infrared temperature guns that you can point
Paper Thermometers at the garment as it leaves the tunnel. These
You must get in the habit of checking the infrared temperature guns and probes are avail-
dryer or flash-cure temperature on a consistent able from most screen printing supply companies
basis. A popular item to measure the temperature for less than $100.00.
at the ink is a paper thermometer (also called heat
tape) (3.17). These heat-sensing paper strips turn Quick Setup
black at whatever temperature they reach. Paper Recommendations
thermometers are sold in six different ranges and
are available from most suppliers and ink compa- Flash-Cure Unit
Let the unit heat up (this will take about 15
3.17 Paper thermome- min). Set the heater 2 in. (5.08 cm) above the gar-
ters can be used to ment for 10 sec. Check the curing time with a
measure the surface paper thermometer.
temperature of the ink.
Dryer Setup
Let the dryer heat up for 15 min. Set the
heaters at 6 in. away from the belt (they can be
preset) at a setting of 500-600° F (260-316° C).
Adjust the belt speed so that the garment will be
3.18 Place a paper in the dryer for 20 or 30 sec. Check this setting
thermometer strip on with a paper thermometer.
the shirt and run it
through the dryer or
under the curing unit. Curing Tips
A small section or edge 1. Let the garments or transfers fall into a box
will turn black at the
temperature the gar- at the end of the dryer. This is how most shops do
ment achieved. it, and that is the reason for the cool-down section
at the end of the dryer belt.
2. If the ink isn’t fully curing, (especially if
it’s plastisol) run the garments through a second
time. It may be necessary to run white plastisol
through two or three times. Make sure to do wash
3.19 Temperature tests!
probes or "donuts" can 3. Turn the dryer belt speed down slightly for
be run through the thick prints and light-colored prints on dark shirts.
dryer to get a reading
of the temperature at
the belt.
ALL ABOUT INK 73
SCREEN
PRINTING
TECHNIQUES
This chapter is all about Screen Printing on Garments.
Squeegees
The tool used to push the ink through the
mesh is called a squeegee. Squeegees consist of a
wooden handle with a rubber or plastic blade. The
handle is designed to fit into the palm of your
hand and keep your fingers extended away from
the ink, allowing you to apply heavy, even pres-
sure to the blade (4.3).
Sharp, clean prints depend to a great extent on
a good squeegee. The blade must be resistant to
78 CHAPTER 4
Materials List
Drawing Quantity Size Material
A 1 24 x 28 in. (60.96 x 71.12 cm) ¾ in. (1.91 cm) Plywood
B 1 14 x 16 in. (35.56 x 40.64 cm) ¾ in. (1.91 cm) Plywood
C 1 6 in. (15.24 cm) 2 x 4 in. (5.08 x 10.16 cm)
D 1 14 in. (35.56 cm) 2 x 4 in. (5.08 x 10.16 cm)
E 1 pr. Jiffy Hinges
F 1 14 in. (35.56 cm) 1 x 2 in. (2.54 x 5.08 cm)
G 1 14 in. (35.56 cm) 2 x 4 in. (5.08 x 10.16 cm)
Tools and supplies: Hammer, drill, screwdriver, wood screws, wood glue, clear polyurethane
spray, magic marker, sanding block and sand paper.
Jiffy Hinges
(Only available from screen
printing supply companies.
Not in hardware stores.)
SCREEN PRINTING TECHNIQUES 79
Steps in Assembly
Drill a hole in the kick-leg so it will hang free when nailed to the side of a
screen. To protect the press wood from ink spills, solvents and humidity,
spray it with a coat of clear polyurethane spray.
80 CHAPTER 4
all solvents and thinners used in screen printing
and be compatible with the items being printed.
Squeegees can be purchased already assem-
bled with the blade in the handle. Most suppliers
carry large stock lengths of squeegees and will cut
to any size you want.
If you buy a squeegee from an art store, you
may have to choose from the stock sizes they
carry.
The Handle
Squeegee handles are generally made of wood
or metal and are available in either 4 or 5 in.
(10.16 or 12.7 cm) lengths. A 5 in. (12.7 cm) han-
dle will keep more ink off the finger tips.
New squeegees are available with an unusual-
ly thin blade that is easier to replace. These
4.3 The squeegee is squeegees are designed to be easy to use but they
the tool used to push only work if you push them away from you when
the ink through the printing (4.4)
screen. It consists of a
wooden handle with a The Blade
rubber or Blades are available in either rubber or
polyurethane blade. polyurethane plastic. Polyurethane blades will
stay sharp longer, but are more expensive than
rubber.
The hardness of the blade is measured in
durometers.
Extra-Soft – 40-45 durometers
Soft – 50-55 durometers
Medium – 60-65 durometers
Hard – 70-75 durometers
Extra-Hard – 80-85 durometers
Watch a video on
Although the one-color press plans call for a
basic equipment
on the shirt. Clamp the screen down tightly with
square shirtboard (it's easier to build that way), it
1. Place ink in the back of the screen. Don’t 2. Use nails in the ends of the squeegees to
get too carried away. keep them from falling in the ink, or rest the
squeegee against the back clamps of the press.
3. Spray the shirt board (also called a platen) 4. Load the shirt on the shirtboard. Place the crease
with adhesive or coat it with table adhesive. You in the shirt down the center of the board.
can also cover it with removable pallet tape.
5. Position the collar on the neck of the board. It 6. Work some ink in front of the squeegee and
may take a little practice to get the print in the pull it towards you with good downward pressure.
correct location.
7. Don't apply so much pressure that you flatten 8. Pick up the squeegee at the end of the print
the blade. Keep the stroke clean. You can push or and return it to the back of the screen.
pull the squeegee depending on your preference.
4.13
84 CHAPTER 4
enough so that the collar just touches the end of Proper Squeegee
the platen. You may have to vary this placement
later, depending on how high or low the print is Handling
on the screen and on the size of the garment. The squeegee can be used in a variety of
Generally, most designs are placed on the center ways. Not only can you pull the squeegee toward
of the chest or in the center of the back. you, but you can also push it away (4.15). Just
Pull the kick leg out of the way and lower the don’t mix the strokes. Go one way or the other
screen to the shirt. If you have a professional and stick with it. The idea is to apply just enough
press just lower the screen frame. Grab the downward pressure to slightly flex the blade. The
squeegee firmly with both hands and work it into angle of the squeegee should be from 45° to 60°
the ink so that ink is in front of the blade. Pull the (4.16). The lower the angle, the more ink you will
squeegee toward you downward pressure and an
deposit on the garment. Ideally, the blade should
even stroke.
just shear off the ink. Too much pressure and you
When you reach the end of the screen, pick up
the squeegee and return it to the ink reservoir. will actually flatten the blade and cause it to skim
Pretty simple! across the screen.
Lift the screen and let the kick leg fall into
the down position. How does the print look? Problems
Chances are, the first print will be light (4.14).
Some inks will require more squeegee pressure Shadow or Double-Image Prints
than others, and you may need to use more than This phenomenon can be caused by a number
one stroke to get a good, solid coat of ink. If the of factors. The screen fabric could be loose,
print is light, lower the screen and make another allowing it to ripple in front of the squeegee as the
pass with the squeegee. Try to clean all the ink off pass is made (4.17). The screen may not be fas-
the screen and make another pass. No ink should tened down properly or tightly. The frame could
be left on the screen where the squeegee has be loose or warped. If the fabric is loose, try to
passed. make a good stroke in one direction only.
If you have a shadowed print, don't print any
more shirts until you wipe the bottom of the
screen with a cotton rag (4.18). One shadow print
will lead to another because part of the shadow
will be on the bottom of the screen and deposited
on the next print!
4.14 If you don't When wiping the bottom of the screen, make
apply enough down- sure no ink is in the open areas. Wiping will just
ward, even pressure, draw this ink through the screen and you'll never
the print may be light get the bottom clean. You may have to put a little
on one side. Lower the mineral spirits or screen opener on the rag to get
screen and make
another stroke. the excess ink off the bottom. Always wipe the
bottom with a dry cloth after using a solvent-
soaked rag! Otherwise, you may still have ink and
solvent on the bottom of the screen that will trans-
fer to the next garment printed.
Pinholes
4.15 You can also The first thing to do after checking for ink
push the squeegee evenness and print quality is to check for pin-
away from you. This holes. These will show up as tiny dots or "freck-
stroke may be less les" on the garment. While you should try to
fatiguing on longer
printing jobs. block out all the pinholes after the screen is
exposed, they are easy to miss and occasionally
will develop after you start printing. If you are
ready to print an order and don't want to apply
blockout to the new pinholes, just use a small
piece of masking tape or even transparent tape as
a temporary block (4.19).
4.18 To remove a
shadow from the
screen wipe the bottom
with either a dry cotton
rag or a rag soaked in
mineral spirits or
screen opener.
4.17
Flood Stroke
A flood stroke is a squeegee pass that is made
with the screen in a partially up position and lays
a thin coat of ink on the image area. It is generally
used by printers who do a back push stroke and
need to get the ink to the front before the stroke is 4.19 After the first
made. It is also used when printing with air-dry print check for any
inks after the stroke is made to keep the image pinholes that you
area from drying-in and clogging. missed. These can be
blocked-out with a
To make a flood stroke, position the screen small piece of clear
approximately 3 in. (7.62 cm) above the platen, tape or a drop of
lift the squeegee and pull it towards you using block-out from a
light, even pressure. Don't try to push ink through block-out pen.
the screen; you just want it to lay on the screen
(4.20).
A flood stroke is not necessary when using
plastisol ink because it will never dry in the
screen. Some printers feel a flood helps lay down
more ink because the screen already has ink in the
image as the stroke is made. You be the judge
whether you want to use a flood stroke or not. 4.20 A flood stroke is
The ink should be fairly creamy and not runny a light stroke that just
for a flood stroke to work. If the ink is runny, it coats the inside of the
might run right through the screen before you screen. It will keep the
make the next print! As before, experiment! It ink from drying in the
screen when using air-
takes practice to get the feel of a good flood dry inks.
stroke. Too much pressure and you'll push the ink
through; too little and the ink won't cover the slow air-dry ink, the flood stroke can be eliminat-
screen. ed. Two or more strokes can be used if you're
having trouble getting good coverage or if you're
Experiment printing on a dark background. You can make
Printers have their own techniques. Plan to strokes in both directions to deposit more ink, but
ruin a few shirts or rags trying different strokes, you may lose some print detail. Strokes in both
holding the squeegee differently and just plain directions should really only be used if trying to
getting the feel of it. It will take time to get your make a thick print on nylon mesh or other open
own techniques down and keep your fingers out weave material. You may also get some shadow-
of the ink. Keeping your hands clean is important ing if the screen mesh is loose or if the press has
because not only will you be printing, but han- excess movement.
dling the shirts as well. If possible always try to do the strokes in the
same direction!
Number of Strokes
Generally, you can make a good print by
using a flood stroke followed by a print stroke in
the same direction. If you are using plastisol or
86 CHAPTER 4
Watch a short
clean stroke and one light stroke (with the screen But the truth is if you use the
video on Basic
down, of course). The second, light stroke, will print/flash/print/flash method you could go up to
4.23 4.24
88 CHAPTER 4
To print an all over print you will need a size shirtboards and offer one-color printers
screen frame much larger than normal. In fact, designed to hold the larger shirtboard AND the
you may find your exposure unit may not be large much heavier screen frame (4.25).
enough to handle a bigger screen and your dryer Don’t expect to put large shirtboards and
may not have a wide enough belt to lay a shirt flat oversize screens on your standard multi-color
on. Don’t forget you will need a much longer press. The screens will hit when up (if the job is
squeegee and you will need a wider scoop coater. multi-color) and the press arm will generally not
You will be printing these prints manually. be strong enough for the large board. The springs
Larger shops have huge automatic presses with will also not hold up the larger frame when it is
eight to twelve very big shirtboards. Some of full of ink and a squeegee.
these presses actually have a conveyor belt that If you plan to do a lot of this type of work you
the shirts lay on. In the 80’s when all over prints might invest in a special oversize printer (4.26).
were first popular - they were commonly called The main problem with this type of print is
belt prints. that you are printing off the garment onto the
The total width of the design really depends shirtboard or rubber cover for the shirtboard. You
on the largest shirts you will print. Try to make will have to wipe down this excess ink after every
the graphic free form enough so you can use the few prints. You could place a small stack of
same image on a variety of shirt sizes. newspaper under the garment so the excess ink
The screen frame should be at least 6 inches goes on it.
(15.24 cm) wider (inside) than the image. A stan- Tips: Print the larger shirts first and work your
dard all over frame is typically 38 in. x 40 in. way down to the smaller sizes.
(96.52 x 101.6 cm). For all over prints you can also make a mark
Most suppliers now carry all over kits or or drawing on the shirtboard showing where the
materials including large screen frames and over- shirt will lay. If the image is multi-color you need
to keep the shirt from moving when printing lay-
4.25 You can make or ing flat. A small squirt of spray starch (it will
buy an oversize print- wash out after the first washing) INSIDE the shirt
er with a large shirt- - plus the normal spray adhesive on the shirtboard
board and the ability is all you need.
to handle a wide
screen frame. (Photo
courtesy M&R Sales Blends
and Services, Glen Sooner or later, one-color prints will get a lit-
Ellyn, IL.) tle boring. But there is a way to add a little spice
4.26 Most equipment to "one-color" prints. A blend is a very simple
manufacturers offer process of putting more than one color of ink in
oversize printers for the screen to allow you to get a three- or even
all over printing. four-color effect. As you pull the squeegee, the
(Photos courtesy different colors will start to blend together in the
Vastex International, middle making a third color.
Inc., Allentown, PA.)
4.26
SCREEN PRINTING TECHNIQUES 89
4.30
bers (see Appendix A). They are easy to
use and cost less than making up hundreds of
screens for all of the number sizes (4.31). 4.32a Lay the paper
stencil in the proper
To use paper stencils, simply make a master location on the gar-
frame that has a large, square, open mesh area. ment. If necessary, put
The size of the area will depend on the number masking pieces
around the number.
size. Generally, a 14 x 14 in. (35.56 x 35.56 cm)
area is fine. 4.32b A paper stencil
Now, lay the paper stencil in the proper loca- can be used for dozens
tion on the garment (4.32a). If you have two dig- of prints because the
its, simply line them up on the garment by eye. ink acts as an adhe-
You may need to lay masking strips around the sive and holds the
paper on the screen.
number to make sure you don't get excess ink on
the garment.
Next, bring down the master screen and make
a print in the desired color. The paper acts as a
stencil and allows ink to go on the garment only
where the opening in the paper is. The ink will
act like an adhesive, holding the paper stencil to it
when the screen is lifted and allowing you to
make dozens of prints of the same number (4.32b).
With this method, you only need a set of num-
bers and a screen (with a coarse mesh, such as 30-
60 monofilament on it) for each color of ink.
Standard Screens
You can also screen print numbers using con-
ventional screens. The easiest way is to make a
screen for each number. This is okay if you are
doing a lot of 1-15. Unfortunately, the customer 4.33 If you do a lot of
numbering then invest
often wants random numbering. in a set of number
In that case, you can make a special number- screens so you can
ing screen where one side of the frame is made of easily direct screen
thin metal. The fabric can then be glued to the print numbers.
metal side and stapled on the others. These frames
should be made to slip easily into a master frame
(4.33). You will need two frames for each number
– one left and one right. Of course, you will need
a set of numbers for each size number you are
going to print.
4.34 If you have a mar-
Numbering Equipment ket for the work and
Some manufacturers make numbering easy want to screen print
with special printers that are designed specifically numbers correctly,
to number on garments (4.34). If your numbering there are rotary print-
needs are occasional then this may be overkill. ers designed to do it all!
But, if you have a sporting goods market this (Photo courtesy Vastex
International, Inc.,
could be the next step. Allentown, PA.)
92 CHAPTER 4
Equipment
If you are just starting out and can't afford to
buy a professional press, simply build one from
the plans in Appendix B (4.36). You can build a
press for under $150 that will work fine for begin-
ning level work.
Sooner or later, you will want to purchase a
commercially made press. They range in price
from $500-$5,000 or higher for an eight-color
model with all the features. You can purchase a
good four-color press for $2,000-$3,000 (4.37). In
fact, some manufacturers make basic models for
less than $1,000 (4.38).
If possible, try to get a sturdy printing press
that can print at least six colors (4.39) and has a
micro-adjustment feature for registering screens
(4.40).
An often overlooked feature is called a speed
table. This is where the base of the press that
4.35 Multicolor print- holds the platens rotates separately from the top
ing is done on a printing head section (4.41). This feature allows
carousel press that lets higher production because someone can be load-
the screens rotate and ing a fresh shirt while the printer is printing. This
print one-after-the-
other. (Photo courtesy feature also makes flash-curing between colors
Hix Corporation, much easier.
Pittsburg, KS.) If you plan on doing a lot of high production
printing then by all mean purchase a press that
allows all of the printing heads to come down at
once. This is called an all-heads-down press and
allows more than one person to print at the same
time. Not all presses are all-heads-down. Some of
the less expensive models only let you bring
down one head at a time.
Set-up
4.36 A simple 4-color As discussed in the Screen Making chapter, it
press can be built for is very important that you expose all multicolor
less than $150 from screens in register to each other. Make sure to use
plans in Appendix B.
4.37 Commercial
presses are available
for $500 to well over
$6,000 depending on
the number of colors
and features. (Photos
courtesy Lawson
Screen Products, St.
Louis, MO., and
Workhorse Products,
Phoenix, AZ.)
SCREEN PRINTING TECHNIQUES 93
4.38 4-color basic
presses are available
for less than $1,000.
(Photo courtesy
Odyssey Screen
Printing Systems,
Phoenix,AZ.)
1. Put the black screen (or the main color) on the 2. Set the screen for off-contact or use shims of
press. Square it up and and ink it up. thin cardboard taped to the bottom of the screen.
3. Make a print of the outline or alignment print. If 4. Line-up the next-to-last color to the alignment
you are using registration targets to line up the job print. The normal color sequence is light to dark. You
make sure they print. Some jobs are easy to regis- can easily see the alignment print or registration tar-
ter visually without targets. gets through the screen.
5. Line up the rest of the screens in the correct 6. Ink the screens. Reduce the viscosity slightly
printing order. if the ink is too thick.
7. Use medium or medium hard squeegees with 8. Make a test print on a fresh rag or test square.
sharp edges. Try to use just one stroke on each screen.
If you covered the alignment print with clear packing tape you can make a print of each color after you have registered it to
check registration. Wipe the print off the tape and do the next color. This is a quick way to check registration of each screen
without wasting rag shirts. If a screen is slightly off register simply “tweak” it and make another test print on the packing tape.
4.42
SCREEN PRINTING TECHNIQUES 95
Watch a video on
wet-on-wet.
squeegee. Ink this screen.
Press-Setup and
The third print color is next and we'll assume
Multi-Color Printing.
this is red. As before, don't print the ink too thick
Buildup
Part One
and use a fairly sharp squeegee. Ink this screen. Why is there all the concern about ink thick-
The black screen already has ink in it but the ness, color sequence and squeegees? Multicolor
printing presents a lot more problems than you Running Time 8:06
black ink should be a little thicker and requires a
squeegee that is fairly sharp. had with the simple one-color print.The main
problem is buildup.
Make Your First Test Print
Look on the bottom of each screen (4.44). The
If you have a single station press you will
blue screen will have a little shadow of yellow,
have to remove the alignment print to do a test
the red screen will have a little shadow of yellow
print on a clean shirt or rag. Remember, light to
dark. In our example, yellow would be first. If and blue, and the black screen will have a little of
Watch a video on
you have a multi-station press, leave the align- each color. This isn't so bad on the first few
Press-Setup and
ment print in place and use a different board for a prints, but wait until you've done four or five
Multi-Color Printing.
test. dozen shirts. The buildup will get worse and
Part Two
Try to make one stroke, going only one way worse and start to affect the sharpness of the
on the yellow screen. Leave the shirt on the platen prints.
and swing the blue screen into position. Again, Running Time 9:55
96 CHAPTER 4
If you have used the correct mesh, reduced the Flash-Curing
ink a little and printed with one or two clean
If necessary, you can flash-cure each color or
Additional
strokes, you should have minimal buildup that
print all of the undercolors and flash just before
Technical Articles
really won't affect the quality of your prints.
printing the black outline. This will help minimize
at T-Biz Network
If you do encounter excessive buildup (some
the buildup but will greatly decrease production!
colors like fluorescents tend to build up more than
A flash-cure unit should not be used as a solution
others), the remedy is to stop and wipe off the
to improper mesh, ink and technique (4.46)!
Secrets to High End bottom of all the screens in order to restore the
To flash-cure, simply swing the unit over the
Printing print sharpness.
board after you have made a print. For higher pro-
If the buildup gets too bad, you may have to
Speeding Up Manual duction use a press with a speed table and make
wipe the bottom of each screen with a dry cotton
Production the print and then rotate the platens under the
rag (4.45). If this doesn't remove it, you may need
flash-cure unit. While the print is curing you can
Check for New Articles at to put a little mineral spirits or screen opener on a
be making another print.
the T-Biz Network rag to remove it. Another way is to try to clean
Articles page. It should only take a few seconds to quickly
the buildup off before it gets too bad. With each
skin over the plastisol ink.
screen, make four or five clean, hard prints on a
Try printing the jobs without flash-curing
rag bringing no ink forward with the squeegee;
first, and then, if necessary, just flash before the
use a new rag for the next screen. This will help
last color. If all else fails, flash every color.
transfer the buildup from the bottom of the screen
to the rag.
4.46 Some jobs where
Multicolor Printing on
light colors touch Dark Shirts
darker colors can be a This is quite a bit harder to do but can give an
problem. For those
jobs a flash-cure unit outstanding look. To print multicolor designs on
can be used to cure dark shirts, you will need to use a lower mesh
between colors or just count, along with a high opacity ink. Make sure to
before the last color on review the Fabric Selector Chart on page 46.
a multicolor job. To get a bright print, you will need to make a
The inset shows white number of strokes and possibly flash-cure
next to red. On this between colors.
job, the white was
printed last as an out- Print an Underbase of White
line.You would have to A popular method is to print a base of white
flash cure after the red
so the wet white ink ink first; this is called an "underbase" or "under-
won’t touch wet red lay." You can print this with a normal high opaci-
ink and turn it pink. ty white ink or a special underbase white that
flash-cures quickly. The underbase is printed and
then flash cured. In fact, it is common to make the
4.47 To help colors
stand out on a dark underbase brighter by printing it, flash curing, and
garment, print an
underbase or underlay
of white ink first and
then flash-cure it. For
a brighter underbase
on spot-color jobs,
print the underbase,
flash-cure it and print
it again (right image).
4.51
98 CHAPTER 4
If the print size is larger than the press you
built can handle, cut a piece of 1/8 in. Masonite™
to the size you need and tack it to the existing
platen. If the design is really big, print the shirt on
a table, the same way as described for printing
band designs.
Clean-up
This is always the worst part of the job! That's
why we left it for last. An important point to
remember is that it is illegal to just wipe down
screens with rags and throw the rags away. You
may be generating hazardous waste products!
Start by scraping all the excess ink back into
the can with a stiff piece of cardboard or paint
scraper. Clean as much of the ink from the screen
as possible (4.53).
The more ink you scrape back into the con-
tainer, the safer and more legal the process is. It is
4.52 These designs were mesh count screens (generally 305 and higher) important to minimize the use of solvents that are
created from full-color and printing the job with the four special process not only flammable but emit VOC's (volatile
photos that were scanned colors of ink, all of the colors in the original art organic compounds) into the atmosphere.
into Adobe Photoshop, In the old days, we would take the screen off
separated and printed are reproduced fairly closely (4.52).
out onto vellums that The drawback to the process in the past has the press, pour mineral spirits into the screen, and
were used to expose the been that the separations cost between $200 - wipe the ink residue out with a rag. The problem
screens. $500. This cost eliminated this process for most today is what do you do with the rag?
small customers. You may find that in your area you can actual-
As with high-end dark shirts, automated color ly use this method as long as the rags are rented
separation programs like T-Seps (formerly from a rag service who will come and pick them
FastFilms) have changed all of that. It is easy to up.
take a full-color image and let a separation pro- A more popular option is to clean the screen
with water! Yes, you can actually clean plastisol
gram do all the work.
ink from the screen with special water-wash-ups
In fact, many printers even output the “films”
(4.54). Simply spray them on the screen (after you
to vellum paper for non-critical process jobs.
have removed as much ink as possible) and wash
the residue down the drain with water.
General Tips There are also companies who specialize in
Buy a large supply of test squares (see very safe products for screen clean-up and
Appendix A) to do the first sample prints. It will reclaiming and who will put their claims in writ-
save money and you won't have to ruin a good ing for you to show the local municipality (4.55).
shirt to make a test print. Tips: By taping off the inside edges of the
Always save a sample for yourself! Having screen before printing, you can keep ink from
good samples of your work is very important. seeping between the frame and the fabric. This is
4.53 Scrape as much When that big customer calls and wants to see very useful if the screen will be reclaimed. Just
ink as possible out of what kind of work you do, you'll have lots of remove the tape and the excess ink with it. Use
the screen with special impressive samples to show. rubber gloves when cleaning to keep the ink and
screen scrapers or just solvents off of your hands.
a piece of cardboard.
Put it back into the
container. This is
often called “carding”
a screen.
Photo courtesy Workhorse Products, Phoenix, AZ. Photo courtesy M&R Sales and Service, Glen Ellyn, IL.
4.58 Automatic presses are not out of the question and offer a way to do a larger volume without adding more employees.
Presses like this are capable of printing 300 to 500 shirts per hour with just two operators.
Photo courtesy Workhorse Products, Phoenix, AZ. Photo courtesy Lawson Screen & Digital Products,
St. Louis, MO.
PRINTING TECHNIQUES 101
In all cases, they use waterbased ink and hang
There are other ways to the shirts to dry on long lines (bottom right
print a shirt.... photo). To improve the print quality on darker
Yes, there are other ways to print a shirt. In garments they often “flash” between colors. The
many foreign countries, garments are printed as a bottom left photo shows a flash unit that uses an
“cut piece” on long tables. This is called table actual flame powered by propane.
printing. The fronts of the garments are held in Although this method seems crude in compar-
place with an adhesive. The screens are locked in ison to rotary presses and automatic printing
place at each station using a very basic “stop” on equipment, many factories can produce over
the frame. A printer walks down the row making 5,000 finished prints per day with excellent
the print, moves the screen, makes another print, quality!
moves the screen, etc. For multicolor printing, a These photos are from the author’s collection
second or third printer follow with the next color. and were taken on a consulting trip to Malaysia.
102 CHAPTER 4
Print loses detail – Use a finer mesh. Consult Fabric Selector Chart.
or gets shadowed – Too many strokes. Keep strokes same direction.
– Screen fabric loose.
– Squeegee too soft or not sharp enough.
– Printing press loose. Tighten press.
– Not printing off-contact.
Ink coverage too thin – Mesh too fine. Consult Fabric Selector Chart.
– Use more strokes.
– Ink too thin.
– Stroke too fast. Slow down print stroke to let ink flow.
– Loose weave shirt. Use a thicker ink.
Ink color on dark shirt looks – Ink not high opacity. Change ink.
weak and not bright – Improper screen mesh. Consult Fabric Selector Chart.
– Not enough squeegee strokes. Dark shirts may
require more than one stroke.
– Squeegee too hard. Use medium blade.
– Squeegee too sharp. Use slightly rounded blade.
– Stroke too fast. Use much slower stroke for ink to flow.
Multicolor Printing
Excessive buildup on screen – Too much ink on top of garment.
bottoms on light shirt print – Reduce number of squeegee strokes.
– Reduce ink viscosity for better penetration.
– Stroke too slow. Increase squeegee speed.
– Mesh to coarse. See Fabric Selector Chart.
– Squeegee too dull. Use sharp edge squeegee.
– Wrong color sequence. Print light to dark if possible.
– Screens not off-contact. Set screens for slight off-contact.
– Artwork too loose. Use perfect overlays and more under-color-removal.
– Job may need flash-curing. Flash-cure before black.
Print on dark shirts not sharp – Ink too thick. Reduce ink slightly and use less squeegee
pressure with a slower stroke.
– Too many strokes. Reduce number of strokes.
– Squeegee not sharp. Use sharper squeegee with slower stroke.
– Underbase not smooth enough. Keep underbase smooth and clean.
HEAT APPLIED GRAPHICS 103
HEAT
APPLIED
GRAPHICS
This chapter covers the Screen Printing process
of making heat applied transfers, and an overview
of sublimation and digital transfers.
Hot-Peel (Hot-Split)
There are two basic types of plastisol trans- Why Make a Heat
fers: hot-split and cold-peel. The term "hot-peel"
or "hot-split" comes from the fact that you actual-
Transfer?
ly peel the transfer paper off the garment while it If a heat transfer can feel identical to a direct
is hot. Part of the ink stays on the garment while screen print why not just print the garment and
part remains on the paper (5.2). This gives the eliminate the extra steps of making the transfer
design a screen printed feel. Hot-split transfers are and applying it?
the most popular transfer system and are very It's a good point, but let's look at applications
easy to make and apply. where heat transfers can provide benefits (5.4).
Watch a video on
want, and make things financially less risky. papers for this process and they are readily avail-
making plastisol
heat transfers.
Stock Designs or Preprinted Shirts able from your local screen print supply company.
Transfer papers need to have good release
Part One
This is where hot-split transfers really shine. If
you make your own line of T-shirts (called characteristics to let the ink release from the paper
"preprints" or "stock designs") for either retail, during application. They also need good hold-out Running Time 9:10
mail-order, internet sales or small order wholesale characteristics to keep the ink from absorbing into
businesses, then transfers are the way to go. You the paper during storage.
can print all the designs on transfer paper and They also need to be very stable to moisture
then just match the proper shirt and size to the and heat to minimize paper shrinkage when the
proper design when the order comes in. transfers are run through the dryer to semi-cure
the ink.
Startup Business Most transfer papers are sold under a variety
If you are just getting into the business and are of standard names and trade names. Some suppli-
Watch a video on
looking for the quickest way to offer multicolor ers re-package the paper and give it their own
making plastisol
designs on shirts without the expense of a multi- name. We have tried to give as many of the vari-
heat transfers.
color press, making hot-split heat transfers is the ous names that we know of for the same products
Part Two
least expensive route. Read on and you will see (5.5).
why.
T-75 Running Time 8:06
Athletic Printing T-75 is also known as French paper or
A lot of athletic printing requires you to print Transfert-75. It is available in 11 x 13 in. (27.94 x
team names and numbers on shirts and jerseys. 33.02 cm) sheets and larger. The cost is approxi-
Heat transfers are great for your Little League mately 6-8 cents per 11 x 13 in. sheet. It can be
orders. Just make up transfers with team names printed on either side, is fairly stable and will not
and numbers and use them over and over every shrink too much when printing multicolor
year! More on this later in the chapter. designs. This was the original paper designed
Mugs, Metals and Signs specifically for this industry.
Watch a video on
Sublimation transfers are great for mugs, met- T-75 can be used for both cold-peel and hot-
making plastisol
als and signs and have created an entire industry peel transfers and is the paper of choice if you are
heat transfers.
within the awards, trophy and ceramics trade. going to make a transfer that needs to be applied
Part Three
More on this later in the chapter. both ways.
T-55 Running Time 9:16
Aren't They Hard to T-55 is also call soft-trans, trans-soft and
Make? trans-55 and is designed specifically for printing 5.5 There is a wide
variety of specially
In reality, making heat transfers (either cold- hot-peel transfers. It has a longer shelf life than T-
75 when printed with hot-split plastisol ink. made heat transfer
peel or hot-split) is really quite simple if you papers.
already know how to screen print. The only extra
items needed are the proper inks, special papers
and a vacuum table to print on. You can use a T-
shirt press, but printing multicolor is a little hard-
er.
Transfers are printed just like other non-tex-
tiles items such as a posters, decals, etc. You print
one color at a time, but not wet-on-wet as you
would for a direct print on a shirt. After printing
and semi-curing (undercuring) all of the first
color using special plastisol ink on heat transfer
paper, you print all of the second color and semi-
cure it, then the third, etc.
106 CHAPTER 5
T-55 claims better hold-out characteristics, Paper Size
meaning that the plasticiser in the ink will not Transfer papers are sold in a wide variety of
migrate into the paper as much as it will with T- sizes. T-75 is generally available in 11x13 in.
75. (27.94 x 33.02 cm),and 25 x 38 in. (63.5 x 96.52
Although some suppliers recommend using T- cm), while other papers are sold in 12½ x 12½2
55 for both hot and cold-peel transfers, it does not in. (31.75 x 31.75 cm) to 25 x 38 in. (63.5 x 96.5
peel cleanly enough to produce a good cold-peel cm). Most papers are sold in 1000 sheet cartons.
transfer.
Which Paper To Use
Super-Trans If you are confused by the number of papers,
This is a newer paper designed to work for all simply use T-75 in the beginning. It works for all
applications including hot-peel, cold-peel and types of transfers and is readily available. When
with water-base puff inks where excellent hold-
making puff transfers use a paper with better
out is important. It also leaves more ink on the
hold-out such as Super-Trans.
garment when hot-peeled and is an excellent
Papers are also available with different grains.
choice when making hot-peel transfers for dark
garments. This may be under different names If you are printing multicolor transfers you need
from different suppliers. to specify long grain paper for less shrinkage.
Parchment
In the old days, we used to buy Patapar from
Heat Transfer Plastisol
baking supply companies to make transfers. It Most general plastisols can be used to make
was a parchment paper that would shrink ½ in. good cold-peel transfers, but when making hot-
(1.27 cm) in both directions on a 25 x 38 in. (63.5 split transfers, use a plastisol designed for this
x 96.5 cm) sheet. However, it had excellent purpose. Some ink companies make an all-in-one
release characteristics and was great for one-color ink for direct printing and hot-split and cold-peel
transfers! transfers (5.6).
This paper almost disappeared when Transfert High-opacity ink (white and gold) designed
75 was introduced over 30 years ago but it has for dark shirts generally will not work well for
now gained popularity as a good translucent paper transfers because it doesn't re-melt properly. Most
that is great for team names, numbers and for cap ink companies make a special high-opacity heat
transfers, where it is helpful to see through the transfer ink.
paper. Some manufacturers offer a hot-peel additive
Sparkle that can be added to their regular plastisol to
This is another paper like parchment that was make it a hot-split.
popular in days of glitter and combo transfers It is important to lay down a thick deposit of
(later 70's and early 80's). It has a very shiny sur- ink when printing a transfer. Because of this, you
face and gives the surface a glossy look when the should avoid thinning the ink, if possible.
transfer is applied. If you want to use the thin and transparent
This paper is also called Sparkle-Trans, process colors for transfers you must first print
Transprint-Duplex and Trans-Gloss. and under-cure a special splitting clear plastisol
Like parchment, it is again popular for use on the paper. Then print the process colors.
with glitter inks, crystalina or shimmer inks and
other inks where a high gloss is needed.
The Artwork
Artwork for transfers should not be too
detailed. If the artwork has a lot of detail, try to
put a backing color such as white or clear behind
the detailed area to hold this ink on the garment.
If there is no backing color, it may be necessary
to make the lines on the artwork heavier.
Artwork for hot-peel transfers should not use
heavy trapping. Since the ink film splits in half
during application, under-colors will show
through.
It is possible to use halftone dots, but care
5.6 For less inventory, must be taken when handling the paper between
use an all purpose ink colors not to rub the dots off the sheet (5.7).
that will work for both If you must use halftone dots, keep them large
direct printing and such as 35 to 45 lines per inch.
transfer making.
HEAT APPLIED GRAPHICS 107
When making puff transfers, be careful of Mesh Selection
small letters and art areas that will close up. The
puff will expand slightly and you may lose detail. The mesh selection will vary depending on the
It may be necessary to choke the puff art 1/32 type of ink and transfer you are making. The fol-
inch to compensate for the gain you will get when lowing guide gives the recommended meshes:
the ink expands.
Standard Plastisol** 86 to 110
(34 - 43 cm)
The Screen Detailed Plastisol** 92 to 125
Since the ink film splits when making a hot- (36 - 49 cm)
peel transfer, it is important to lay down a thick Opaque Plastisol** 60 to 74
deposit of ink. Screen meshes will be in the range (24 - 30 cm)
of 60 to 125 (24 - 49 cm). Water-based or Plastisol Puff* 60 to 74
(24 - 30 cm)
Wrong Reading Stencil Glitter+ 25 to 33
A transfer screen is exposed wrong reading so (10 - 13 cm)
that when the transfer is applied it becomes right ** Hot or cold-peel
reading. If the films are not wrong-reading, you * Hot-peel only
will not have image-to-emulsion when exposing + Cold-peel only
the screen, causing undercutting around any detail
or halftone dots. You need a wrong-reading Screen Frame and Tension
image-side-up film positive. Obviously, the better the frame and tension
If you have a computer graphics system, sim- the better the print. In some cases you will be
ply flip the design over before printing it out. ganging a number of designs on one sheet or pos-
Use Direct Film sibly printing oversize sheets. Use a sturdy screen
frame and properly tensioned fabric.
Although direct emulsion works well, capil-
Gang Screens
lary direct film is a much better stencil choice
When printing baseball cap transfers, save
because it provides a thicker stencil (for a thicker
money by ganging a number of images on one
ink deposit) and has better edge definition for a
screen.
sharper print with less sawtoothing.
For best results use a 40 to 80 micron capil-
lary direct film. Printing Equipment
Transfers can be printed on an existing T-shirt
printing press. In fact, a T-shirt press is more than
5.8
110 CHAPTER 5
5.11 Set your wrong
reading screen on a
press, adjust for off-
contact, use a light
mist of spray under
the paper and make a
print!
Athletic Transfers
This is an area where you might consider not
5.33 Die-cut letters and
making a heat transfer. There are a number of numbers can be used on
industry suppliers who will sell you everything athletic uniforms. (Photo
you need to decorate uniforms with numbers, courtesy Stahls' ID
individual player names, team names and more. Direct, St. Clair Shores,
MI.)
116 CHAPTER 5
That’s because there are a variety of heat transfer
materials (including neon, reflective, glitter, holo-
graphic, and metallics) designed for use on almost
every type of fabric - from cotton and poly/cotton
blends, to nylon mesh and woven nylon.
Some inkjet printers will print the image and
then cut out the shape so you can apply full color
graphics using your printer/cutter (5.35).
7. Cool the paper by firmly rubbing the hot 6. Release the heating element and return it
print with a rag shirt or a chalkboard eraser to the open position. Immediately reach in
for 10-20 sec. and smoothly pull the paper off the transfer.
(If you take too long to do this, the transfer
8. Remove the transfer paper in a slow, cools too much and will peel like a cold
even motion by pulling from a corner diago- peel.) Don’t pull straight up.
nally across the design. Don’t pull straight
up. 7. Garments decorated with heat transfers
should be laundered without the use of
bleaching agents.
118 CHAPTER 5
2. Place the cap on the cap heat transfer 2. Set your transfer machine at 375-400° F
press. (191-204° C) with moderate to heavy pres-
sure.
3. Lower the heating element and preheat
the cap for a few seconds. (Some caps 3. Lay the garment over the Teflon pad of
shrink slightly under heat and preheating the heat press. Smooth out wrinkles and
will preshrink the cap.) remove any lint or foreign material from the
surface of the garment. Preheat the gar-
4. Lay the powdered transfer on top of the ment by lowering the heat press onto the
cap. If it will not lay flat, lightly crease the shirt for a few seconds.
center of the transfer.
4. Place the transfer in the desired print
5. Lower the heating element and lock it in position with the printed side down against
place for 10 seconds. the fabric.
6. Open the press without raising the ele- 5. Lock the heating element into print posi-
ment too quickly. tion for 3 to 5 seconds for a one-color puff
transfer or 8 to 12 seconds for a hot-split
7. Immediately cool the paper by rubbing transfer that is backed in puff ink.
lightly with a rag or chalkboard eraser. If
any of the ink splits when opening the Note: Too much time will cause the puff ink
press, make sure to press this ink back to overheat and collapse. Too little time and
down onto the cap. the adhesive will not melt and hold the
transfer in place. You will need to experi-
8. Peel off the paper after it has cooled 10- ment with these times.
20 seconds.
6. Release the heating element and return
9. Certain hard-surfaced caps such as golf it to the open position. Immediately reach in
caps require just the right amount of pres- and smoothly pull the paper off the transfer.
sure, temperature and cooling to achieve a As you pull the paper, the puff ink will
good print. expand and puff.
10. If you're printing on a dark front cap, 7. Garments decorated with heat transfers
you will get a brighter print if you use less should be laundered without the use of
pressure. bleaching agents.
NYLON JACKETS, BASEBALL CAPS AND OTHER IMPRINTABLES 119
NYLON JACKETS
BASEBALL CAPS
AND OTHER
IMPRINTABLES
This chapter covers printing on Nylon Jackets, Caps
and other Screen Print products.
his chapter covers printing on textiles, jackets have a much heavier treatment in order to
Watch a video
stating that a particular jacket style is “stain resis-
Nylon Jackets
about printing on
tant” or “waterproof,” it’s a good indication that
Nylon Jackets.
Everyone likes to make jacket printing into the jacket has been heavily treated. The only real
something that it really isn’t. Printing jackets isn’t way to test for excessive coating is to pour water
that hard! If you know some of the tips and tricks onto the jacket and see if it actually holds it. A Part One
and follow good printing practices, you can print lightly treated jacket will let the water drip Running Time 10:30
jackets as well as the next printer. Following are through in a matter of minutes. A heavily treated
some key points to successful printing on water- jacket will hold the water all day. If the jacket has
proofed nylon jackets. been heavily treated, you may need to remove this
coating with rubbing alcohol prior to printing.
Problems with Printing on Jackets
(6.1). Some manufacturers recommend using ace-
Nylon jackets present problems because they
tone, but acetone is so flammable that you really
generally have a lining in them, are constructed of
should avoid it.
waterproof material, are much more expensive
Watch a video
than most other garments and can’t take as much
about printing on
heat as a T-shirt. For these reasons, they are hard-
Nylon Jackets.
er to print than T-shirts.
Jacket Material Part Two
Most jackets are made from duPont 6,6 nylon. Running Time 10:12
This material can take up to 375° F (191° C) and
may be coated to make it “waterproof” or “water
repellent.” A water repellent jacket has been light-
ly treated, while a waterproof jacket is designed
to actually prevent water from leaking through for
up to 24 hours. The majority of the jackets on the 6.1 If the jacket is
market are water repellent. heavily treated with
If possible, try to buy American-made jackets. waterproofing, rub the
They are generally only lightly treated. Imported print area down with
rubbing alcohol.
120 CHAPTER 6
Equipment
In order to keep a lined jacket from moving
while it is printed, you will need a jacket hold-
down (6.2). Without a good holddown you might
as well give up. There are other ways to hold
down a jacket (get your employees to hold it
while sitting on the floor, etc., etc.) but if you
want consistent results then use a holddown. It
will make your quality better and reject rate
lower! Pretty simple. If the jacket doesn’t have a
lining, then regular spray adhesive is all you’ll
need to hold it in place.
If you don’t want to spend $400 on a hold-
down for your press, then look at other compa-
6.2 A good jacket hold- nies’ holding devices. Some manufacturers offer
down is very expensive, less expensive holddowns that will fit a variety of
but well worth the
money! presses.
One option to using a holddown is to use
spring clamps around the outer edge of the jacket
(6.3). These will make the process go a little
slower than a standard holddown would, but will
work if you are on a budget. These clamps are
available from most hardware stores and have
rubber end protectors so they won’t damage the
jacket.
Use the Correct Screen
You can use the same screens for printing
jackets that you use for T-shirts. The only differ-
ence is that you will not need to use as low a
mesh count for dark jackets since they do not
bleed like shirts.
In most cases, you can use a 125 (49 cm)
mesh for dark jackets and 180 (70 cm) or higher
for light jackets. The tighter the fabric, the better
the print. You can use either direct emulsion or
capillary direct film for your stencil.
Nylon Ink Systems
This is an area where you want to be very
careful. Since nylon is very slippery and tightly
6.3 An optional holding
method is to use heavy- woven, you can’t use a standard plastisol on it. It
duty spring clamps will not adhere to the material. There are a num-
around the jacket. ber of nylon ink systems on the market, some of
which work better than others. Remember, you do
not want the ink to come off the jacket!
The most popular ink system consists of a reg-
ular plastisol with a special bonding agent that is
added to the ink (6.4). The bonding agent is like a
urethane glue that helps the plastisol stick to the
nylon and also makes the ink much more durable.
Most manufacturers offer these systems. The
beauty of them is that you don’t have to stock a
variety of special inks just for jackets. You can
mix the bonding agent with any of your all-pur-
6.4 The most popular pose plastisols!
nylon jacket ink sys-
tem is a special bond-
ing agent that you add
to regular plastisol.
NYLON JACKETS, BASEBALL CAPS AND OTHER IMPRINTABLES 121
6.5
Since the weight of plastisols vary depending 6.6
on the color of the ink, you need to add the bond-
ing agent by weight when mixing it (6.5). If you
can’t mix by weight then make sure to add more
bonding agent to lighter, more opaque colors.
Once you add the bonding agent, the mixture
must be used within 8-12 hours or it will harden.
Just mix what you need for a job. If you add too
much bonding agent, it may harden faster, but if
you are in doubt as to how much you need to add
– add more. Each ink manufacturer has different
mixing directions, so be sure to ask for the pro-
duct’s technical data sheet when you order it.
The biggest problem with a plastisol/bonding
agent mixture is that the ink becomes much thin-
ner. In fact, it is sometimes too thin to print. If
you are printing on a light-colored jacket with a
lining, the ink may penetrate through the nylon 6.7
and print on the lining. Printing Technique
It takes a good feel for the squeegee to get a 6.5 Make sure to mea-
There are a couple of ways to make the ink sure the bonding
thicker. You can put the mixture in a refrigerator good print. You need to do a stroke that is not too agent/plastisol mixture
to make it colder or you can let it sit for a few fast or too slow. An even stroke that cleans off the by weight.
hours to slowly thicken. In addition to this, some screen is very important (6.7). Your screen should
brands of ink are thicker than others and you obviously be adjusted to sit slightly off-contact 6.6 For better ink
should try to use a brand that is thicker to start over the jacket (not just the shirtboard) for the adhesion preheat the
with. best print quality. jacket before you print
Use a medium squeegee with a very sharp on it.
Flash-Curing Jackets edge. Too much pressure on the squeegee will
A flash-cure unit is a must when printing allow the ink to press out around the stencil, giv- 6.7 Print with a firm,
nylon jackets. Not only do you need it to print ing a slight ghost to the print. Always try to do slow stroke to allow
multicolor, you also need it to preheat the nylon just one stroke. If you must do two strokes keep the ink to flow through
before the first print. Preheating shrinks the nylon the mesh onto the gar-
them both in the same direction. ment.
for a tighter fit in the holddown and also softens it Sometimes a lined jacket will stick to the
and partially burns off sizing, stabilizers and screen when it’s lifted. As the print peels from the
waterproofing. This will help your ink adhere bet- screen, you get a ring or circular mark in the
ter! image. A good technique is to do a clean stroke
To preheat the jacket, simply place the flash and then quickly snap the screen upward. This
unit over it while it’s in the holddown. If you snap releases the screen quickly from the print and
have the unit set 2 in. above the jacket, you gives a sharper image. It’s all in the wrist. This
should be able to preshrink and preheat it in less snap technique may not be necessary if your ink
than 10 seconds (6.6). is flowing correctly and the jacket is releasing on
Running a jacket through the dryer is not the its own during the stroke.
same as preheating it on the holddown. You
defeat the purpose of shrinking the jacket to pro-
duce a tighter surface while on the holddown.
122 CHAPTER 6
Multicolor Printing Techniques
Because nylon is non-absorbent, you can’t
print multicolor designs wet-on-wet: you need to
flash cure between colors. The flash time can be
fairly short (5-10 seconds) – just enough to gel
the ink so it is dry to the touch (6.8). Since nylon
shrinks when heated, you must preshrink the jack-
et under the flash-cure unit before making the first
print.
Curing the Print
After printing the jacket, run it through the
6.8 You must cure dryer. It may take more than one trip through to
between colors when get the ink dry to the touch. Although the plastisol
printing multicolor portion of the ink will cure when it goes through
prints on nylon.
the dryer, the bonding agent needs 72 hours to
fully cure! Be very careful that you do not give
out the jackets for a couple of days after printing.
Also, be very careful about stacking them. They
may feel dry but not actually be cured. The best
approach is to dry them through the dryer and
then hang them for a few days to fully cure.
Set your dryer belt speed a little faster than
normal. The thickness of the material places it
closer to the heating elements and can cause it to
burn if you run it the same as for a T-shirt (6.9).
Problems and Solutions
You may encounter some problems when
6.9 Make sure to printing jackets. If the print does not adhere well,
increase the belt speed the jacket may be heavily treated and require that
when curing the print. the waterproofing be removed before printing. If
It may require more the jackets are already printed or customers are
than one time through
the dryer. returning them, take all of the jackets to a dry
cleaner and ask them to try to remove the print.
Believe it or not, dry cleaning will sometimes
remove the print. There may be a slight shadow
from the previous print. If so, you will need to
reprint the design in the same exact location.
Printing on the front of a jacket is difficult
6.10 When printing a because of the snaps, pockets, collar, seams and
chest print you should other obstructions. Raising the print area with a
raise the print area small block of wood or sponge rubber will help to
with a small block of make this task a bit easier (6.10).
wood.
Applying Heat Transfers to Jackets
We do not recommend applying plastisol heat
transfers to nylon jackets. They do not adhere
well, even if you use the nylon bonding powder
that many suppliers carry. One option is to buy
specially made die-cut letters and transfers from
suppliers who specialize in these products (6.11).
Sublimation transfers are excellent for light-
colored jackets (especially satin finished polyester
jackets) and can be custom made for you or print-
ed from inkjet printers with special sublimation
dyes. See Chapter 5 for more details on sublima-
6.11 Special die-cut tion transfers.
letters and numbers
work well if applied
properly.
NYLON JACKETS, BASEBALL CAPS AND OTHER IMPRINTABLES 123
Printing Caps
Caps have become a standard commodity in
this industry. They can be decorated in a variety
of ways including heat transfers, direct screen
printing and embroidery. We will cover direct
printing methods here. For information on making
heat transfers for caps, see Chapter 5.
Caps are available in different styles and
materials, such as polyester baseball caps, poplin
golf caps, cotton painters caps and even visors.
The difference in printing technique generally has
to do with the type of material and how the cap is
constructed.
Direct Printing or Heat Transfers?
Direct printing is certainly the quickest deco-
rating method. It does not always produce a sharp
edge to the print though, because of the soft print-
ing surface. Direct printing is more difficult when
printing multicolor work if you have to flash-cure
between colors because might need a special
curved cap heater or use a heat gun. Direct print-
ing is the only method to use if you are going to
print with puff inks. Direct puff prints are far
superior to transfer puff prints.
Heat transfers will produce very sharp prints
that look good on both light and dark cap fronts.
If you use the powdered adhesive mentioned in
Chapter 5, you can print fine-detail designs on
caps. Transfers will take longer, however,
because you have to make the transfers first and
then apply them.
If the job calls for a simple one- or two-color visor of the cap to stay up when the cap is printed. 6.12 Special printing
design on a light front cap, or if the job requires Hold caps in place with spray adhesive and take presses are available
puff ink, then use the direct printing method. If care when loading them so you don’t distort the that are designed specifi-
the image has lots of colors or is going on a dark- front. cally to print on baseball
front cap, then make a heat transfer. Your cus- caps, golf caps and sport
To achieve the best print quality on light-col- caps. You can also do T-
tomer really won’t care, and you should use the ored cap fronts use a monofilament mesh count of shirts on the same press.
best method for the job. 200-250 (78-100 cm). By printing through fine (Top photo courtesy
Direct Printing Caps mesh with a plastisol ink that has been reduced to R. Jennings Mfg., Glens
a very creamy consistency, using a sharp Falls, NY. Bottom photo
The problem with printing directly on the cap courtesy Workhorse
squeegee and printing with one or two passes in
front is that you are printing on a round surface Products, Phoenix, AZ.)
the same direction, you can get a very respectable
that is soft. The two main ways to directly print a
print! 6.13 Most manufactur-
cap are curved screen systems and flat screen sys-
On dark cap fronts you will have to go to a ers offer inexpensive
tems. Both systems work fairly well. Plan to ruin attachments for holding
lower mesh count such as an 86-94 (34-37 cm).
dozens of caps before you get the hang of loading a cap front flat during
Use a high-opacity low-bleed plastisol ink and
the cap straight and printing on such a small, soft printing. (Right photo
print with two or three strokes in the same direc- courtesy Hix Corp.,
surface.
tion. The print will not look as sharp as on the Pittsburg, KS.)
Both systems are available as stand-alone
units just for caps or ones that also have standard
shirtboards (6.12). In fact, most manufacturers of
printing presses offer inexpensive cap attach-
ments (6.13). Flat screen attachments are so inex-
pensive that one can be placed on each printing
arm for high production – while one person prints
another loads and unloads. For a flat screen setup,
use a frame that has one thin wall (strip of alu-
minum) so that the image can be positioned close
to the edge of the frame (6.14). This allows the
124 CHAPTER 6
Painters Caps
These are easy to print because they don’t
have a foam lining and are not stiff. Just use your
regular cap attachment and the appropriate mesh
for either light or dark material.
Curing and Drying Cap Prints
Caps with visors present some problems. The
6.14 Special thin-wall bill gets in the way when using a flash-cure unit
screens are needed for (although some manufacturers do make a small
direct printing on
baseball caps. cap heater). Some dryers are designed just for
caps, while some multi-purpose dryers have an
light caps. If you’re using a puff ink, use the stan- additional heater on the side for caps. You can
dard 86-94 (34-37 cm) mesh. also use an industrial heat gun if you are careful.
Some of the stiffer golf and poplin caps are If you want to run the caps through your regu-
harder to direct print. They generally have a plas- lar dryer, try placing them so that the crown is
tic liner that gets in the way, and they do not facing up slightly by stacking them against each
always want to lay flat. You may ruin a few other (6.16).
before you get just the right technique down with Art Preparation
these caps. The only other helpful tip for cap printing is to
High Density Images make the art simple and readable, and to keep the
Chapter 7 - Special Effects Printing, covers print area smaller than 4 in. wide x 3 in. high
the use of high density prints. This “3-D” effect is (10.16 x 7.62 cm).
very popular on baseball caps and allows you to
even print on caps with seams (6.15).
Corduroy Caps Printing on Fleecewear
Corduroy caps present a special problem Printing fleece is definitely not the same as
because of the grooves of the corduroy material. printing a T-shirt. Because fleece is a much thick-
The only effective way to print these caps is to er material with a looser knit, more ink needs to
use the direct print method, and by mixing a little lay on top of the garment to make the print look
puff additive to regular plastisol. Just mix enough sharp and full (6.17). For this reason, you will
so that the print will puff slightly and actually fill need to modify the artwork, use different meshes
in the grooves. at higher tensions, change squeegees, rework your
printing technique and inform your customers of
the differences!
Here are some quick tips for good fleece print-
ing.
Artwork Detail
Keep detail to a minimum for fleece designs.
This sounds so simple, but it’s hard when the cus-
tomer brings in the art. If you can, encourage your
customers to keep detail to a minimum and use a
6.15 High density much coarser than normal halftone dot. Since
images have a 3-D everything is going to gain in size on the fleece,
look and can be very try to plan for the gain to improve print sharpness.
effective when printed Remember, bold and thick prints are much better
on a cap. (Photo cour-
tesy R. Jennings Mfg., than thin and detailed.
Glens Falls, NY.) If you’re printing on raglan-sleeved sweat-
shirts, remember to check the size of the design.
Some sweatshirts have set-in sleeves which leaves
more room on the sweatshirt for the artwork.
Screen Making
To achieve a good print on fleece, you need to
lay down more ink without using too much pres-
6.16 Stack the caps sure. This means lowering the mesh counts. If you
against each other when
running them through a use a 180 monofilament mesh (69 cm) for light
standard dryer. shirts, then go down to a 125 (49 cm). If your nor-
NYLON JACKETS, BASEBALL CAPS AND OTHER IMPRINTABLES 125
Manufacturers offer
special fleece with a
smooth top surface
that holds detail
almost as well as a
T-Shirt.
mal job calls for a 125, lower it to 86 (34 cm) for and print again (the same color). Or print an
fleece. Granted, you may lose some detail, but underbase of white (either low-bleed or fast
these are the rules. fusion) to give you a smooth surface for the top
Also, you will get the best results when using colors.
retensionable frames because a higher-tensioned
Use Lots of Spray Adhesive
screen transfers the ink with less squeegee pres-
This is not what the health conscious want to
sure. This means that the screens should be at 20-
hear, but most of the time, you will have to use
25 newtons and you can marvel at how that sharp
spray adhesive after every garment. Another pop-
print lays on top of the fleece.
ular method is to use pallet tape or pallet paper
Squeegee Selection which has adhesive on both sides. To use, glue it
Use either a medium or medium-soft squeegee to the platen and replace it when the adhesive
blade. A hard blade will require more pressure to wears out by re-papering the board An alternative
get the ink through the screen and will drive it is to use a pallet cover which has adhesive on one
into the garment, which is not where you want it! side and you apply spray adhesive on the other.
If the design does not have much detail, you When the cover gets too loaded with lint, you just
can even dull the edge of the squeegee slightly (a strip it off and re-cover the platen. It’s a lot easier
little sandpaper will do). than wiping the platens.
Inks for Fleece Press Set-up and Printing Technique
Hopefully, you have been reducing inks to As usual, you must print off-contact to
achieve sharper prints on light shirts. But this achieve a clean print. You may need to set the
isn’t going to work on fleece. The ink needs to be off-contact a little higher than normal to account
a little thicker (straight from the can in many for the thicker material. Remember, it is very
cases). If it is too thin, it will gain and fall into the important not to drive the ink too deeply into the
material. Remember, you want the print to sit on garment. Using a lighter stroke (maybe two if
top of the fleece. If the ink is too thick to print needed) is much better than trying to muscle the
without adding reducer, try stirring it first to make ink.
it more creamy.
Dryer Settings
Minimize Bleeding Proper dryer temperature is important because
When printing on a 50/50 fleece, you should light-colored (white fleece especially) can scorch
use a low-bleed ink. The garment dye may still and dark 50/50 sweats may bleed. Try to keep the
bleed into the ink (even days or weeks later), so surface temperature of the garment around 325 °
be sure to test. For best results, print, flash cure F (160° C).
126 CHAPTER 6
If you are printing a base of white, the gar- ink that penetrates into the terry-cloth and has a
ment may actually move or shrink slightly. Use soft hand when dried. These inks will dry in the
plenty of spray adhesive and keep the flash-curing screen if the right printing technique isn’t
time to a minimum. If there is too much move- observed. Also, they will need to be heat cured
ment, pre-flash the garment before printing it. with air flowing around them in order to hold up
when laundered.
Communicate with the Customer!
Poor communication can get you in trouble. Printing Technique
The customer has certain expectations about the When using any water-based inks, a firm print
quality of the print. When printing a job for first stroke should be used. Raise the screen and then
time fleece customers, make sure to let them do a light flood stroke to lay ink over the image
know the limitations. The print will probably not area on the screen and keep it from drying. Water-
look as good on fleece as it does on a shirt. If the based ink is appropriate mainly for light-colored
job calls for some T-shirts and some sweatshirts, terry cloth because the ink is not very opaque.
tell them that there will be a difference in print
appearance. What Else to Print
Printing on unusual textiles can be challeng-
Terry-Cloth Towels ing. The main considerations are what ink to use,
Terry-cloth items like towels, bibs and what screen mesh is appropriate and how to hold
bathrobes present peculiar problems because the the item in place. Once you find those answers,
surface is so irregular. Don’t get too detailed you can print on almost anything from van tire
when creating art for terry-cloth fabrics. Keep the covers to patches, can coolers, flags, back-packs,
art simple and avoid the need for tight registra- fanny-packs, aprons, tote bags and much more.
tion. Some manufacturers offer a wide variety of non-
standard imprintable items and will give you the
Screen Selection
The best overall mesh for printing on terry- printing specifications (6.18). Experiment and
cloth is a 125 monofilament (49 cm). You will have fun!
need a stencil system that is water resistant. Dual- Generally when printing on any material that
cure photopolymer emulsions will hold up for is more porous or rougher than a standard T-shirt
runs of up to 750 prints before they start to break such as aprons, totes, and denim you should use a
down. Emulsion companies also offer special lower mesh count. This helps deposit more ink
water-resistant permanent emulsions that are good into the grooves of the material and gives better
choices for longer runs. coverage. Don't print with ink that is too thin for
these items either. If the material is heavy, the ink
Ink Selection may bleed too much and give a ragged edge to the
Although a very thin plastisol ink can be used print. You can use plastisol on most textile items
if the image isn’t too big, a water-based ink deliv- as long as the material will withstand the curing
ers a softer feel. The best choice is a water-in-oil temperature.
NYLON JACKETS, BASEBALL CAPS AND OTHER IMPRINTABLES 127
SPECIAL
EFFECTS
PRINTING
This chapter covers Screen Printing
special effects inks on garments.
his chapter will deal with all of the ter- Art Preparation
(24 cm) mesh for the first color, 74 (28 cm) for of the other colors, and the foil will adhere to
the second, 86 34 cm) for the third, 94 (37 cm) for more of the puff and less of the regular plastisol.
the fourth, etc. Change your sequence to print as Your outlines and detail areas will be more pro-
the smallest print area first, to the largest printed nounced with this method. If the puff ink is black
last (if possible). Print the most dominant color and a gold foil is used on top, it will give the print
last since it will have the best and cleanest puff. a rich, antique look.
If you need a puff ink that is really durable
Artwork Preparation
and will take a lot of wear-and-tear and abrasion,
For the best results, create the artwork specifi-
try adding a puffing agent to the special athletic
cally for this type of print. Use the puff portion of
plastisols. Athletic plastisols are very stringy and
the design for outlines and as a texture under or
stretchy, and will make the puff prints more
over colors. When the puff rises it will make any
durable.
top color look pastel and give it a multi-shade
Because puff ink is not very bleed resistant,
color. Create the puff separation by using a stip-
you may need to print a base of low-bleed white
pled effect in the artwork, and by using thin lines
ink, flash-cure it and then print the puff ink on top
just for areas where you want puff and where you
when printing on dark garments.
want the foil to stick (7.5).
For extremely high puff, you can also print the
ink, flash-cure it and then print the puff ink again
directly on top. The layering of two flash-cured Screen Making
coats of puff ink makes the puff really stand out For light-colored shirts, use a 60-86 (24-34
from the garment when fully cured. cm) monofilament for the puff print and a 160 -
200 (63-78 cm) for the top colors. For dark shirts,
Printing with Puff and Foil use a 60-86 (24-34 cm) monofilament for the puff
print and a 86-125 (34-49 cm) for the top colors.
Another very popular effect can be achieved
You can use either capillary direct film or direct
by combining puff ink with foil. It is a simple
emulsion for the stencil.
technique that will really make a puff print jump
off the shirt (7.4)!
The basic principles involve printing a base of
plastisol puff that is just for outlines and detail
parts of a design. After flash-curing the puff ink
(without puffing it), print the other standard plas-
tisols wet-on-wet on top of the flash-cured puff.
The entire print is then run through the dryer to
puff and cure the inks.
Next, take the print to a heat-transfer press
and place a sheet of foil over the print. By using
very light pressure, the foil is only applied to the
top-most areas of the puffed print and the print
7.5 Create the artwork
has a great shine – resulting in a very nice effect. for the puff/foil combo
Other Options prints by using thin
lines and stipple
Another option is to print the puff ink last in effects. The puff can be
the sequence (after you flash cure the undercol- printed under or on top
ors). This will give a very high puff print on top of regular plastisol.
132 CHAPTER 7
Press Setup of it (7.6). The foil is placed with the color side
Set up the press the same as for a normal up. Since the foil will curl when it’s heated, this is
underbase job. The job should be set up so the prevented by laying a piece of blank heat-transfer
puff can be flash-cured first (but not puffed) and paper or cloth on top of the foil (7.7).
the remaining colors printed lightest to darkest, Next, lower the heating element so that there
wet-on-wet. For the best foiling effect, you want a is minimal pressure on the foil and leave the press
really high loft to the puff print. To achieve this, closed for 10-15 sec. When the time is up, raise
print the puff ink, flash it, then print and flash the press head and quickly cool the foil with a rag
again (without puffing the ink), before the other or eraser (just like when applying a normal heat
colors are printed on top. Because the finished transfer). Let the foil cool for 15-60 seconds and
print will have a heavier ink deposit than a normal peel it off. It will stick to the top areas of the
design it should go through the dryer twice to puffed ink and will give the design a rich and
achieve full puffing and curing. shiny look (7.8).
If the foil did not stick to enough of the puff
Applying the Foil ink, use a little more pressure. If the foil sticks to
This is the fun part. We use a heavyweight
the regular plastisol too much, you will need to
hot-stamping foil that is available from almost
reduce the pressure. Don’t get frustrated. You will
every screen print supply company. The foil will
need to play with the settings and times. Just plan
cost from $.05 to $.20 cents per 12 x 12 in. (30.48
to ruin a few shirts until you get it right.
X 30.48 cm) sheet. Foil is sold in a 200ft roll
If you want the entire puffed image covered in
(60.96 m). The foil is available in a wide variety
foil (very nice look), clamp the press down all the
of colors including pearlescent, rainbow and
way.
shimmer.
Set the heat press to 350° F (177° C) with Washing Instructions
very light pressure. Place the cured print on the To help the print withstand washings, it
heat press platen and lay a sheet of cut foil on top should be washed inside-out using warm water
with a gentle setting, and the dryer setting at
warm. You should provide written washing
7.6 Place the shirt on instructions to the customer. Although hanging a
the press and a piece of shirt to dry is preferable, it is not always practical
foil over the print with
the colored side up. to recommend this. A low heat clothes dryer set-
ting is an acceptable option. The foil actually
washes well although it may dull a little after a
few washings.
A sample washing label is provided in
Chapter 5 – Heat Applied Graphics.
Shimmer or Crystalina
Crystalina (also known as Shimmer and
Yellow Sparkle) is very much like glitter ink
except that the mylar flakes are more translucent
in a clear base. This ink is designed to overprint
other flash-cured colors and requires a coarse
mesh such as a 33 or 40 (13-16 cm).
Crystalina ink is a nice accent over colors that
gives them a rich-looking pearlescent sparkle.
These inks are fairly thick (like glitter) and can be
7.14 Crystalina or reduced slightly for easier printability (7.14). You
Shimmer is an over- can create a great effect by printing an underbase
print ink that has a of puff ink, flash-curing it, printing with regular
pearlescent transparent
look to it that accents plastisol on top, flash-curing it, and then over-
the color underneath it. printing with a solid coat of shimmer. The entire
print is then cured.
Suede Ink
This is terrific stuff! It prints like a puff ink
and has a real suede feel to it (7.15). Suede ink
works really well with designs that are created
7.15 Suede ink is a with it in mind, such as animal or nature prints.
plastisol ink additive Suede ink is actually made by putting an addi-
similar to puff. It is tive in regular plastisol ink. This means you aren’t
printed through a fair-
ly fine mesh and raises limited to just brown. You can mix the additive
up when run through with red, blue, green or whatever color you want.
the dryer to give it a Before mixing, check with your supplier, or the
suede feel.
SPECIAL EFFECTS PRINTING 135
manufacturer, for specific directions. Generally, 7.16 Discharge ink
you mix 20-50% of the suede additive with your removes the dye from
regular ink. If you add too much the print will the shirt and replaces
flake and lack durability. it with a color. This
Print suede ink through a 230 (90 cm) mesh. It gives the print a very
soft hand. These inks
will take a couple of firm strokes to get good cov- are popular for all-
erage and it also helps to print on a soft printing over prints where soft-
surface. ness of the ink is
It takes a longer than normal tunnel time for important.
the ink to “suede,” so run the shirts through the
This print is also
dryer twice and turn the belt speed way down. If called a “belt print”
you lay down a thick enough coat, you can get or “all over” print
excellent coverage on a dark shirt too. because it was printed
Like puff ink, suede can be flash-cured with- on large automatic
out puffing it, so you can use it as part of a multi- machines using a wide
conveyor belt to hold
color design as long as you flash-cure it before the shirt. The ink is
printing any other colors. actually printed right
off the edge of the
Discharge Ink shirt.
Discharge inks are special formulations that
remove the dye from the garment (discharge it)
and replaces it with an ink color. This ink only
works on certain brands of 100% cotton shirts and
is designed to provide a softer hand to the print
than standard plastisols (7.16). Make sure to ask
your shirt supplier if their garment will discharge.
Discharge inks are generally used for designs
that cover the entire garment (all-over printing) 7.17 Wearable art is
the term coined for
because of the softness of the print. They are also free-form hand-done
used as spray-on or roll-on inks to provide special shirts that have an
free-form background effects to a garment. "artsy" one-of-a-kind
Because discharge inks are water-based, they look to them.
require the use of a durable, water-resistant sten-
cil. They also need to be mixed prior to use and
generally will not last longer than 24 hours after
mixing.
Print discharge inks through meshes ranging
from 60-160 (24-63 cm). The prints must be heat 7.18 To mass-produce
cured for two to three minutes. They require a wearable art shirts you
can screen print the
longer tunnel time than most small dryers can basic design and then
offer. Another option is to use a standard heat- use hand methods to
transfer press for the discharge process. Pressing finish decorating the
the garment for 35-45 sec with light pressure at garment.
375° F (190° C) is all that is needed. If you are have been hand decorated with squeeze-bottle
not sure if your conveyor dryer is discharging the ink, hand-applied glitters and other embellish-
ink properly, use a heat-transfer press to test a ments such as cloth, jewels, foil, puff ink and
shirt to see what the print should look like when more (7.17).
the proper heat and time are used. Wearable art shirts sell for more money than
The brightness of the print will vary from ink- standard screen printed ones because of the time it
brand to ink-brand and certain brands will have a takes to create each one. Many people start out in
noticeable rotten-egg odor. Try to purchase a low- this business making wearable art shirts and then
odor ink and make sure to use a very heavy stroke progress into screen printing, where they can print
to get good penetration. the basic design and then decorate the shirt using
“wearable art” methods. This combination gives a
Wearable Art one-of-a-kind custom look that can be mass pro-
An entire book could be written on wearable duced (7.18).
art shirts, which generally refers to shirts that
136 CHAPTER 7
7.22
High Density 7.24 High density ink
This is a very novel ink that when printed cor- gives the image an
rectly makes an extremely high print that almost embossed look. This two
looks like it has been embossed on the shirt color print is over 1/8”
(7.24). It works well for simple logos and images in height. Notice the
very sharp edge defini-
where the customer may want a feel or embroi- tion. High density is not
dery look to the print. It has also become very for every job because
popular on baseball caps (7.25). production can be slow.
High density ink is a special plastiol that holds
its edge definition when printed through a very
thick stencil.
The secret to good high density is in the
screen. A typical screen stencil is around 20 7.25 High density works
microns in thickness (direct emulsion). A high well on baseball caps.
density screen needs to be at least 200 microns (Photo courtesy R.
thick! The only real way to achieve this thickness Jennings Manufacturing,
is with special thick-film capillary-direct stencils. Glens Falls, NY. “High
Square” ink courtesy
Some people are using stencil thickness of up to Union Ink Co.,
700 microns for very dramatic results. Ridgefield, NJ.)
Certain emulsion manufacturers offer a com-
bination direct film/direct emulsion system for because the specifications are different from man-
this purpose. The direct emulsion is applied on ufacturer to manufacturer.
the inside of the screen and is used to hold the High density is also being used for a special
capillary film in place. effect called latent image or lenticular. This holo-
The problem with these thick films is that they graphic effect creates an image where when
take forever (in some cases all day) for them to viewed straight on it just looks like a series of
dry after being adhered AND the exposure time vertical lines with an image in them - but when 7.26 You can print inter-
can be six to ten times longer than normal. You viewed at an angle an image or logo appears esting effects combining
also need to be very patient when washing out the (7.26). This can be very striking and combines a high density and a regu-
screens. A properly exposed and washed out lar print. This is called
high density print (the lines) with a regular plasti- “latent image” and gives
screen can have very sharp edge definition. This sol image. Programs like T-FX from T-Biz the design a holographic
means spending a long day getting the details Network can be used to automatically generate effect.The “A” is
worked out on drying and exposure the separations needed for this type of effect. revealed on the right
To print high density use a screen mesh of 60 photo but doesn’t show
to 110 (24-43 cm). Use a very low off-contact and on the left photo.
a slower-than-normal squeegee stroke. In fact,
you may have to change the angle to get a good
clean print.
For dramatic effects, print multiple colors of
high density by flash-curing the first color and
printing a second color on top. You can even print
a much more detailed print as the top color by
using a finer mesh count.
Experimentation is key here. Make sure to
consult the ink makers technical data sheets
138 CHAPTER 7
7.27 A lot of special prints as clear on the shirt and when activated,
effects on shirts start Computer Graphic Effects turns color. Consult the ink manufacturer’s speci-
with computer graphic Over the years special effects that are actually fication sheet before using this ink.
effects. created in the computer have been trendy and then
lost favor. The distressed look started in the early
90’s and never went away. It uses computer Airbrushing Shirts
graphic “overlays” to make an image look washed Although airbrushing is not a method of print-
and worn. There is a section on this in Chapter ing a shirt, it is widely used to decorate shirts.
One - Artwork Preparation and Computer You often see artists at fairs and beach resorts
Graphics. Items like blur text and fake embroi- “painting” shirts with an airbrush.
dery are easy to do and are done in the computer In simple terms, an airbrush is a finely tuned
(7.27)There is much more on these techniques paint sprayer that can be adjusted to spray a lot or
and others in the Articles section at www.T- a little paint or ink. Before you think it sounds
BizNetwork.com. like you couldn’t have much control with an air-
brush look at figure 7.29. Airbrushing is widely
Photochromatic Ink used to create posters and high-end art pieces.
Airbrushes are available for less than $50, and
This one is like thermochromatic inks, except the only other item you need to airbrush shirts is
it is UV light that activates the print (7.28). It an air compressor. You can use airbrushing to
enhance a screen printed design or to personalize
a shirt with an individual’s name.
To learn more about airbrushing, get a copy of
Airbrush Action Magazine (see Appendix A). It is
an excellent source of how-to-do-it articles,
DVDs, seminars and airbrush supplies.
7.28 Photochromatic
inks are activated by
UV light (sunlight).
The top shirt shows the
image before it was
taken outside. The bot-
tom shirt shows it after
it was activated.
SCREEN
PRINTING
NON-TEXTILES
This chapter covers Screen Printing on Non-Textile items
like posters, binders, signs and more.
here is a good market for other printed ing, the sheet is then cut apart on a paper cutter or
Decals
Decals are made of pressure-sensitive
Mylar™ or vinyl that is sold by the roll or sheet.
These materials are available in both clear and
opaque colors, and usually come in regular and
matte finishes. Decals are normally printed in
multiple quantities per sheet, which is referred to
as the number up. For example, “6-up” would
refer to six of the same design ganged on the
screen and printed at the same time. After print-
140 CHAPTER 8
Direct emulsion works well for the stencil but require for cleanup is water. If you use a water-
capillary direct film will give a sharper edge. It is soluble ink, be sure your screen and blockout are
a little harder to adhere capillary direct film to not water soluble.
fine mesh counts, though, and you may find that a
good dual-cure direct emulsion is almost as good
Enamel Ink
and much easier to use! Enamel ink forms a very tough surface and
has the highest gloss of commonly available inks.
Unlike poster ink, enamels may take up to 24 hr.
The Ink to dry and it dries by internal reaction with the
Each substrate has its own type of ink. Your available air (oxidation). They are one of the most
screen printing supplier will be a great help here. versatile inks and can be used on decals, metal
For vinyl, you use a vinyl ink; for metal and signs, glass, foil, wood, paper, cardboard, leather,
wood, you can use an enamel, etc. The problem Masonite™, etc. Check with your ink supplier for
substrates are plastics. There is a very wide vari- additional information. Always test the ink and
ety of plastics from ABS to polystyrene to the item to be printed for durability and compati-
polypropylene, and not every plastic ink will work bility! Enamels usually clean up with mineral
on every plastic. spirits.
You should not use plastisol for printing on Vinyl Ink
non-textiles. It does not have any real adhesive
Vinyl ink is extremely durable since it actual-
properties and needs something to hang onto for it
ly becomes an integral part of the vinyl or film
to be durable.
substrate. It will give the longest-lasting print on
Don’t forget the ink additives. Most manufac-
decal material. When printed with vinyl ink, the
turers have special thinners, reducers, retarders,
stencil should be made of a lacquer-proof material
etc., that they recommend for use with their prod-
and blockout, and should be cleaned up with lac-
ucts. Since all of these inks will air-dry, you
quer thinner, methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) or ace-
should get the correct reducers and wash-ups.
tone.
Some inks have a retarder additive that will slow
the drying process down a little.
Always test the ink and make sure it will do Press Setup for
the job for you before printing the order. Non-Textiles
Suppliers and ink manufacturers will be glad to
answer questions and help you with problems on If you built a T-shirt press then you are all set
tricky jobs. because it will work just as well for flat objects!
Better yet, is printing on the vacuum table
Poster Ink explained in the Heat Transfer chapter. It will
Poster ink is one of the most widely used hold down lightweight objects such as decals and
screening inks. It is available in both gloss and bumper stickers.
flat finishes and is soluble in mineral spirits. Actually, you can used a simple pair of screen
Always check the instructions on the can or the hinges and a table to print non-textile items
technical data sheet that is available from your because you print one color at a time (8.2).
supplier. The drying time is approximately 20-30 Professional screeners who specialize in print-
minutes. Poster inks dry by the evaporation of ing non-textiles use semi-automatic flat-bed
their solvent content. presses (8.3).
There are also some water-soluble poster inks
on the market. These are handy because all they Registration Guides
In order to ensure that each and every print is
printed in the same location, use a registration
guide made of thin paper, plastic or cardboard
that is taped in place on the printing base. This
enables us to always put the stock in the same
exact place every time we make a print.
Multicolor printing is similar to transfer print-
ing: you print and dry one color at a time.
Registration guides are placed at three points: two
at the rear (or back) and one at the side. This is
called the three-point system.
You can make your own guides or purchase
guides from your screen print supply company. In
8.2 You can print fact you can simply use thin pieces of card stock
non-textiles on a table and tape them in a typical “three point” setup. For
with a simple pair of non-critical jobs use strips of masking tape (8.4).
screen hinges.
SCREEN PRINTING NON-TEXTILES 141
8.3 Professional
shops use semi-auto-
matic flat-bed presses
to print non-textile
items. (Photo courtesy
Lawson Screen
Products, St. Louis,
MO.)
Printing
Printing flat objects is about the same process
as printing textiles. Use only one stroke – prefer-
ably towards you. Two strokes will tend to
decrease the sharpness of the print and may cause
some ink to leach out under the screen, causing a
blurred or smudged print. Remember to use a
good, firm stroke and clean the screen with the
squeegee. If all the ink doesn’t push through to
the material below, you will have problems with
clogging.
Many jobs can be printed directly on your T-
shirt printing press (8.5)!
Multicolor
If printing multicolor images, you need to
print all of the first color and let it dry. You then
place these prints back on the press and print all
of the second colors – making sure to put the sub-
strate in the registration guides (for additional
information see Chapter 5 - Heat Applied
Graphics.
Flood Stroke
As with the section on textile and air-dry ink
printing, you should use a flood stroke when
printing with poster, enamel and vinyl inks. It
isn’t necessary, but you will have fewer problems
with ink drying in the screen!
142 CHAPTER 8
Cleanup
Make sure to clean your screen and tools
immediately after use. Non-textile inks will dry
and harden, and you can’t leave them like you can
with plastisol. Always have plenty of rags handy
and be prepared for the ink to start to dry in the
8.5 As long as you screen. A little solvent on a rag should open the
can hold it in place
you can generally clogged area easily.
print it. Use your
existing T-shirt press
for small items. The
Ventilation
weight of the item will Non-textile inks generally have a high concen-
normally hold it in tration of solvent and give off a very strong odor.
place. Make sure to have a window open and fans blow-
Simply make a good clean print and then raise ing the air away from you. If you are working in
the screen and do a light flood stroke across the your home, you may not want to print with non-
image area. textile inks unless you can really ventilate the
area. Fumes from the basement will go through
Drying your entire house!
Since air-dry inks are used for non-textiles, Take extreme care when using non-textile inks
and the fact that the print can take a long time to because of their flammability too! Do not leave
dry, you’ll need some kind of rack to set wet garbage cans around that have solvent-soaked
prints on. A lot of commercial racks are available, rags in them and do not leave the washup and
but they are expensive (8.6). If the job isn't too thinners uncapped.
large you can just lay the prints on the floor or on
tables to dry. Fans can be used to help dry heavier
stock that won’t blow away such as vinyl binders. Odd Shaped Items
If you have a conveyor dryer with an airflow There are a number of manual printing
system, you can turn the heat of the dryer down machines that are designed to print round and odd
and run the items through the tunnel with the air- shaped items. These machines generally have a
flow turned on. It may take a number of trips lot of adjustable fixtures and can do anything
through the tunnel to get the ink dry. from ink pens, to beer bottles or paint buckets
(8.7).
INKJET
PRINTING
ON GARMENTS
This chapter covers all about inkjet printing
direct-to-garments.
or over 50 years, garment printing didn't sweatshirt) is tucked under the platen to keep it
Watch a short
images that a screener would have a hard time holes in an inkjet head in a precise shape and
to get high
machines to do pre-production samples for larger the printing surface and typically prints four basic
production with
customers. It is much easier to inkjet a single colors of cyan, magenta, yellow and black. In
DTG printers.
sample shirt than to burn 10 screens and setup the order to get better color reproduction some print-
press for that killer dark shirt image. ers use additional colors of light cyan, light
Running Time 5:15
magenta, and light black.
INKJET DIRECTLY TO GARMENTS 145
For discussion we will differentiate “desktop” 9.4 A typical Epson
DTG printers from “industrial” printers based on based desktop printer
the print head technology. Desktop printers (even uses one head that con-
if they have a floor stand), typically use tains all the colors and
costs less than $500.
“retail/commercial” Epson print engines that use a
single one-piece printhead with all the
channels/colors in one head (9.4).
Industrial DTG printers typically use expen-
sive individual print heads that can cost over
$2,000 for EACH COLOR (9.5).
Why Epson for Desktop Printers?
The difference between the various heads is in 9.5 Industrial DTG
the technology. HP and others use a thermal head printers use industrial
that uses electricity to super heat the head causing robust printheads that
the ink to "explode" on the paper. And, they have can cost over $2,000 per
head per color!
a single head for each color rather than an "array"
head in the Epson style. The problem with this
method is there is a slight sacrifice in speed
because the head needs to cool and there is less
control over the drop size and the drop needs to
be large.
Epson took a different approach. In 1993 they
patented what they call micro-piezo technology.
Micro-piezo technology uses a tiny crystal in each One very important point is to ask about the
individual nozzle that when electrically energized availability of replacement print heads for these
would vibrate or bend causing a controlled type of printers. Companies like Epson have start-
amount of ink to be forced out onto the paper. ed to crack down on replacement print heads if
When the electrical current is turned off the crys- you don’t have an original “Epson” serial number
tal bends back to its original shape creating a vac- for the printer (remember - it is a torn apart print
uum that pulls ink into the nozzle from the ink engine now and can’t be sent back to Epson for
reservoir (9.6). repair).
Using this technology, Epson is able to print a 9.6 Epson uses patent-
smaller drop size for higher print resolutions, and Very Expensive Printers ed micro-piezo technol-
they can print variable dot sizes. This has given There are also a few companies building ogy that allows greater
Epson the reputation for having better photoreal- machines from the ground up. The problem with control over the resolu-
doing this is that industrial inkjet heads used in tion and size of the dots,
istic images with greater detail. And, the good making Epson the best
news to the T-shirt industry is that having control the wide-format and carpet printing industry can head for this process.
over the dot sizes enables printers to lay down cost over $2,000 per-head per-color and most
much more ink. printers need at least eight heads. Compare this to
an Epson head that contains ALL the colors for a
few hundred dollars for the entire head and you
Printers for the Masses can see that a "ground up" DTG machine will cost
The process appears simple on the surface. In a lot of money (9.9).
order to make an DTG machine affordable for the While industrial printers are not always any
masses, most industry manufacturers make faster than the smaller desktop printers, they are
machines from Epson print engines using Epson robust and industrial strength and frankly, a LOT
print heads. Epson is the "engine" of choice of companies started out with smaller desktop
because of the relative ease of developing driver printers and then moved up to more robust indus-
software for them and the way the patented Epson trial printers.
print head works.
Manufacturers basically purchase new Epson
printers and tear them apart just to get the guts of
the printer. The print engine is mounted in sophis-
ticated drive mechanisms that allow a shirt to be
loaded, printed and unloaded (9.7).
Machines made this way sell for $6,000 to 9.7 Affordable DTG
$30,000 depending on the size, durability, and printers use print
features of the machines (9.8). There is a trend for engines made by Epson
lower priced entry level DTG printers. because of the quality,
affordability and dura-
bility of the print head.
146 CHAPTER 9
simple cardboard box setup to catch the over Prepare for Printing
spray (9.11). Yes, it can be messy. The pretreat-
ment is sticky. You should not pretreat shirts near Now that you know about pretreatment and
your printer. inks, the rest is easy. In screen printing the screen
After spraying a pretreatment, the pretreat- and squeegee smash down the shirt fibers. When
ment needs to be dried. This can be done with a inkjetting on a shirt, the inkjet head MUST move
standard heat transfer press. To keep the wet pre- very close to the shirt. In fact, the head clearance
INKJET DIRECTLY TO GARMENTS 149
9.13 9.14
is typically no more than 1/8" or about 3mm. All 9.13-14 You can
machines have a way to adjust the height of the
About the Machines cure/dry prints in a
There are dozens of DTG equipment manufac- long conveyor dryer or
garment. The problem is the ink not only gets on in a heat transfer press.
the garment but it will "print" the tiny fibers that turers around the world. You will often buy from
If using a press, cover
are sticking up. This can give the print an "airy" someone you know and trust like a local screen the image with silicone
look. printing supply company. Some machines are treated baking pan
For better prints, take a few seconds and place more robust than others. Some have a smaller liner. Dryers with
the shirt in a heat press and flatten the fibers printing image area. Some machines print more forced air and infrared
down. If you are applying a pretreatment you than one image in one pass (9.17). Due to the heat with a long tunnel
problem of the white ink clogging the printheads, are much better. (Dryer
don't need to do this. This also helps dry out a photo courtesy Black
some machines have ink recirculation systems.
garment if you are in humid conditions. Body Industries, Fen-
All of these things are important considerations.
If you plan to do any trendy fashion items you ton, MO.)
Load the Shirt might need to print larger images. If you want to
Some machines have a metal hoop that holds print on baseball caps, sleeves or youth shirts,
the shirt in place (9.15). Others don't use a hoop
(9.16). Hooping is helpful if the shirt is thick (it 9.15 Shirts can be held
MUST lay flat!), or if it is something odd like a in place with a hoop
Levi jacket, athletic shorts or anything with a (like in embroidery).
seam. Most machines have a sensor that will stop Hoops are handy for
the printer from moving if any part of the garment odd items or items that
might be in the print path. won’t lay flat.
Print Times
Once the shirt is loaded, send the graphic file
and press the Print button. Stand back and be 9.16 Most standard T-
amazed at the quality of printing. But, remember, shirts can simply be
it is not as fast as screen printing. And, the num- laid on the shirt holder.
ber of passes, print mode, and size of graphic play Some shirt holders use
a big role in print speed and ink costs. a rubber mat to help
grip the shirt and hold
it in place.
150 CHAPTER 9
9.17 Choose robust
over a slightly cheaper
machine and if possi-
ble, get a machine that
will print more than
one image per pass.
(Photos courtesy M&R
Digital, Glen Ellyn, IL
and Equipment Zone,
Fairlawn, NJ)
Problems, Maintenance
make sure to get a machine with attachments for
these items (9.18). and Upkeep
Another consideration is the portability of the There has been a steep learning curve in learn-
machine. Yes, people take these machines to dog ing the good, the bad and the ugly of DTG
shows, car shows and local events. Some machines. What appeared to be a simple process
machines can't be moved without voiding the soon taught the industry that there is also a dark
manufactures warranty. Others you can simply side to the DTG process. These machines like to
put in your car trunk and away you go. run. If they don't run, they get grumpy.
In fact, many machines will print on non-tex- This is caused by the fact that the inks are pig-
tiles like golf balls, metal, plastic, etc., using spe- mented and can tend to settle and clog inkjet
cial pretreatments for the material. And, they will heads and ink tubes. If you leave the machine sit
print on most porous materials like mouse pads, for more than a few days, you may have clogged
bar coasters, cardboard and more (9.19). heads. And, the white ink is actually much more
of a problem. White ink is made with Titanium
INKJET DIRECTLY TO GARMENTS 151
Dioxide (often called TI02) that settles more than
a normal colored pigment particle.
The other problem is that DTG machines
spray a LOT of ink. The manufacturers turn open
the flood gates in order to lay down a lot of ink on
the shirt. This much ink coming out of the head
can cause over spray which will get on key parts
inside the machine.
ALL ABOUT
GARMENTS
This chapter covers everything you need to
know about garments.
n this chapter we will look at the makeup shirts, having your own shirt is very impressive.
American Made or Imported to insulate because of the cushion of air that helps
In the late 90’s, most garment manufacturing give them a soft feel. Synthetic fabrics, on the
left the US and moved to Mexico and Latin other hand, have smooth, slick surfaces that touch
American countries. Even though the actual gar- the skin and do not insulate well.
ment is made in a foreign country, much of the Over the years, the major mills have done an
yarn is American made and of course we still excellent job of producing quality 100% cotton
have name “brand” companies such as Hanes who shirts that are shrinkage controlled by chemically
work hard to insure that the garment quality is treating the cotton with resins and stabilizers or
high. through special mechanical processing techniques
called “compacting.”
The consumer has a much better opinion of
Pricing cotton than ever before.
Prices for T-shirts will vary from brand to
brand. Generally, you will pay more for dark-col- Cotton Yarn
ored shirts because it takes longer for the mill to Ring spun yarn is made by spinning or twist-
dye them. You will also pay extra for sizes above ing the fibrous hairs of cotton into lengths of yarn.
extra large. A white 100% cotton heavyweight Before it is spun, the cotton is cleansed of foreign
blank T-shirt sells for around $1.75 to $2.40 as of matter, short fibers, and seeds by opening and
this writing. By shopping around you can often cleaning machines. Tangles are eliminated and
find medium weight white shirts for less than fibers are aligned by a process called carding.
$1.00! Dark shirts range from $2.60 to $3.50 The more carding, the better the quality of
each. cotton used in the yarn.
After the carding process, the cotton is drawn
and, if necessary, blended with synthetic fibers.
How a Shirt Is Made From this process, it may be combed before it is
It isn’t really necessary to know how a gar- spun into yarn. The combing process removes
ment is made. You generally just buy a name- fibers that are too short and immature and any
brand shirt and print on it. Understanding how remaining foreign particles. Yarn that is not
garments are made is more critical if you deal combed will not have as much uniformity and
with large corporate accounts or license programs will not be quite as smooth.
where your customers specify exactly what they From combing, the cotton is then reduced in
want. The following information is also useful size to a thick cord-like material in a process
when comparing name-brands, off-brands and called “roving.” It is then spun into the proper
imported shirts. yarn size by twisting the yarn. The more yarn is
Garments are made of twisted strands of fiber twisted the stiffer it becomes. The spinning or
Bleaching
After inspection, all greige goods are bleached
All Shirts Aren’t the Same
or scoured to help eliminate the color variations in Although you may think a shirt is just a shirt,
the cotton and allow the yarn to shrink. After there is a large difference between shirts. Not
bleaching, the greige goods are thoroughly rinsed. only does the yarn weight, garment weight and
Dyeing
10.7 Although some gar-
Fabric dyeing is an art in itself that can be ment manufacturing
very time consuming. Since the dyes used in cot- processes are automated,
ton are different than those used in polyester much of the assembly
blends, the two are dyed in different formulations. work is done in rooms
A poly/cotton blend is dyed in two stages. One full of operators using
stage dyes the cotton portion and the other dyes industrial sewing
the polyester. machines.
Knit material is generally dyed in large vats
that work under heat and pressure. Dark colors
have to stay in the vats longer than lighter colors.
As a comparison, light colors may stay in the dye
solution for five hours, while dark colors may
stay in 16 hours or more. This is the reason dark
garments cost more money.
Dyeing is done in batches. Even though the
dyer carefully monitors the dye formulations and
dye time, colors can vary slightly from batch to
batch. Because of this, the various parts of a gar-
ment are always made from the same dye batch.
Other Chemicals
After dyeing, the material can be treated with
other chemicals such as softeners, fillers and
resins to stabilize the fabric, control shrinkage and
make the fabric easier to sew. 10.8 Large stacks of
fabric are laid out,
Calendering and Compacting marked with a pattern
After drying, the fabric is compacted – a and cut with an electric
knife.
158 CHAPTER 10
nect the face to the backing and is not very visi-
ble. Backing yarn is woven in place loosely and
made soft by running the fabric through a napping
machine that uses needles to pull small fibers of
the backing yarn loose, giving it a soft, silky feel.
While the most commonly used fiber content
is a yarn made of 50% cotton and 50% polyester
blend, other materials are also used, including
50% cotton/50% acrylic, 80% polyester/20% cot-
ton, 80% cotton/20% polyester, 90% cotton/10%
polyester, 100% cotton, 100% polyester and
100% acrylic.
The fiber content is dictated by the end use of
the product. Generally, a 50/50 blend offers the
softness of cotton and the shrink resistance of
polyester. Garments containing acrylic will hold
brighter colors better (fluorescents), but may also
be more difficult to print on because they will not
10.10 Larger mills use quality of dyeing and shrinkage control play a take much heat.
automated “cookie part, but the actual construction is very important.
cutter” machines or From simple quality differences such as a taped Fleecewear Fabric Weight
plotter type machines neck, where the neck seam is covered, to making Fleece fabric weight is measured by the num-
to cut the pieces in sure the garment is a true full-cut, manufacturers ber of ounces of material there are per yard. It can
high volume.
have different quality standards and some cut cor- vary from a low of 7 ounce per yard for light-
ners in areas you don’t even think about. weight material to a high of 12 ounce per yard for
super heavyweight fabric.
Quality Checks
When examining garments, there are a num-
ber of areas to check for quality. Start by tugging Other Garments
at a seam to see it if smiles or opens up. This can Obviously, lots of other garments are on the
be a sign of too few stitches or loose stitching. market. Golf shirts, tank tops, long-sleeve T-shirts
Perform a wash test to check shrinkage. Sim- and other styles can be printed the same as T-
ply draw a pattern around an unwashed shirt on a shirts. Don’t just think of yourself as a T-shirt
piece of paper and then check the washed and printer – think of yourself as selling imprinted
dried shirt against the pattern. Only minimal sportswear!
shrinkage should occur, and the shrinkage should
be uniform with not too much in any one direc-
tion.
Performance Fabrics and
More
Fleecewear Over the last few years, there have been major
Fleecewear is a term that has been coined for strides in garment and fabric construction and
sweatshirt-type material. It is made from specially techniques. The latest trend is towards what is
knitted material that has a smooth outer finish referred to as performance garments. These are
with a soft underside. Originally used for gym newer fabric blends designed to wick moisture
clothes and athletic warmups, it has now become away from the body.
another staple of the industry. When you see popular shirt names with trade-
Fleecewear is knitted like T-shirt jersey mater- marks like Dri-Mesh, Rapid-Dry, Cool-N-Dry,
ial except three different types of yarn are used: Dri-Fit and others you know these are designed to
face, tie-in and backing yarn. be more comfortable to wear.
Face yarn is used on the front or outside of the Another trend is for “green” shirts that are bet-
garment and is usually tightly woven so it will ter on the environment. Shirts are made from
handle abrasion better. Tie-in yarn is used to con- hemp, recycled plastic and even bamboo.
MARKETING AND SELLING 159
MARKETING
AND SELLING
This chapter covers the important aspects of marketing
and selling your products.
arketing is how you get your mes- Marketing and selling is one area that begin-
Watch video on
vent slow times by marketing during the busy sea- in an inconspicuous place (11.7). If the customer
Part One
about printing your logo on the bottom of the shirt
Display at Local Trade Shows tail (like a designer shirt!). It will be out of the
You can also exhibit your products on a local Running Time 15:04
way and really make the shirt look neat.
level. There are always home improvement
shows, giftware shows, back-to-school shows and Get Free Publicity with
other events for specific markets. You can rent a a News Release
booth to sell imprinted products to these focused Newspapers and magazines need to fill the
customers. How about selling at a fireman’s con- space around the ads. By sending them news
vention? They use up (and burn up) a lot of navy about your company and a photograph (a news
blue shirts! Maybe the local boat show is in town. release) you can get free publicity. So what is
Offer small quantities of shirts for the captain and newsworthy about your company? How about
Watch video on
his/her mates. Boaters usually enter fishing tour- those 100 reject shirts you sent to the disaster vic-
Part Two
amazed at what a little exposure will do for busi- donating caps and shirts. Of course, don’t forget
ness. to take advantage of the photo of you presenting
the products. How about the fact that you just Running Time 15:15
Read Everything! moved to a new location?
How do you find out about new businesses
Write the news release as if you were the
and upcoming special events? You read about
reporter. Quote yourself and make it sound
them in the paper, business magazines or online.
important. The more human interest, the better. If
Read everything you can from the local paper to
you are lucky, one of the larger papers may pick it
business journals. Always be on the lookout for a
up and run it nationwide (it better be real good).
new customer or new idea. When you find some-
Don’t forget TV. If you are printing a special
one you want to call on, do it today! Don’t wait
Watch video on
shirt for a national disaster, call the assignment
for your competition to beat you to it.
Watch video on
Why not give them a little display, offer them a
ad agency and PR firm listed. They will definitely
Part Four
approach.
If you decide to work with ad agencies, be
Running Time 12:07
aware that they will be very demanding concern-
ing quality, color matches and prepress samples.
They will also ask for you to give them terms
because they have to invoice their client and then
pay you. This is just how they do business, so if 11.7 If possible try to
you have a problem with picky customers, ad place your name on
every shirt that leaves
agencies are not for you. your shop. This is a free
advertisement for your
company. Print it below
the design and also put
on your toll-free num-
ber or your city name.
164 CHAPTER 11
11.8 By becoming a discount, work up a price list that they can sell Go after Large Corporate Accounts
member of ASI and from and let them take orders for custom screen This tactic is cheap, but will take much longer
PPAI - or both - you printing? than you may think. Get out the phone book again
gain access to thou-
sands of specialty items They do the same thing with labels, business and let your fingers do the selling. Call major cor-
and have a wide variety cards and business forms. Most quick printers porations (even ones you wouldn’t think require
of generic catalogs to farm out those items. Why not shirts, too? shirts) and ask who purchases imprinted sports-
imprint with your name. wear, promotional products or employee identifi-
(Courtesy Promotional Increase Your Product Mix with cation products for the company. You will be sur-
Products Association Ad-Specialties/Promotional Products
International, Irving, prised at how easy it is to get the answers. Most
You can sell more products to the same cus-
TX., and Advertising of the time you will hear: “All promotional prod-
tomers by adding ad-specialty/promotional prod-
Specialty Institute, ucts are purchased through XYZ advertising
Langhorne, PA.) uct items to your line. Ad-specialties include T-
agency and employee products are purchased by
shirts, but also include printed ashtrays, mugs,
human resources.” “Everything is bought through
key chains, etc. You can buy these products at a
the home office in Sioux City, Iowa.” The next
discount from ad-specialty distributors. Many of
question to ask is easy: “Do you have their phone
them have a generic catalog that you can print
numbers and contact names?”
your name on and the two main associations,
Generally, several departments in a corpora-
PPAI and ASI offer great internet resources
tion are responsible for buying items. Whether
(11.8). By spending a few dollars for some cata-
they’re buying shirts for the annual picnic, pro-
logs, you can instantly increase your product line
motional products to give away with their mer-
by about 1,000 items! Appendix A has a listing
chandise or employee identification will deter-
for Advertising Specialty Associations.
mine which department does the buying. You
If you like this type of business you can also
could have dozens of sales opportunities with just
become a member of the Advertising Specialty
one company.
Institute or the Promotional Products Association
Expect to be asked to print a sample or come
as a vendor where you can SELL imprinted prod-
back later to meet with the buyer or to submit a
ucts to their members and be listed in their huge
proposal. Do whatever they ask (within reason).
directories of promotional products suppliers.
Things do not happen overnight! If a large com-
Telemarketing pany is considering you to be a one of their prime
This doesn’t mean setting up a boiler room. It vendors, they will want to approve you. This
just means taking time to make a certain number means they will do a credit check and may ask for
of calls per day. Set your goal (start with just ten a financial statement, bank references, etc. This is
calls). just how it is done, so don’t be put off by it.
Give Customers a “Call-to-Action” Remember, your main contact will generally
The first thing you learn in Sales 101 is to be a purchasing agent who does not want to lose
have a call-to-action. Give customers a reason to his or her job because you are a flaky vendor!
buy now and not later. Offer 10% off on the first Treat the PA’s right and make sure that you look
order. Give them a baker’s dozen (one free shirt and act professional and that you have “the pack-
for every 12 ordered). Offer free freight or a dis- age.”
count if they order caps and shirts. How about Mail Promotional Pieces Every Day
“Ginsu” knives if they order this week – just kid- You went to all the trouble to buy generic cat-
ding, but you get the idea. alogs and put together a very impressive catalog.
MARKETING AND SELLING 165
Now what do you do? You get out your Yellow
Pages (again) - or any of your local online direc-
tories - and start to address envelopes. Set a goal
to mail a certain amount every day. Put these
names in a computer database and set a recall date
of two weeks after the pieces are mailed.
If you want to do mass mailings, you can buy
mailing lists locally or contact a mailing-list com-
pany like InfoUSA in Omaha, NE. They will sell
mailing lists by any criteria you want. You can
select by target market and zip code.
Email blasts can also be effective as long as
you follow email mass mailing guidelines. It is
certainly inexpensive but you really need to
already have a relationship with the customer
before you blast them. They are a great way to let
current customers know of special promotions or 11.9 Everyone expects
offers. Companies like www.iContact.com and you to have a website. It
www.VerticalResponse.com offer these services is easy to look like a pro-
fessional company with
along with most internet providers including the pre-done websites that
popular www.GoDaddy.com. are “branded” with your
name. They include thou-
Sell to Schools sands of garments, a lot
The local school market is wide open. Each of stock clipart, the abili-
campus offers hundreds of sales opportunities ty for your customer to
because of all the groups, clubs, coaches, special design the image and
events and class shirts. Just providing shirts for place the order online,
fund-raisers for the various organizations can upload their own art-
work, get a quote and
keep you busy. If you feel uncomfortable about much more.
calling on this market, learn more about it through
industry training videos. A popular service like
this is
Your Website and E-mail www.DecoNetwork.com.
This is a must. Yes, you may not get rich sell- See a sample store at
ing shirts on the internet, but that isn’t always the www.T-BizNetwork.com.
point. The customer expects to be able to go to
your website and find out more about your prod-
ucts. If you don’t at least have a small site telling
about your company you might as well tell the
customer you are new, technically challenged and
don’t understand how today’s business-to-busi-
ness economy works.
E-mail is the same. You should be able to e-
mail quotes, send art files and in general commu- There are now a lot of software and industry
nicate this way. companies offering interactive websites that look
Your domain name is very important. When and feel like “your” site and allow the customer to
someone sees that your web address is: pick and choose shirts, upload artwork or use
www.localprovider.com/mytees.html, it tells the stock artwork, add lettering and even order online
world that you really aren’t that big. Remember, (11.9). These companies offer “stock” websites
no one can tell if you are “dog” on the internet. that you customize to look like your own.
Don’t take that literally. It just means that you There is simply no reason to not have a web-
could have a great website and be working out of site - even if it is just a page or two about your
your basement and no one would know. company. It is time to do a web search of T-Shirt
You need to register your domain name with Printers to see how the other half lives. Look at
www.GoDaddy.com or other domain name regis- other sites. Get ideas. Just don’t get depressed and
tration agency. Just do a search of the words “who think “I could never afford this.” Other than the
is” and you will find if the name you want is industry sources mentioned above - there are hun-
taken. A name of www.thebestshirts.com sounds dreds if not thousands of non-industry companies
much better. Registering a domain name is offering internet website services and most are
CHEAP so do it now! If you don’t know how, very affordable.
just call your local internet service provider.
166 CHAPTER 11
To see how the large internet marketers do it, The secret it so use key words on your website
check out www.zazzle.com, www.cafepress.com, and on your social media sites. Again, this is a big
and www.customink.com. You will find that topic that people have written books on. Just be
these companies often offer 24 to 48 hour turn- aware of it and try to learn more about it - if you
around time and get FULL RETAIL for shirts. plan to get customers from the internet.
These are companies you need to emulate if you
want to do online selling. Yellow Pages
This one may seem dated and old school - and
it will depend on your area. In some areas every-
one uses and promotes online “Yellow Page”
directories while other markets still use the tried
and true hard-copy Yellow Pages or Yellow
Social Networking Books. Find out if your competition uses these
and if so, then you need to be in the books too.
Obviously this is an area you need to think You may need to be under multiple listings
about, be on, and simply make part of your day. (even in online directories). Try to be listed under
Part of the world now revolves around Social more than one heading such as T-shirts, Sporting
Networking - and this short section only skims the Goods, Screen Printing, Advertising Specialties,
surface. There are entire books, online websites Promotional Products, etc.
and courses on this topic.
You should setup a Facebook Page, have a
Twitter account and think about what you can do Showroom
on YouTube. If you are new to these areas you If you have space or a nice location then setup
must learn more. But, if your mind draws a blank, a showroom. Start saving samples of all the things
think of this. Tell the world about things your you have printed. And, get blank samples of lots
company is doing. Are you donating shirts to a of garment styles and colors for customers to look
charity event? Brag about it. Are you having an at. It is very common to be “too close” to what
open house? Tell the world. Subscribe to other your business is. You spend all your time learning
printers Twitter accounts and see what they how to decorate a shirt but your customer is actu-
Tweet. Go on YouTube and find screen printers ally buying a garment and they need to see the
and garment decorators YouTube Channels and sizes, colors choices, etc. (11.10).
see what videos they put up. Go to your competi-
tors web pages and follow their Facebook links.
The truth is you can spend way too much time Traditional Selling
on this and not focus on traditional selling but this This is IMPORTANT and one item we are
is the new way of keeping your name out there very passionate about. Having had large sales
and it should be part of your day. departments over the years and being pretty inter-
net savvy, one thing that is very clear is the fact
Search Engines that often times new business people don’t under-
stand traditional SELLING. With everyone talk-
If you plan to find customers - or have them ing about Social Media and email blasts and web-
find you - on the internet then you need to learn a sites, the art of actually getting in your car and
little about SEO - Search Engine Optimization. making sales calls seems to get lost. There is
OK, a fancy word and a LOT of companies charg- nothing better than walking into a potential cus-
ing big money to get you high in search engines. tomer and having face time.
If someone types in Screen Printer Phoenix OK, cold calling is not your strong suit. But,
Arizona as a search criteria, and you are in you may actually have something they need. Try
Phoenix Arizona, you should try to show up high this....... take some of your printed shirt samples,
in the list. business cards, and catalogs and simply start to
11.10 A showroom is a
great place to establish
what you can do and
give the customer a
chance to see shirt sam-
ples, colors, sizes, the
wide variety of products
you sell and more. Most
garment suppliers sell
sample packs of blank
garments.
MARKETING AND SELLING 167
drive around industrial areas and small business
areas and walk in the door and say “Hi..... I have
just started a new business printing T-shirts and I
wanted to introduce myself.” Leave them a shirt
and “collateral” material (a common name for
printed matter). Get a name, number and email
address and add this to your mailing list.
Here is what you will find out. You will hear
about your competition. You will hear they don’t
need shirts today but come back next month when
they plan to sponsor a golf tournament. You will
hear your prices are WAY too high. You will hear
your prices are way too low. What you have
established is a dialog - something you would
never learn from email blasts. Trust us on this.
Make five calls per day for a week and start print-
ing orders.
Pricing Strategies 11.11 You can never
Learning More There are a number of ways to price your learn enough about
work and it may depend on the decorating Marketing and Selling.
DVD and video training courses that will help Video courses are a
method. If you are using inkjet-to-garment, then
you learn more about marketing and selling prod- great way to learn
you know you can’t do athletic uniforms, nylon
ucts are available from T-Biz Network (Courtesy T-Biz Network
jackets or other hard-to-print items. And, you will
International at www.T-BizNetwork.com. There International,
not have any real setup charges other than artwork Scottsdale, AZ.)
is also an EXCELLENT book out by industry
preparation. In fact, most people who inkjet
Veteran (and friend), Mark Venit, that is a must
directly on shirts have simple prices that are A book by industry vet-
have and available from
almost retail. Again, shop the large online internet eran, Mark Venit, The
www.TheBusinessofTShirts.com (11.11).
companies and see how they are charging. Business of T-Shirts, is
If you are a screen printer , it is a little differ- also an excellent
Price List ent. You have screens to make, films to output, a resource. (Photo cour-
press to setup and each color costs more money. tesy Groupe Stahl
You should definitely publish a price list. The Publishing, Saint Claire
price list should include prices for the basic items If you think the customer will become a regular Shores, MI)
you sell, such as T-shirts, sweats, caps, jackets, account, then by all means keep the art and screen
aprons and totes. It should also list other items charges separate. If you include them in the price,
with a “call for quotation” or some other notation then your reorder price may be a little too high.
that implies you will print almost anything. Make If the job is for a school or club, all they want
sure to use the item numbers that are in the gener- to know is how much it will cost them per shirt -
ic catalog in your price list. All of your promo- total! For these jobs, total everything including
tional materials must look like part of a total sales tax and divide by the number of shirts. This
package. way, the person in charge of placing the order can
Your price list should include your terms of collect money from each club member to cover
sales and other pertinent information. Keep it pos- the costs.
itive. Things like “$20 return check charge,” “no Many printers leave money on the table by not
collect calls” and “rush jobs 100% extra” all say charging enough markup on the garment. Don’t
that you really don’t want their business. How make this mistake. If you spend your money to
about “no order too large or small,” “we love rush buy the garments and are going to “resell” them
jobs” (of course you charge extra for them), “we to the customer, you are entitled to make a rea-
can even work from your rough sketch,” etc. sonable profit on them!
These lines tell the customer that you really want This leads us to an important point. If you get
their business and will do a great job on the order. caught in the trap of doing a lot of printing only
Putting a line on your price list like “orders (on the customer-supplied garments), you may
over 10,000 shirts by special quotation” or “cor- lose out on all of the gravy profits in this busi-
porate accounts gladly accepted with authorized ness.
purchase order” tells customers that you must be Think of ways that you can get the price you
big enough to handle and finance any size order – want even if the customer says you are too high.
you must be big and professional! Depending on Is he comparing the same quality shirts? Will
your market, these lines can also make you look your competition guarantee a specific delivery
too big. Some buyers want a little more personal date? Do you have sources for unusual garments
service that a "small" company can provide. that your competition can’t (or won’t) print on?
Also, work up prices for one-color prints on Do you offer free delivery? Be sure your cus-
your most common items. Have a separate section tomers know all the added benefits of doing busi-
for additional colors.
ness with you.
168 CHAPTER 11
How about items that cost little but give the Once you know where the market is, you need
order more perceived value? Giving the customer to see where you want to be. Try to find a middle
a couple of free baseball caps with each order for ground between the highest and lowest prices.
six dozen shirts or printing his design on a piece You don’t want to be the lowest in the business.
of cloth or test material and framing it for him is a Anyone can give work away. It is easy to look at
nice touch. You can buy a bandanna for under $1. your new business and assume you have no real
How about printing a couple of bandannas for overhead (especially if you are working out of
free? All of these items have a value to the cus- your home). But, if you think that undercutting
tomer and a very low cost to you. everyone in town is a smart thing to do, imagine
what would happen to pricing if everyone under-
Establishing Your Prices cut everyone. The market prices would start drop-
As the title of this book suggests, we are not ping and no one would make money.
only going to teach you how to print shirts, but Your goal should be to charge as much as pos-
11.12 There are excel- how to make a profit at the same time. Don’t sible and stick to your price by offering quality
lent books that detail think that just because you know the printing end and service (our two favorite points).
how to successfully means that you can skip the rest. Profit is the There are also industry specific software pro-
price your printing for name of the game, and it can easily get away from grams that have been written by screen printers
profits. (Courtesy ST you with increased overhead, uncontrolled that help figure prices for you (11.13). These pro-
Publications, growth, poor cash flow and lousy management! grams will print price lists and quotations. They
Cincinnati, OH.) And, profit is NOT a dirty word. are easy to use and well worth the expense!
Prices are one of the culprits in the “no-profit” The online industry specific pre-done websites
syndrome. How? It’s easy. Anyone can have a have built in quoting where you can adjust for the
large, busy shop by getting work on price alone. markup you want.
There’s no trick to undercutting the next guy and The simplest formula is to take an established
selling everything at reduced rates! markup on the landed cost of the shirt (including
The real trick is to know your costs and sell at freight) and add for the printing. Figure 11.14 has
a markup that will make you competitive but still average markups and printing prices that you can
give you a reasonable return on your time and start with. Remember, these figures are averages,
money. The best approach is to always try to sell so adjust them accordingly based on your area
on the quality of the product and your excellent and market conditions.
service! This way, price becomes secondary.
Your goal should be to find the right mix of Two Sample Jobs
competitive pricing and reasonable profit coupled To understand how to use the Figures in
with a complete product line. Depending on your 11.14, let’s consider a sample job of printing 24
market area, you might find that while T-shirts shirts with a three-color design. The job will be
are fairly competitive, other textile items such as printed on a white T-shirt at an average cost of $2
jackets, caps, fashion items or heat transfers are per shirt ($24 per dozen). Prices may be lower on
more profitable. other brands or depending on market conditions.
Setting your prices may not be too hard in the
beginning. But before you do, shop the competi- Shirt Cost $2.00
tion and see what the market is charging for vari- Markup of shirt cost (100%) x 2.00
ous items. By “shopping,” we mean literally call- Unprinted Shirt =$4.00
ing competitors to find out their prices without Printing first color 3.75
letting them know who you are. If you think that Printing two additional colors 3.50
this is a little unethical, keep in mind that they Quote to Customer $11.25
will also be shopping you! You shop local prices
This price DOES NOT include art preparation
to keep the market as high as it will take, not to
or screen charges - which could amount to $60.00
undercut the competitions prices – if they can get
11.13 Industry specific soft- for three screens and $60.00 in artwork and color
ware programs are avail- a good price, you can too!
separations. This adds an additional $5.00 per
able that will figure prices Some business books suggest that the only
shirt on the first order.
for you and print price lists way to establish prices is to look at the history of
Your total “gross” on the job would be around
and quotes. (Courtesy SMR how much it costs to do each job and add a rea-
$390.00 and you could create the color separa-
Software, Grand Rapids, sonable markup onto it (11.12). This is not a bad
tions hopefully in under an hour. You can coat
MN.) thing and once you have some history this method
and expose the screens, set the job up, print the
works. But in reality, it is the market that drives
shirts, tear the job down and reclaim the screens
the prices. Consequently, you must know where
in under three hours. Your “hard costs”of shirts,
your market is. Your goal then, is to determine
ink and emulsion would be less than $60.00. Not
how to make money at the established market
bad for a mornings work. The secret is to do this
prices by adjusting your overhead and production
over and over and over! Yes, you do have over-
rates accordingly. This is not to say that you
head and other costs but that’s another story.
shouldn’t know the cost of printing a shirt, but in
Now, let’s look at a larger job of 250 shirts
the beginning you will have little history or expe-
with a four-color design. The job will be printed
rience to go on.
on a white T-shirt at an average cost of $2 per
shirt ($24 per dozen).
MARKETING AND SELLING 169
Shirt Cost $2.00 very high. You may want to adjust these figures
Markup of shirt cost (100%) x 2.00 down if your market will not bear these prices. It
Unprinted Shirt =$4.00 is not really cost effective to do just one shirt but
Printing First Color 1.25 you will have customers who want to see a sam-
Printing Additional Three Colors .40 x 3 ple print first. It is wise to charge for a sample (if
Quote to Customer $6.45 you can). The high prices for small quantities
force the customer to buy a few more shirts.
Again, this price DOES NOT include art You could save money by working up your
preparation or screen charges - which could own spreadsheets, but for a few hundred dollars
amount to over $150.00 or about $.60 more per the industry specific pricing/quoting programs are
printed shirt. well work it. And, these programs are written by
Your gross on the job will be $1,612.50 for screeners who have been in the business for years
the printed shirts and $150 for the setup and art and run profitable companies.
charges, totalling $1,762.50. You will have about
$525 in hard costs for the shirts, ink and emulsion
Pricing Preprinted Shirts
and yes, if you have employees, rent, utilities and If you decide to print stock designs for the
other overhead costs you won’t make $1,000 in local market, your pricing strategy will have to be
profit for a day’s worth of work. Still....not bad! different. The best you can do is sell the shirt for
Don’t be discouraged if someone else will do about one-half of what it will go for on a retail
basis. This means that if the shirt retails for $12, 11.14 Use these
the same job for $5.00. Larger printers with auto- industry average
matic presses who buy direct from the mill are then your price would be $6 – regardless of the
number of colors or quantity you print. A retail screen prices as a
happy to make their $2.00 per shirt. It is hard to starting point until you
compete on that level, so make sure to stress your store wants to double its money (keystone) at
establish history and
quick, personal service and excellent quality. least. If your shirt has great graphics and lots of have a better feel for
You will notice in the pricing formulas that special effects like puff and foil, it may retail for what your market is
when charging for small quantities the prices are $30 and be worth $14 or $15 wholesale. charging for jobs.
Garment M/U% 250% 200% 200% 200% 100% 100% 100% 100% 80% 67% 50% 50%
Profit Margin%* 71% 67% 67% 67% 50% 50% 50% 50% 44% 40% 33% 33%
* Profit margin is figured on shirt mark-up only and is just for reference. The simple way to arrive at the marked up price of
the shirt, take the shirt landed (including freight) cost times 1.71 for one shirt, 1.50 for twelve shirts, etc. Then, simply add
the printing charges and you have the selling price (not counting the extras below).
Watch a video
If you have never heard of being so successful Customers love to see printing being done and if
about Pricing.
you go broke, try doing preprints. Yes, you can you let them give you a hand, it is a real souvenir
Part One
make money, but the cash flow in the beginning shirt. Take out a small bench model printing
will be very poor. Don’t let this be the main part press, a flash unit and watch them line up.
Running Time 12:32 of your business in the beginning. Start slow and
let it build. Where to Find Customers
Now that you know how to establish prices
Profits and are ready to go, the next question is where do
After you have been in business for awhile, you find customers? They are everywhere! This
you should take a close look at the figures to see market is so big that almost any company is a
if you are really making money or just barely prime subject for a sales call!
making wages for yourself. Look in the paper. Who is doing the most
Obviously, the company needs profits to grow
Watch a video
advertising? All those companies could be in need
and you need wages to live on. Don’t expect to
about Pricing.
of printed shirts. Look at the custom printed shirts
have a lot of profits in the beginning. And keep an you see people wearing in the malls and in stores.
Part Two
eye on overhead and costs. Every penny you save Who prints them? Call the businesses whose
in overhead can go directly to the bottom line in names are on the shirts and give them a quote.
Running Time 13:33 the form of profits!
THE
BUSINESS
This chapter covers the all important business items
that could make or break your company.
fter reading the first half of this book, bucks overnight will be sadly disappointed. The
OPERATING EXPENSES
Salaries and Employee Taxes 12%
Rent 4%
Telephone 1%
Advertising 3%
Travel 2%
Utilities 2%
Printing 1%
Postage 1%
Maintenance & Repair .3%
Office Expense .4%
Dues and Memberships .2%
Insurance .8%
Professional Fees 1.2%
Automotive Expenses 1.5%
Depreciation .5%
Interest 1%
Taxes and Licenses ?%
Reserve for Bad Debts .5%
12.2
176 CHAPTER 12
Besides the withholding, social security, Finally, recognize that key employees are
medicare and unemployment taxes, the employ- worth their weight in gold. It makes it much easi-
er’s responsibility to his employees is governed er for you to take time off or go out and make
by two laws: Minimum wage and workman’s calls when you have someone you know and trust
compensation. in the shop.
Always pay at least minimum wage and over- If you have to hire a new employee, let them
time when it is due. All it takes is one disgruntled know what is expected of them and what they can
employee to cry wolf to one of the state agencies expect of you. When firing an employee, make it
or labor relations board and you will be in for short and sweet. Do not degrade or humiliate
trouble. them in front of fellow workers.
Don’t start the bad habit of paying employees
in cash! It is so easy to do when your business is Leasing Equipment
small, but as it grows bigger, it becomes harder to
Experience shows that unless you have a solid
change. Remember that it is against the law to not track record, it may be hard to qualify for a lease.
withhold the proper taxes. Beginning business people think of leasing as an
The cost of workman’s compensation will easy way to get equipment, and equipment com-
vary depending on the amount of manual or auto- panies perpetuate this belief by running ads that
matic equipment you have. You can purchase make it all sound so easy. The fact is that leasing
workman’s compensation insurance through your is not like renting a TV for a week. A lease is a
state’s workman’s compensation fund or a private long-term contract that requires monthly pay-
insurance carrier. ments and offers no real opportunity to return the
Again, don’t mess with workman’s compensa- equipment if the business doesn’t work out. If you
tion. If any of your employees ever get hurt on the have no business credit (or poor business credit),
job – even a slight injury – and they file a com- the leasing company will want a complete finan-
plaint, you will have problems if you don’t have cial statement from you along with tax returns for
workman's compensation. the last three years .
If you have limited cash to invest, then a lease
does allow the equipment to pay for itself as you
Employee Relations use it while you use the cash for working capital.
Don’t try to win a popularity contest with your
employees. The shop should be a pleasant place The Bank
to work where your people don’t mind coming to
The bank can play a key role in your growth
work, but they should know you are the boss!
and development. Get started on the right foot.
Try to steer clear of hiring relatives and Open a separate business account. When you need
friends. In fact, it should be a rule. You can laugh references, your bank is one of the places people
now, but wait until they don’t work out – or for- will call to check if you bounce checks and keep a
get who the boss is. It is really hard to fire friends decent average balance. Start a savings account at
or relatives. the same branch–anything to get them to know
Establish definite rules and post them so every who you are and want your business.
employee knows what is expected of them. There In small communities get to know the branch
are excellent generic employee manuals that you manager and key people - and the loan officer. In
can buy and just fill in the blanks with the details larger communities with huge nationwide banks
about your company. that is harder but in many cases they have a com-
Don’t forget employee welfare. You have an mercial department with people who’s job it is to
investment in every employee you hire and train. contact small business and “sell” money.
The first word of warning is don’t bounce
Part of your job is to try and keep happy, long-
checks! Nothing is harder to erase from your
term employees. To do that, remember that
banker’s and suppliers’ memory than a bounced
employees appreciate recognition for a job well check. Granted, it does happen. But if it does, you
done and money–in that order! Don’t forget that better have a good reason. Every time you bounce
pat on the back and a few extra bucks at a check, it goes on your record at the bank.
Christmas time. Employees also like company Try to maintain a sizable balance in your
parties, picnics, etc. These activities are a good account. You may deposit $10,000 in a month,
way to get them feeling like they’re part of the but if you are writing checks for nearly that
team. amount, you may only have an average monthly
Check into group insurance plans. Work up a balance of $500! Bankers like a high average bal-
schedule of raises you can live with and let the ance.
people who work the hardest work their way up. Unfortunately, it may seem that the time a
bank wants to loan you money is when you don’t
need it! Borrowing money to start a business is
THE BUSINESS 177
possible if you have good personal credit and are type of insurance is available from your agent or
already established with the bank. Do your home- your state compensation fund. The premium is
work first! Show the banker where the money is based on the estimated yearly payroll and the rat-
going to go and explain the market. Show project- ing of the occupation. Don’t let your agent group
ed first-, second- and third-year sales. Show your all your employees into one category. The rate is
banker how you plan to pay the money back! lower for non-production workers such as artists
Your banker is a business person, but also has to and clerical help.
rely on instincts about you. Look sharp and act The only way to get the proper coverage and
like someone who knows where they are going. It afford it is to work with your agent. Tell him all
is all part of the game of borrowing money. about your business, what the risks and exposures
are and what you can realistically afford per
Insurance month. Make sure to review your policies periodi-
cally to ensure that you have adequate coverage
Insurance is necessary in any business. Why as your business grows!
work hard to build a business just to lose it in a
fire or lawsuit?
Let’s discuss the basic types of insurance you Getting Credit
will need when starting up. As your business Getting credit is part of growth. At first, no
grows, your agent can go over the other types of one may be willing to give you credit. Most sup-
policies available. Just remember one thing: pliers will want payment when you pickup the
Don’t get too carried away! Make sure your agent order or a credit or debit card.
has your welfare in mind and not just his pocket- Don’t get discouraged. Credit can be good and
book. Some agents will keep pushing and pushing bad. If you stay on a cash basis when you’re
for you to buy this or that policy. Buy what you small, you’ll always know where you stand and
can afford and need. will have a good idea whether the money in the
When starting out, your basic insurance needs bank is yours or really belongs to a supplier!
will be fire, liability, contents and workman’s If you are new in business, you may be sur-
compensation. prised by the fact that you will often get credit
based on how credit worthy you look and not on
Fire
your financial data! A large blank T-shirt supplier
Since you will be dealing with solvents and
may not give you credit while a smallsupplier of
flammable materials, you have a real “exposure”
inks will be a good start.
to fire. A fire could happen very quickly and
In today’s economy a lot of businesses use
totally wipe you out! If you are working out of
credit cards to pay bills and yes, to help finance
your house, you should increase the coverage on
things.
the “business” portion of the house or garage.
Here are a few suggestions on how to get
You might even be violating your existing home-
credit:
owner’s fire policy by conducting a business out
of a family dwelling. Don’t take a chance. Call
1. Establish good relationships with your suppli-
your insurance agent and tell him what you’re
ers. Let them know who you are and find out who
doing.
they are. Try to always place your order with the
One of your main assets will be screens and
same person. Be friendly and get to know them a
artwork. Without these, you could be out of busi-
ness. Check into a “pattern” floater policy that little. In some cases they might be able to put in a
covers the frames and artwork separately. good word for you when it's time for credit deci-
sions.
Liability
Liability insurance will cover you when some- 2. Always act in a professional manner. Know
one gets hurt in your shop and decides to sue. what you want when you order and act like you
You can generally buy a comprehensive liability know a little about the business. Buy a book of
policy that will cover most situations that might purchase orders and fill them out as you place
arise. orders. Or if using Quick Books or other software,
have it generate a PO number to give to the sup-
Contents plier. It may seem too big league if you have a
This is generally part of a total comprehensive small operation, but as we said earlier, the suppli-
package that includes fire and liability. Estimate er doesn’t know how small you are. All they
the replacement value of your shop’s contents and know is that you operate your business like a pro-
keep an eye on your growth so you can keep the fessional.
coverage adequate.
Workman’s Compensation 3. Pay your bills on time! If and when you get
As mentioned earlier, if you have employees credit, the bills will usually be due net 30, which
you must have workman’s compensation. This means you’ll have 30 days to pay from the date of
178 CHAPTER 12
invoice. If you have the money, pay early. It and allow you to invest the profits back into the
always looks good on your record. If you are business!
going to be late, call the supplier and tell them.
They respect honesty and an open line of commu-
Get a Purchase Order
nication. Whenever you do business with large corpora-
Credit is a necessary part of growth. As the tions, schools, the government or any place where
size of your orders increase, the amount of cash you are dealing with a purchasing agent or com-
on hand decreases. You’ll be constantly spending pany representative, always get a purchase order.
the profit from the last order on shirts for the next This is a legal document that binds them to pay
order. All the money will be tied up in the growth you if you deliver the goods as promised.
of the business. With credit, you’ll be able to use Customer Complaints
the supplier’s money. Generally, you will be able What if the customer is unhappy? If the ink
to buy shirts, print them, deliver them and get washed off the shirt, the solution is simple:
paid before the bill is due. Replace the entire order. If you missed a few
Your supplier will be your best source of flawed shirts when sorting, then replace them or
financing for big orders. Get them involved when offer a discount on the goods. If you miss a deliv-
you have an order you can’t handle. Tell them ery date for a shirt needed for a specific event,
what you need and see if they will work with you. you eat the shirts! You customer has no use for
them after the event.
Giving Credit What if there is a misspelling? First, find out
whose fault it is. You should have a company pol-
Giving credit is a little different than getting
icy that the customer approves all artwork. With a
it. You want to get it, but you don’t want to give
fax machine and email at hand, you can simply
it! Try to stay on a cash basis with your customers
fax or email a copy of the art and have them sign
as long as possible.
and date it to run as approved. If you made the
Here are some good rules to establish and fol-
spelling mistake, you need to replace the shirts.
low:
What if you spelled it just the way it was on their
1. Always get a 50% deposit with the order. Don’t
scrap of paper and what if you kept the scrap of
lose sight of the fact that you are a small business
paper in the file? They own the shirts! Never
person who has to buy the shirts before you get
throw away any information the customer gives
paid. You need the money – and don’t be afraid to
you. You never know when one little piece of
tell the customer so! It is customary in any cus-
paper could be worth thousands of dollars!
tom business to get a deposit. It will give you a
good relationship with the customer, too. They’ll Require Customer Approval
know you mean business, and you’ll know they Some customers are very picky. You will
will pick up the order. know who they are. Require these customers to
approve the first print. This is not that uncommon
2. If you must extend credit, try to make the terms in large shops or with big orders. Have them sign
as short as possible. Some shops have net 10 the shirt as an indicator of their approval, and
terms. You might require a 50% deposit, but give don’t lose it. Hang it at the end of the dryer for all
net 10 on the balance. employees to see and compare the prints to. It is
not uncommon to print a pre-production sample
3. Don’t be afraid to ask for money. If someone on some jobs where color matching is important
owes you money and is late in paying, call them. or it is a new account. Charge for this if you can
The person with his hand out will always get paid but don’t hold your breath. Samples are a stan-
first. dard way of doing business with many accounts
and they have grown to expect it.
The Customer Sensitive Jobs
If you are starting out on a shoestring and What do you do with the misprinted shirts for
basically have no money other than a few dollars the local police department? Don’t just throw
to buy supplies with, then getting the 50% deposit them away – someone may take them out of the
on the orders will be very useful. That money will garbage and use them as a false identification for
enable you to get off the ground and actually buy themselves. Instead, cut them up and use them as
the shirts. This is called OPM. Other People’s rags or for test prints so that no one else can use
Money! It is the formula for success used by most them. You will find certain customers have little
businessmen. Large businesses use the bank’s patience with you if you let the misprints or a few
money to keep their business going. As a small extras get out to friends or employees. If you con-
business, you will use your customer’s money. If stantly strive to do what is best for the customer,
you can keep the overhead low and do most of the you can’t go wrong.
printing yourself, then the constant deposit on
orders should keep your cash flow in good shape
THE BUSINESS 179
Trade Shows
Trade shows have become a large and viable
part of most industries. They are a place you can
meet hundreds of suppliers in one location. Trade
shows are a benefit to both the exhibitors, who
can see a lot of customers in a shorter time period,
and to buyers, who can see a wide variety of
products from different companies in just a few
days.
Most trade shows are held in major cities
around the country (12.5). Shows are generally
held in the spring (buying season for the summer)
and the fall (buying season for winter). Plan to
attend at least one trade show per year to keep up
with the latest products, trends, styles and tech-
niques. The cost to attend a show is relatively low
compared to the benefit you will gain.
Make sure to spend your trade show money
wisely. Some industry magazines sponsor small-
er, more local shows that have 50-100 exhibitors.
Other magazines, like Impressions, sponsor
shows that have 300-500 exhibitors and give you
a better chance to see more companies in one
location. And best of all, the trip is deductible!
Watch Growth
Everyone dreams of having a large shop with
lots of employees, their own secretary, a nice
office, etc. You, too, can have those things–in 12.5 Industry trade
time! Don’t be in too big of a hurry to get the shows are an excellent
icing on the cake. If you grow too fast, you may source for new suppliers
find there is no money left to pay the bills and the and information from the
hundreds of exhibitors,
next thing you know your suppliers have shut you seminars and awards
off, the IRS is asking for their money and your displays.
employees are wondering if they will get paid.
These things all have a direct bearing on service. Key industry shows are:
If you can’t get the shirts from normal channels or www.ISSShows.com
can’t get them printed, your service will suffer. It www.SGIA.org
is a vicious circle that will lead to ruin. www.NBM.com
Let the business grow naturally. Take out only www.DaxShow.com
the money you absolutely have to have. Leave the
rest in the business and try to build up a cash
reserve. In some areas of the country, T-shirts
may be seasonal. Put away a nest egg for the slow
times. If you keep an eye on growth and spending
now, you’ll get your own secretary and private
Copyright Law Overview
office later! Understanding who owns the artwork requires
an understanding of the copyright law. The
Overhead Copyright Law (known at Title 17 of the United
One of the biggest killers of new businesses is States Code) was first adopted in 1790 and has
overhead! Having a lot of employees buzzing gone through many revisions since then. The last
Watch a short
around looking real busy is great for the ego but major change went into effect January 1, 1978
video of a recent
hard on the checkbook. Try to do as much of the with minor revisions in 1989 and more current
video of a recent
you generally have two classes of artists: In-house
reality. We might also call this the twilight zone.
1.________________________________________________________
2.________________________________________________________
3.________________________________________________________
4.________________________________________________________
The undersigned warrants originality, authorship and ownership of the work, that it
has not been heretofore used or published, and that its use or publication will not infringe
upon any copyright, proprietary or other right.
_______________________________ ______________________________________
Witness Artist (Print Name)
_______________________________ ______________________________________
Date Address
______________________________________
______________________________________
City
______________________________________
State ZIP
______________________________________
Phone Fax
______________________________________
Date
______________________________________
Artist Signature
12.6
184 CHAPTER 12
better somewhere else, all they get is the small
business card.
You own the mechanical items, like the screen
frame, films, separations, vellums, drawings and
graphics. The customer may own what is on these
items, but you own the physical items.
Invoicing Is Important
The key to having less confusion is to write
invoices properly. You need to specify “screen
set-up,” “screen preparation,” “artwork prepara-
tion” or “color separation labor.” This way, you
are just charging for the labor and not for the
physical piece.
What if the Customer Claims He Owns
12.8 The bookstore the Work?
carries dozens of
books about the busi- What if the customer brings you a design to
ness and legal side of print but doesn’t really own the rights? This can
doing artwork. happen very easily and if the design is not well
known, you are the innocent infringer.
answer specific questions, but will not give legal Number 22 of the Trade Standards is called an
advice. indemnification. This is also known as a “hold
You will probably not want to copyright every harmless” agreement. Basically, the customer is
design. Some you will create for the customer and guaranteeing that he has the rights to the design
gladly give the rights to them. Others that you and will hold you harmless if there is a lawsuit.
invest a lot of time in may be worth copyrighting. You should also get a written representation that
Some designs you will just want to place the he does have the rights if you are in doubt.
copyright notice on and others you will want to
file for better protection. If you have specific
What if You Change a Design Slightly
questions about the process, consult a copyright, We could take up this entire book talking
patent or trademark attorney. There are also about copyrights. In a nutshell, it is a misconcep-
excellent books on the business side of artwork tion that if you change a design 20% then you are
that are available at bookstores, art stores or not breaking the law. In general, what the
industry suppliers (12.8) and there is a wealth of Copyright Law states is that under a “side-by-
information online. side” comparison, are there “substantial similari-
ties.” This means that if you alter a design just
Who Owns the Artwork, Separations, 20%, then 80% of it is a knock-off!
Computer Graphics and Screens? By no means are we implying that you should
Other than the Copyright Law, the industry is copy someone else’s work. We are just trying to
governed by what is known as the Trade clear the air on the “20%” rule. There is no 20%
Standards. These are the established standards rule!
that are used by the printing industry. Figure 12.9 Here are key points to follow:
shows a modified version of the standards that are 1. Always purchase all rights to designs
used by the National Association of Printers and from freelance artists unless you have a license or
Lithographers. These standards have been royalty arrangement with them.
changed slightly to include items of particular 2. Put the copyright notice on every
interest to screen printers. piece of artwork you purchase or create. This
If you look at Number 4 and Number 6 you includes design sketches, proofs, comps, etc. Just
will see that basically you own everything unless get a rubber stamp made that you can use to
otherwise agreed to in writing. Unfortunately, “notice” everything!
customers often think they own everything 3. If you occasionally contract out your
because they paid you for something and expect printing to outside screen printers, make sure that
something in return. What they actually pay you you have a written agreement that states you are
for is your labor to make the screen, create com- buying all rights to designs they do for you and
puter graphics, do the color separations, etc. you are purchasing the color separations, comput-
All customers really own is what they brought er file, etc. They may or may not want you to pur-
you. If they initially came with a small business chase the screen (if they reclaim or use retension-
card, then when they leave because the price is able frames), so you want to have it understood
THE BUSINESS 185
SETTING UP
A SHOP
This chapter covers important points about setting up
your shop with an emphasis on Screen Printing.
kay, you have read this entire book ing system, screen developing area with running
Watch a video
Especially if you are going to go into screen print- If you want to really start small you could buy
Shop Tour.
ing or simply applying heat transfers. Now it’s a heat transfer press, special heat transfer paper,
time to set up shop and do it (13.1). and a computer and you could start printing shirts
Part One
today.
Equipment and Supply The same goes for direct-to-garment printing.
All you need is a printer, heat transfer press, com-
Running Time 7:25
Needs puter, software and customers!
In simple terms, you could get into the T-shirt Screen printing requires more equipment and
screen printing business by buying just one can be started at different levels of investment.
screen, a quart of photoemulsion, one squeegee, a The next four pages show what kind of invest-
quart of ink and use sunlight to expose the screen ment it would take to set up four different types
and your oven to cure the shirts! To operate on a of screen printing shops. Keep in mind that the
more professional basis, however, you will need dollar figures only cover screen printing equip-
printing equipment and supplies. The amount of ment and supplies – not computers, office furni-
Watch a video
money you need to spend on these items will vary ture, equipment or supplies. You may need addi-
Shop Tour.
greatly depending on your production goals and tional money for initial operating expenses, pro-
Part Two
ingenuity. Some equipment can be built, while motion and working capital.
other items will have to be purchased. In general,
Running Time 8:17
every shop will need a press, dryer, screen expos-
THE STARTER
Screen Printing Shop
This is about as small as you can go. It is designed for the person with practically no money who is
looking for a part time business that will need a lot of nurturing to make it into a full-time venture.
Realistically, the low-budget shop will only be able to handle one-color work using air-dry inks. This can be
very limiting because most printing done in the industry is multicolor with plastisol inks that must be heat
cured. The high-budget starter shop has the capability of doing multicolor work with plastisol inks. All of the
equipment is homemade or used and will be adequate for someone starting out. Supplies costs are based on
small quantities of basic items that have to be replenished after just a few orders.
With an additional $200-500 in equipment modifications, the starter shop could also handle nylon jackets
and baseball caps. By adding heat-transfer paper to the high-budget list of supplies, the starter shop could
print heat transfers on either a one- or four-color press.
You could operate either one of these setups out of a small room or bedroom that has a minimum of 100 sq
ft (10 x 10-ft room). You would also need a separate screen washout area that has running water. This could
be a shower or an outdoor garden hose.
SETTING UP A SHOP 191
THE SEMI-PROFESSIONAL
Screen Printing Shop
This set-up relies on less homemade equipment and more professionally manufactured items. It also
offers the capability of handling baseball caps and nylon jackets along with multicolor prints on shirts.
The quality of the prints will be better with professional equipment because it is manufactured to closer
tolerances. Professional equipment will also hold its value if you want to sell it. Because the amount of
equipment and supplies listed for the semi-professional shop is greater, this setup has more flexibility in
the quantity and type of orders it can produce. If you can find a deal on used equipment - great!
Although you could set up this type of shop in a small room, using a larger area such as a one-car
garage would be better because of the increased work space. A 300-500 sq ft room will suffice if extra
space is available elsewhere for an office and art department or for computer graphics.
This setup could support a full-time business if there was enough work. It has the capability of growing
and possibly seeing a profit in a matter of months. The printing press can be a single station for economy
or a multi-station for the high end. The production rate for four-color work will be around 6-8 dozen shirts
per hour with one or two people working. With a one-station press, a flash-curing unit will handle the low
production easily.
192 CHAPTER 13
THE PROFESSIONAL
Screen Printing Shop
This shop has everything that is needed to do all types of work including tight registration multicolor jobs.
The professional shop can do almost any type of work from one-color to multicolor T-shirts, nylon jackets,
baseball caps, heat transfers and more. Because of the speed tables on the press and the conveyor dryer,
the production rate can be as high as 10-12 dozen multicolor prints per hour or 20-30 dozen one-color prints
per hour.
This shop needs at least 400-500 sq ft for the equipment and up to 1,000 sq ft for adequate work room
and storage. The art/computer department could just fit on top of an office desk, but ideally it should have its
own room.
SETTING UP A SHOP 193
THE COMPLETE
Screen Printing Shop
The following list includes all the equipment and supplies needed to handle all types
of jobs without having to use any outside services.
With a six-color press, large dryer and complete computer graphics setup, this shop is completely self-
contained. Because of the size of the equipment, at least 1,000 sq ft will be necessary and preferably
2,000-3,000 sq ft to allow for adequate work space and room for storage and offices.
If you can afford it - upgrade to an 8-color press to be able to handle any type of job.
194 CHAPTER 13
The days of just wiping a screen with paint You will also find a number of books on how
thinner and throwing the rag away are over! This to have a safer workplace (13.7). This is a very
is against the law. You should try to minimize the important area that will see increased legislation
use of solvents in your shop and instead use drain and regulation. Take the time to find out about the
safe water to washups on screens. If you must state and county laws affecting your business.
wipe a screen with solvent, then your best bet
may be to run the rag through the dryer when fin-
ished. This will dry the wet ink and cause the sol-
vent to evaporate.
Many areas now regulate the amount of
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC's) you release
into the air through solvent evaporation and cur-
ing. In some states, you need to actually get a per-
mit for each printing press and dryer.
A common practice is to rent rags from a ser-
vice and let them be responsible for taking care of
the hazardous waste you generate! However, you
are ultimately responsible for the waste you gen- 13.5 A material safety
erate, so be careful in selecting a provider. data sheet tells you
For additional information about these laws, about each chemical
you use and how to
consult your local supplier and local and state safely handle the
agencies. Also, SGIA has a number of products chemical. You should
on health and safety. have an MSDS for
each chemical you
have on the premises.
198 CHAPTER 13
13.6 Prepackaged Many shops have a wet side and a dry side.
programs are available Work Flow This means that all ink, screen making and messy
that will help you come If you set up your shop in your garage or a
into compliance with items are in one part of the shop and all shirts,
small room, then you have limited layout options.
the OSHA Right-to- receiving, shipping and packaging is in the other.
Know Hazard Obviously, you want to have the press by the
The placement of your washout sink may be
Communication dryer, the squeegees near the ink and the cleanup
dictated by the water and drain source–typically
Standard. area near the ink and press.
near a restroom. You will also definitely need a
www.SGIA.org If you have more space, then think about how
darkroom where you can coat and store screens.
the work will flow. The shirts coming in need to
The ink and cleanup area may need to be near a
be staged near the press before you print them.
door to allow for ventilation and easy access if
After they are printed, they need to be packaged
there is a fire. Figure 13.8 and 13.9 show floor
and then shipped.
plans for a small and large shop.
13.7 A number of
books are available
that provide informa-
tion on how to have a
safer shop.
SETTING UP A SHOP 199
13.8
200 CHAPTER 13
13.9
SETTING UP A SHOP 201
SUPPLIER
LISTINGS
The following section lists most of the major industry suppliers. For a detailed listing
by product consult one of the buyers’ guides published by the trade magazines.
This listing has been compiled from industry trade magazines, online directories
and catalogs. There is no guarantee of accuracy. Most major manufacturers will
supply a list of their dealer network so you can find who carries the brand you like
in your area.
Important note: When looking at suppliers of garments you will generally see retail
prices for the goods on their websites. This is to prevent your customer from know-
ing what you are paying wholesale. You will have to setup an account or register
with these suppliers to be able to have access to their wholesale prices. Setting up
an account or registering does not mean you have to qualify for credit. That would
be through a credit application process. Setting up an account will mean they may
ask for information to verify you are in fact a legitimate company or person who
needs to buy at wholesale. This could mean giving your EIN number, local or state
business license number, etc.
When calling these suppliers - please tell them you saw their listing in HOW TO
PRINT T-SHIRTS FOR FUN AND PROFIT!
204 APPENDIX A – SUPPLIER LISTING
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www.ActionIllustrated.com T-shirt ClipArt Online design and web store
3795 Hwy 9
Advanced Artist Cedar Bluff, AL 35959 Fast Manager
206 Clinton St 256 779 6132 6901 Okeechobee Blvd. #D5/J19
Oriskany www.TshirtClipart.com West Palm Beach, FL 33411
New York 13424 888 728 8718
888 388 9253 Vector Art Media 561 207 7677
www.AdvancedArtist.com Stadionului Street No.2 Bloc M3 www.fastmanager.com
www.AdvancedTShirts.com Postal Code : 800635 Shop management software
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Albuquerque, NM 87111
Clipart.com/Getty Images 800 410 3048
122 S. Michigan Avenue Suite 900 www.InkSoft.com
COLOR SEPARATIONS
Chicago, IL 60603 Online design and web store
800 482 4567
www.clipart.com PriceIt Software
Monster Graphics 747 Putney Rd.
Digital Art Solutions dba Smart Designs www.MonsterGraphics.com Brattleboro, VM 05301
2090 E. University Dr. Suite 103 802 257 5188
Tempe, AZ 85281 Net Seps 800 845 5188
480 968 7121 825 Capitolio Way www.priceitsoftware.com
800 959 7627 San Luis Obispo, CA 93401 Shop management software
www.digitalartsolutions.com 805 541 1521
www.NetSeps.com Scott M. Ritter Software
Extreme Clipart 32 N.W. 4th St.
Dallas, TX T-Biz Network International, LLC Grand Rapids, MN 55744
469 348 5016 14747 N. Northsight Blvd. Suite 111-402 218 326 0890
www.ExtremeClipart.com Scottsdale, AZ 85260 www.smrsoftware.com
888 801 1561 Price quotation program
Great Dane Graphics 480 212 1078
1774 Orleans St., Mandeville, LA 70448 www.T-BizNetwork.com Shopworks L.L.C.
800 829 0836 1655 Palm Beach Lakes Blvd. Suite 640
www.greatdanegraphics.com West Palm Beach, FL 33401
561 491 6000
Monkey Boy Graphix www.shopworx.com
1442 US HWY 180 E Shop management software
Breckenridge, TX 76424
325 665 7398 T-Biz Network International, LLC
www.monkeyboygraphix.com 14747 N. Northsight Blvd. Suite 111-402
Scottsdale, AZ 85260
Rival Art 888 801 1561
800 383 5266 480 212 1078
www.RivalArt.com www.T-BizNetwork.com
T-RIP Software RIP, T-Seps Color Seps
APPENDIX A – SUPPLIER LISTING 205
LICENSING, TRADEMARK & EMULSION EQUIPMENT
COPYRIGHT MANUFACTURERS MANUFACTURERS - SCREEN
PRINTING AND
Collegiate Licensing Co. Chromaline Corp. RELATED ITEMS
320 Interstate North, Suite 102 4832 Grand Ave.
Atlanta, GA 30339 Duluth, MN 55807 The following is a list of equipment manu-
770 956 0520 218 628 2217 facturers. Many of them sell everything
www.clc.com 800 328 4261 from screen printing presses, to conveyor
www.chromaline.com dryers, exposure units and more. Most sell
The Licensing Book through Screen Printing supply dealers.
Adventure Publishing Group Inc. Kiwo, Inc. Contact listing to find closest distributor.
1501 Broadway Suite 500 1929 Marvin Circle
New York, NY 10036, Seabrook, TX 77586 Anatol Equipment Manufacturing
212 575 4510 281 474 9777 Company
www.licensingbook.com 800-KIWO-USA 1397 Barclay Blvd.
www.kiwo.com Buffalo Grove, Il 60089
Licensing Industry Merchandisers Assoc. 866 426 2865
350 5th Ave. #2309 MacDermid Autotype www.Anatol.com
New York, NY 10118 1675 Winnetka Circle
212 244 1944 Rolling Meadows, IL 60008 Antec Incorporated
212 563 6552 800-323-0632 1820 Broadway
www.licensing.org www.MacDermidAutotype.com Charlottesville, VA 22903
434 979 2600
U.S. Copyright Office Murakami Screen U S A Inc. 800 552 6832
101 Independence Ave. 745 Monterey Pass Road www.antecinc.com
Washington, DC 20559-6000 Monterey Park, CA 91754
202 707 3000 Public Information 323 980 0662 A.W.T. World Trade, Inc.
202 707 9100 Forms Hotline 800 562 3534 4321 N. Knox Ave.
(ask for package #115) www.murakamiscreen.com Chicago, IL 60641
www.copyright.gov 773 777 7100
SAATI Print www.awt-gpi.com
(Address to return forms & applications) P.O. Box440 Rt. 100
Registrar of Copyrights Somers, NY 10589 Black Body Corp.
Copyright Office 914 232 7781 1526 Fenpark
Library of Congress 800 431 2200 Fenton, MO 63026
101 Independence Ave. www.saati.com 800 654 4205
Washington, D.C. 20559-6000 www.BBCind.com
Standard Screen Supply Corp
U.S. Patent & Trademark Office 121 Varick St. Brown Manufacturing Group
Arlington, VA 22202 New York, NY 10013 4661 Stafford Ave. S.W.
703 308 9000 212 627 2727 Wyoming, MI 49548
www.uspto.gov 800 221 2697 616 249 0200
www.standardscreen.com www.brownmfg.net
SCREEN PRINTING
1442 N. Emerald Ave. 149 Lomita St.
Modesto, CA 95352 El Segundo, CA 90245
209-526-9312 310 414 4122 General items, i.e., frames, fabric, ink and
800-932-9312 800 421 9910 squeegees. Many of these companies
www.hopkins-bwm.com www.ranar.com also act as distributors for major lines of
equipment. Unless noted these suppliers
Kiwo, Inc. Riley Hopkins Promotions Limited pretty much carry it all.
1929 Marvin Circle Box 1727
Seabrook, TX 77586 Gig Harbor, WA 98335 AA Screen Printing Supplies
281 474 9777 800-KIWO-USA 253-851-9078 1087 S. Marietta Pkwy SE
www.kiwo.com www.rileyhopkins.com Marietta, GA 30060
Specializing in emulsions and DTS 678 581-5559
machines Saturn Rack Company 800 334 4513
PO Box 2342 www.aasps.com
Lawson Screen & Digital Products Inc. Kennesaw, GA 30144
5110 Penrose St. 770 499 7333 Advanced Screen Technology
St. Louis, MO 63115 www.saturnrack.com 619 S. Hacienda Dr. #1
314 382 9300 Tempe, AZ 85281
800 325 8317 TAS America 480 858 9804
www.lawsonsp.com 28008 Harrison Pkwy. 877 509 7600
Valencia, CA 91355 www.advancedscreen.com
Livingston Systems 661 295 9330
10 Paul Foulke Parkway 800 321 5747 Albatross USA, Inc.
Hagerstown, IN 47346 www.tasamerica.com 36-41 36th St.
465 489 4359 Long Island City, NY 11106
800 624 4381 Vastex International, Inc. 718 392 6272
www.livingstonsystems.com 1032 N. Irving St. 800 233 4468
Allentown, PA 18109 www.albatross-usa.com
M & R Printing Equipment, Inc. 610 434 6004 Spot removal products
1 North 372 Main St. 800 482 7839
Glen Ellyn, IL 60137 www.vastex.com All American Supply
630 858 6101 495 E. Erie Ave.
800 736 6431 Workhorse Products Philadelphia PA 19134 USA
www.mrprint.com Workhorse, Tuff Products, Progressive 215 634 2235
Equipment www.screenprintsupply.com
Printa Systems Inc. 3730 E. Southern Ave.
127 10th St. S. Phoenix, AZ 85040 American-Niagara/Tee Squares
Kirkland, WA 98033 602 437 2305 div of Apparel Sourcing Group, Inc.
425 828 8933 800 778 8779 6690 Jones Mill Court - Bldgs. A & B
800 601 6240 www.workhorseproducts.com Norcross, Georgia 30092 USA
www.printa.com 770-441-5900
800-241-7708
www.American-Niagara.com
www.American-Closeouts.com
Chemicals, spotting fluids, test materials
APPENDIX A – SUPPLIER LISTING 207
American Screen Supply Commercial Screen Supply
4141 E. Raymond Street Suite G 6 Kiddie Dr. Garment Decorating Supply
Phoenix, AZ 85040 Avon, MA 02322 0112 PO Box 19586
602 437 5231 508 583 2300 Fountain Hills, AZ 85269
www.americanscreensupply.com 800 227 1449 800 217 7452
www.commercialscreen.com www.garmentdecoratingsupply.com
Atlas Supply Co. Garston Inc.
9353 Seymore Ave. Denco Sales - Denver 21 Parkridge Rd.
Schiller Park, IL 60176 55 S. Yuma Haverhill, MA 01835
847 233 0515 Denver, CO 80229 978 374 0600
800 621 4173 303-733-0607 800 328 7775
www.atlasscreensupply.com 877-443-3626 www.garston.com
www.dencosales.com
A.W.T. World Trade, Inc. Graphic Horizons Inc.
4321 N. Knox Ave. Denco Sales - Fresno 1924 W Albany Street
Chicago, IL 60641 5447 East Lamona PO Box 470544
773 777 7100 Fresno, CA 93727 Tulsa OK 74147 USA
714-279-0901 918 251 7882
www.awt-gpi.com
www.dencosales.com www.graphichorizonsinc.com
Calibrated Screenprinting Service
Dick Blick Graphic Supply
2226 N. Wilson Rd
P.O. Box 1267 1131 South 71st E.Avenue
Columbus, Oh 43228
Galesburg, IL 61402-1267 Tulsa, OK 74112-5610
888 709 5684
800 828 4548 Order Line 918 836 6524
www.calibratedsps.com
309 343 5785 (Fax) 800 234 0765
800 723 2787 Customer Service www.graphicsupplyinc.com
Casey's Page Mill Ltd.
800 933 2542 Product Information
6528 S. Oneida Court Independent Print Supplies
www.dickblick.com
Englewood, CO 80111-4617 288 Moutardier Shores
303 220 1463 Equipment Zone, Inc. Leitchfield, KY 42754
800 544 5620 17-20 Willow Street 855 270 1119
www.caseyspm.com Fair Lawn, NJ 07410 270 426 9292
Vellum and inkjet film only 201-797-1504 www.IndependentPrintSupplies.com
www.equipmentzone.com
Chemical Consultants International Machine Group Inc.
1850 Wild Turkey Circle Fassi Equipment 3315 East Miraloma, Suites 117-119
Corona, CA 92880 4580 N. Hiatus Road Anaheim, CA 92806
951 735 5511 Sunrise, FL 33351 714-223-0464
800 753 5095 305 688-3141 888-652-4464
www.ccidom.com www.fassiequipment.com www.imachinegroup.com
TRADE ORGANIZATIONS
Fairfax, VA 22031 Printers Association
703-385-1335 7a West Street, Reigate
888 385 3588 Surrey, RH2 9BL, UK
www.sgia.org Advertising Specialty Institute +44 (0)1737 240788
1120 Wheeler Way www.fespa.com
Langhorne, PA 19047
NUMBERING STENCILS
800 326 7378 Imprinted Sportswear Shows
www.asicentral.com 1145 Sanctuary Pkwy.
Alpharetta, GA 30004
Paper stencils and numbering systems are FESPA - Federation of European Screen 770 569 1540
available from some screen printing supply Printers Association 800 241 9034
companies. 7a West Street, Reigate www.issshows.com
Surrey, RH2 9BL, UK
+44 (0)1737 240788 Promotional Products Association
CANADA
Imprint Canada BRAZIL
Tristan Communications Auge Silk & Sign
190 Marycroft Ave., Unit 16 Praça Júlio de Mesquita, 68
Woodbridge, Ontario Loja 22
L4L 5YS São Paulo SP 01209-010 Brazil
905 856 2600 5511 6813 2333
877 895 7022 www.augesilk.com.br
www.imprintcanada.com
Texpal Química Ltda.
FRANCE Via Anhanguera, Km 86
C-Mag J. Joapiranga
BP 1072 Valinhos SP 13278-600 Brazil
69202 LYON CEDEX 01 5519 3881 7990
FRANCE www.texpal.com.br
+33(0) 478-304-173
www.C-Mag.fr
CANADA
GERMANY CMB Services
Sip Magazine 1728 Crately Court
Verlagshaus Gruber GmbH Mississauga Ontario L5N 7L5 Canada
Urberacher Straße 2 416 878 1459
D-64859 Eppertshausen www.cmbservices.ca
+49 (0) 6071 3941-0
www.sip-online.de
APPENDIX A – SUPPLIER LISTING 217
Cosmex Graphics FRANCE GUATEMALA
491 Rue Deslauriers Alexandre Frezal Numerique Distribuidora Serigrafica
Ville St.-Laurent H4N 1V8 Route De Castelmaurou CALZADA ATANASIO TZUL, 22 00
Quebec, Canada Beaupuy 31850 ZONA 12, Empresarial el Cortijo #2,
514 745 3446 France Warehouse 221-223
800 263 1173 05.34.26.13.95 Guatemala City, Guatemala 01012
www.cosmexgraphics.com www.frezalnumerique.fr 502 4150 7981 phone
SPAIN
Tintas Dubuit S.A.
C/. Las Planas, 1
Pol. Ind. Fontsanta
08970 Sant Joan Despi Barcelona
34 93 477 09 90
www.tintasdubuit.net
SWEDEN
Clubshop AB
Orangerigatan 2
Norrköping S-602 22 Sweden
46 11 131617
www.clubshop.se
THAILAND
PSI Marketing Co.Ltd.
68/55-56 Kingkaew Rd. Rajatheva
Bangplee Samut Prakan, 10540
2 738 8400
psiscreen.com
TURKEY
Art Digital
Istanbul,Turkey
www.ms-powerjet.com
220 APPENDIX A
APPENDIX A – SUPPLIER LISTING 221
Contact:______________________________________________________________
Address:______________________________________________
Phone:___________________ Fax:________________________
E-mail:________________________________________
Web Address:__________________________________
FORMS AND
CHARTS
The following section contains scanner-ready forms and wall charts
that will help you run your business better.
224 APPENDIX B – FORMS AND CHARTS
APPENDIX B – FORMS AND CHARTS 225
PRODUCTION SCHEDULE
PRODUCTION DUE CUSTOMER NAME JOB NAME JOB CHECK AS COMPLETED
DATE DATE NO.
GARMENTS INK ART SCREENS PRINTING RUSH COMMENTS
226 APPENDIX B – FORMS AND CHARTS
SCREEN EXPOSURE CHART
LIGHT EXPOSURE
MESH DIRECT EMULSION CAPILLARY DIRECT FILM DESIGN FILM SOURCE TIME
COATING
COUNT COLOR TYPE BRAND COLOR TECHNIQUE TYPE THICKNESS BRAND COLOR AVERAGE DETAILED CLEAR FROSTED
APPENDIX B – FORMS AND CHARTS
227
228 APPENDIX B – FORMS AND CHARTS
_________________________________
_________________________________
ART TIME________________________ Design Size________________________ Design Size________________________
OTHER COSTS____________________ Location__________________________ Location__________________________
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
PHONE FAX
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
IMPORTANT! FOR CONSISTENT CURING AND DRYING.....FILL OUT ALL INFORMATION AND POST NEAR DRYER
APPENDIX B – FORMS AND CHARTS 233
234 APPENDIX B – FORMS AND CHARTS
MESH
CONVERSION
Threads Threads
to to
inches cm.
25 . . . . .10
30 . . . . .12
37 . . . . .15
45 . . . . .18
54 . . . . .21
60 . . . . .24
63 . . . . .25
74 . . . . .29
76 . . . . .30
83 . . . . .32
85 . . . . .34
92 . . . . .36
96 . . . . .38
103 . . . . .40
110 . . . . .43
115 . . . . .45
123 . . . . .48
131 . . . . .51
137 . . . . .54
148 . . . . .58
156 . . . . .61
163 . . . . .64
173 . . . . .68
186 . . . . .73
195 . . . . .77
206 . . . . .81
215 . . . . .85
230 . . . . .90
240 . . . . .95
254 . . . . .100
280 . . . . .110
305 . . . . .120
330 . . . . .130
355 . . . . .140
381 . . . . .150
409 . . . . .161
420 . . . . .165
457 . . . . .180
495 . . . . .195
508 . . . . .200
APPENDIX B – FOUR-COLOR PRINTER PLANS 235
4-Color
Printer
Plans
The following pages have plans for a 4-color printer that you can build for around $150. Since we
first introduced these plans in 1978 there have been literally thousands of these printers built.
236 APPENDIX B – FOUR-COLOR PRINTER PLANS
Top View
Without turntable.
General Description
This printer consists of a 24 in. (60.96 cm) base
supported with legs, with two shirt platens projecting
out from the base on two sides.
On top of this base is a turntable or lazy suzan that
allows four screens to rotate freely above the
platens.
Materials List
Drawing Quan. Size Material Description
No.
1 1 24 x 24 in. (60.96 x 60.96 cm) 3/4 in. (1.91 cm) Plywood Base
2 1 12 x 12 in. (30.48 x 30.48 cm) 3/4 in. (1.91 cm) Plywood Turntable support
3 2 30 in. (76.2 cm) 2 x 4 in. (5.08 x 10.16 cm) Wooden platen support
4 2 12 x 16 in. (30.48 x 40.64 cm) 5/8 in. (1.60 cm) Plywood Shirt platen
5 1 24 x 24 in. (60.96 x 60.96 cm) 3/4 in. (1.91 cm) Plywood Turntable
(8 sides)
6 4 pr. Jiffy Hinges Screen holder
7 1 8 to 10 in. (20.32 to 25.4 cm) Lazy Susan turntable Bearing to allow center to rotate
8 4 12 in. (30.48 cm) Screen door spring or bungee Holds screen up
9 4 4 in. (10.16 cm) C-Clamp To hold registration guide in place
10 4 2 in. (5.08 cm) Metal angle Registration guide
11 4 Box nails or screws Screen stop
Assorted wood screws or nails for assembly
APPENDIX B – FOUR-COLOR PRINTER PLANS 237
Top View
With turntable and two screens in place.
3. Attach #1 - 2 - 3 to base. Make sure platen With the screen in the down position, place the angle
supports (3) are attached firmly to top (1). Any “give” under the end of the screen so it is touching the platen
here will cause a slight shadow print. support (2 x 4). Secure the angle in this position with
the C-clamp.
4. Attach shirt platen to support from the bottom
with wood screws. To hold the screen up, hook the screen door spring
or bungee cord to the side of the screen. (The spring
5. Attach a “lazy susan” bearing to base (2). You may pull the screen to the side slightly so use a sturdy
can also use a bar stool bearing or turntable bearing. wood frame or retensionable aluminum frames.)
These all come as a unit that is ready to be screwed
in place. CAUTION: Whatever you use should have The screen should now register in the exact same
no SIDEWAYS play! Any extra sideways play will place each time it is in the down position.
cause problems in registering the screens.
Now, make the black “line-up” print as described in
The thickness or height of the bearing should be the book and then rotate the turntable one position,
between ½ to 1 in. (2.54 to 5.08 cm). The top of the counter-clock-wise.
turntable (5) has to turn freely over the platen sup-
port (3). When the hinges are attached, they should Attach the second screen (3rd color to be printed)
be the same height as the platen. If the bearing is and line this up on the first print. Tighten the jiffy
too short, add an extra filler under the platen. hinges on it and while holding it in register, place the
angle and C-clamp on the end. Attach the spring to the
6. Attach top turntable (5) to “lazy susan”. side of this screen.
7. Screw all jiffy hinges in place. As with the black screen, this screen should line-up
in the exact position every time it is down!
8. Hammer a box nail (12) in line with the edge of
the jiffy hinge. This will keep the screen from going Repeat the above steps with the other two screens
up too far when in the up position. and the run is set-up, ready to go.
9. Screw the hooks (11) to the turntable and to the Using 2 platens is a must for maximum production.
screens to be used for the job.
A minimum of two people – one printing, and one
(Note: Jiffy Hinges are special screen holding loading and unloading shirts is ideal. While the printer
hinges that are only available from screen print sup- is printing on one platen, the other person is unloading
ply companies. They range in price from $15 to $30 and re-loading the other.
per pair.)
Using the two person method, average production
This printer is similar in design to the “inexpensive” should range between 9 - 12 dozen per hour depend-
printer shown on page 69 of this book. ing on the difficulty of the design and the speed and
endurance of the printers!
The following Glossary contains words and phrases that are commonly used in the garment
printing industry. Some words have two meanings, depending on what area of the process is
being discussed. In the case of double meanings, the process that the definition pertains to is
in parenthesis.
Acetone A solvent that is often an ingredient of Build-up (Screen Making) A board that is slight-
lacquer thinner and can be used to remove knife- ly smaller than the inside dimension of the screen
cut lacquer-adhered stencils or lacquer blockouts. frame used to hold indirect or direct stencils in
place during adhering.
Actinic Light Light energy in the ultraviolet
through blue regions where photostencils are sen- Buildup (Printing) The sticking of ink to the bot-
sitive. tom of screens when printing wet-on-wet.
Chalking A condition that exists when the ink is Copy Artwork, copy or other items that are to
not properly bound to the substrate and can be be used for a computer scan.
easily rubbed off.
Copyright The right to prohibit others from
Chase A common term for a metal self-tension- copying works of art, books or designs.
ing frame used to hold screen fabric.
Courses The horizontal lines of thread in knit-
Chlorinated Solvents Solvents made up of car- ted material.
bon, hydrogen and chlorine or carbon and chlo-
rine with a high solvent strength for oils and fats. Crocking The wearing off of a print when
rubbed.
Choke The reduction of image edges without
changing the proportion of the image. Generally Crosslinking The joining together of long
done with a camera process or with computer chains of molecules causing an ink or substance
graphics. to solidify.
Clip Art Artwork that is copyright free and roy- Curing A reaction - usually chemical - within
alty free for use in a design. an ink that promotes polymerization.
Clogging The drying of ink in the screen. Curved Screen Special screens that are used to
print on baseball caps or other curved objects.
Coater A special trough for holding emulsion
and coating it on screens. Cyan A specific blue color that is one of the
three subtractive primary pigment colors.
Cold-Peel Transfer A plastisol heat transfer
that is peeled after the paper has cooled. Cold-
peel transfers generally have a rubbery feel.
Dot The individual components of a halftone. Enlargement The increase in size of artwork.
Dot Gain The spreading or gaining in size of Epoxy A very generic term for thermosetting
dots during or after they are printed. resins that have strong adhesive power.
DPI Dots-per-inch. Used to denote the resolu- Exposure (Photography) The act of allowing
tion of output devices like imagesetters, laser light to reach the light-sensitive film. (Screen
printers and inkjet printers. Also used to denote Making) The act of allowing light to reach the
the number of pixels per inch for a scanned light-sensitive photostencil (with a film positive
image. or vellum in place).
Drop Shadow The effect of making a letter or Exposure Calculator A device used to deter-
piece of artwork appear three dimensional by giv- mine the correct exposure time of stencils.
ing it a shadow.
Exposure Time The amount of time the light is
Drying Changing a wet material such as ink or allowed to expose the film or photostencil on the
emulsion into a solid by removing or setting the screen.
liquid.
Exposure Unit A self-contained system that has
Drying In The effect of ink that dries in the a light source and a method of securing the
screen thus causing a loss of detail. screen.
DTG See “Direct-to-Garment.” Extender Base The base of an ink (without pig-
ment). Usually used to increase the volume of an
Durometer The measure of hardness of rubber ink. Also called “Extender,” “Transparent Base”
as in squeegee blades. When applied to screen and “Halftone Base.”
printing, the durometer is measured on the Shore
A scale.
G
E Ganging Combining multiple art pieces in the
art file or when exposing a screen combining
Electrostatic Flocking The use of an electrosta- multiple designs/images on one screen.
tic charge to drive flock fibers into an adhesive
that has been printed on a substrate. Ghosting A double image in a print.
Elliptical Dots Halftone dots that are oval Gray Scale A tool or guide with various tonal
shaped. ranges that is used to check the reproduction
accuracy of a a film output device or scanner.
Emulsion A photosensitive coating that is used
as the stencil material for screens.
242 GLOSSARY
H I
Halation (Screen Making) The reflection of Imprinting Making a print on a substrate that is
light from the back of the emulsion or from the blank. Also printing a second print on a substrate
fabric causing unwanted exposure in design areas. that has already been printed.
Halftone Screen Tints Uniform dot patterns Image Area The area of the positive, negative
that can be used on artwork to create tints of col- or screen that has the reproduced artwork.
ors.
Index (Printing) The movement of the platens
Halftoning The conversion of a continuous- or shirtboards from one printing station to the
tone piece of art or photograph into various sized next. (Color Separations) The reduction of an
dots. image from millions of colors to a limited number
of colors. Generally done in Adobe Photoshop.
Halftone Line Count The number of rows of Produces a square dot.
dots per inch. A measure of coarseness or fine-
ness in halftone dots. Also known as the frequen- Infrared Specific wavelengths on the electro-
cy and LPI. magnetic spectrum that heat any object they
strike.
Hand The way a print feels when touched.
Ink A general term applied to almost any liquid
Heat Curing The curing of textile inks through that can be used to make a print.
heat.
Heat Transfer Paper Special paper that has Knitting Material that is made by interlooping
release characteristics when printed with heat- yarn.
transfer inks.
Mesh Count A numbering system to denote the Negative A photographic image where the dark
number of threads per inch of mesh. areas of the original are light and the light areas of
the original are dark.
Mesh Determiner A tool used to determine the
mesh count. Newtons Per Centimeter (N/CM) The measure
of the amount of deflection of a weighted object
Mercury-Vapor Lamp A screen exposure lamp placed on a tensioned screen fabric.
that is made of mercury enclosed in a quartz tube.
Pigment Emulsion Inks Inks that contain a pig- Preregistration The registering of screens and
ment mixed with an emulsified vehicle. This artwork together before exposure.
includes water-in-oil inks, oil-in-water inks and
some water-based inks. Prestretched Screens Screens that are purchased
with fabric already stretched on them.
Pinholes 1. (Film) Small imperfections in film.
2. (Screen Making) Openings in the non-design Pretreatment (Screen Making) The preparing of
areas of the mesh where the stencil has not the screen fabric for the stencil system by
bridged across the weave allowing unwanted ink degreasing, roughening or coating with an adher-
to pass through during printing. ing fluid. (DTG) The pretreatment of garments
prior to printing white DTG inkjet ink.
Plastisol A printing ink most commonly used
on garments that contains a plasticizer and resin Primary Colors The primary colors of light are
and will not air dry or air cure. red, green and blue. Primary pigment colors are
yellow, magenta and cyan. (Black & white often
included.)
GLOSSARY 245
Printability The ability of a substrate to accept Reclaiming The removing of the stencil from
printing ink and produce an accurate reproduction the screen fabric.
of the image.
Reclaiming Solution A liquid or powder that is
Printing Screen The carrier or holder for the used to dissolve the stencil system from the print-
screen fabric. ing screen.
Process Camera Outdated term. Replaced by Reducer An additive that will reduce the viscos-
scanners. A graphic-arts camera designed to shoot ity of ink - making it thinner.
large-format film of flat objects.
Reflective Artwork Artwork that is opaque and
Process Colors The process ink colors for four- is reproduced by reflecting light from it.
color process printing of black, yellow, magenta
and cyan. Commonly called CMYK. Reflective Ink An ink that has tiny glass beads
that reflect light back to its source.
Proof A sample print or paper print with a full-
color image or sample of how the job will look. Register The accurate alignment of colors on a
multicolor design.
Progressive Proof A successive print of each
individual color in a multicolor design followed Registration Targets Small crosshairs that are
by printing other colors on top, one at a time. used on artwork (trap color - usually first film
Used to compare what happens when each new positive) and overlays to keep them in register.
color is introduced.
Reject See “Misprint.”
Proportional Scale A scale for determining the
percentage of enlargement or reduction of art- Repeatability The ability to repeat a job or
work. process over and over with the same consistent
results.
PSI Pounds per square inch. The measurement
of pressure exerted. Resolution (Screen Making) The ability to
resolve or reproduce fine lines or detail in a
Puff Ink An ink that expands when heated and design. (Computer Graphics) The number of pix-
gives an embossed or three-dimensional effect. els per inch of a scan. The number of dots-per-
inch (see DPI) of an imagesetter, laser printer or
Puff Additive A puffing agent that can be added inkjet.
to ink to make it puff up when heated.
Resolving Power The ability of a lens or photo-
Pyrometer A heat-measuring device. graphic emulsion to accurately reproduce fine
detail.
Quartz-Iodine Lamps An improved tungsten Retensionable Frames Screen frames that can
bulb that has a tungsten filament surrounded by a be retensioned between jobs in order to stretch the
quartz envelope. Also called “Quartz-Halogen.” fabric at high tension.
Thermoplastic A plastic that is solid or fairly Undertone The appearance of a thin or transpar-
rigid at room temperature that has the ability to ent ink film when viewed on a white background.
become liquid again under heat.
Tint A variation of a color by adding white to it Vacuum Frame The equipment that holds the
or printing it as halftone dots. screen and film positive in almost perfect contact
by means of a vacuum.
Tonal Range The difference between the light-
est tone and the darkest tone in a design. Vacuum Table A flat table with tiny holes in
the top that hold the substrate in place during
Toxicity The hazard rating given to substance in printing by use of a vacuum.
threshold limit value in parts per million (TLV-
PPM). Vehicle (Ink) The base used in ink to make it
printable.
Translucent The ability to allow light to pass
through without the ability to be seen through.
248 GLOSSARY
Vellum Paper 1. (Art Preparation) Special trans-
parent drawing paper that has a smooth surface Wet-on-Dry The process of printing one color
and drawing ink will not bleed into it. 2. (Screen of ink and drying it first before printing a second
Making ) Transparent paper that is run through a color.
laser printer or copier and can be used to expose a
screen. Wet-on-Wet Printing successive colors of ink
without curing or drying in between.
Vignette An area of artwork or dot pattern that
gradually shades off into the background. Wet Sample A sample of wet ink that is saved in
a small jar or container for future reference.
Viscosity The flow or fluidity of inks.
Wicking (Printing) The bleeding of inks or ink
additives into the surrounding garment fibers.
A C D
abrading solution 51 calendering 157 dark shirts 23, 26, 28, 33, 72, 80,
accounting 173, 186 cap transfers 107 86, 96, 98, 102, 106, 131,
133, 136, 144, 155
ad agencies 163 capillary direct film 49, 51-52, 56, decals 9, 51, 103, 105, 110, 139-
additives 65, 73, 75, 140 63-64, 131, 140 140
Adobe Illustrator 29, 35-36, 42 caps 65, 104, 112, 116-119, 121, defects 154
Adobe Photoshop 19, 25-26, 28, 123-125, 127, 137 diazo emulsions 49
35, 40, 42, 97-98 catalysts 75 diffused light source 55
airbrushing 129, 138 channel separations 40 diffusion dither 27
all purpose inks 28 choke 33, 107 dip-dyeing 136
angles 27, 31-32, 156 clean-up 33, 98-99, 196 direct emulsion 14, 51-52, 63-64,
applying heat transfers 12, 122, clip-art 34 107, 120, 130, 137, 140
189 clogging 75, 85-86, 149 discharge ink 70, 129
artists 11, 13, 17-18, 33-34 distressed look 138
CMYK 25-26, 28, 30-32, 37-38,
ASI 164 147-148 dpi 19, 27, 33, 36-37, 39-41
athletic printing 46, 67, 90, 105, cold-peel 103-107, 112, 114, 116- drag-and-drop 30
144, 171 117
automatic equipment 100 color palette 30 drying 55, 57-58, 61, 63-64, 67,
71, 75-76, 81, 85, 87, 124,
color sequence 94-95, 102 126,
color wheel 74 dynamic range 19
compacting 155
computer graphics 13, 15, 17-19,
21, 23, 25
B contract printing 172
baseball caps 104, 119, 121, 123- copy machine 17-18, 160 E
125, 127, 137, copyright 181-184, 186 emulsion 14-15, 43, 49-53, 55-64,
belt speed 71-72, 122, 135 Corel Trace 33-34, 40 107, 120, 126, 130, 137, 140,
blends 65-66, 89, 117, 156, 158 168
CorelDraw 18, 23, 25-26, 29
enamel 140-141
blockout 57-58, 60, 140, 190 cotton 154-158
environment 158
blotting 57, 63 cotton yarn 113
EPA 196
blue fluorescent 52-53 cotton-polyester blends 117
expenses 175, 189-194
bonding agent 65, 67, 90, 120-122 cpu 18
exposure box 54, 190, 192
buildup 73, 87, 93, 95-96, 102, crystalina 106, 134
152 exposure box plans 54
bumper stickers 113, 139 crystalina ink 134
exposure calculator 56, 63-64
butt register 130 curing 12, 65-69, 71-72, 76, 86-
exposure chart 56
87, 143, 148, 169
exposure units 55
extender base 73
250 INDEX
graded imperfects 154 insurance 159, 174-177, 185
F graded seconds 154 interlock knit 156
fabric 12, 14, 43-52, 56, 58-60, greige goods 157 inventory 45, 66, 106, 129, 153-
63-65 154
fabric selector chart 46, 96, 102 invoicing 184, 186
fabric tension 44, 47
fabric weight 158
false body 73
FastFilms 97 H
fax 150, 162 halftone frequency 28, 32 J
fiber content 158 halftoned underbase 33 jacket 10, 90, 116, 119-122, 149,
fibers 65-66, 75, 148-149, 154- halftones 15, 25, 27, 32, 46, 55 191-193
155, 158 jersey knit 156
hang tags 160
fill an object 30
hardware 21, 49, 78, 120
film positive 14, 18, 49, 52-53,
55, 57, 61, 107 hazardous waste 98, 197
fire hazard 196 haze remover 59
flash curing 86, 96 health 59, 125, 195-197 K
fleecewear 158 health and safety 197 knitting 156
flood stroke 75, 85-86, 126, 141- heat sensitive substrates 69
142 heat transfer 9, 13, 32, 38, 90,
foil 103-104, 114-115, 129, 131- 103-104, 192-194
133, 135, 140, 160, 169 heat transfer press 9, 103, 110,
foil adhesive 114, 132 115, 148-149, 189, 192
forced air 70, 76, 148 heater 21, 67-72, 123-124 L
fragrance 129, 134 heating elements 122 lacquer thinner 86
frequency 28, 32 high density 124, 137 laser acetate 17, 21
full cure 67-68, 71-72, 76, 90 high opacity inks 66 laser printer 18, 20-23, 32
highlight white 26 leasing 176
holddown 29, 120-121, 192 Library of Congress 182
hot box 112 licenses 163, 173, 175
hot-peel 104-108, 110, 112 licensing 11, 173, 186
hot-split 104-106, 117 line art 17, 33, 40
G line drawing 29, 33
gang screens 107 lines-per-inch 32
garments 23-24, 67, 72, 143- logo 13-14
147, 149, 151, 153
generic catalog 164, 169 I low-bleed 66, 74, 123, 125, 131
Lycra 67
glitter 11, 46, 106-107, 116, 129, image manipulation programs 33
133-134
imagesetter 21-23
glitter ink 133
imprinting 90, 103
glow-in-the-dark ink 136
index color 27
golf caps 123
inks 11, 14, 26, 28, 49-50, 63, 65-
golf shirts 117, 158
67, 70, 73-76, 185, 189-
gradations 25, 27-28, 31-32, 36 196
INDEX 251
poster ink 140
M O PostScript 20, 22, 32
Macintosh 18 objects 30, 39, 140-141, 150 powdered adhesive 112, 117, 123
mark-up 169 off-contact printing 141 powdered adhesive transfers 117
marketing 159, 161-163, 165, off-quality 154 PPAI 164
167, 169-172, 187 outline tool 30
mechanical bond 65 pre-press 14
output devices 19-20 preprinted shirts 11
mercury vapor 56
outputting images 32 press set-up 125
mesh 12, 23, 26-27, 31-32, 44-52,
56, 58, overhead 17, 19, 21, 168-170, price list 159, 164, 167, 169-170
mesh count 44-48, 60, 63-64, 97- overhead transparency 17 pricing 154, 167-169, 186
98, 123, 126, 137
process color 25-28, 37, 40, 97
mesh counter 47
profit and loss statement 175
mesh determiner 47
publications 186-187
metal halide 56
metallic 129, 133 P publicity 163, 174
puff ink 104, 112, 118, 124, 129-
mill 154-155, 169 packaging 58, 81, 99, 154, 160, 132, 134-135
misprints 169, 178 169, 198 puff transfers 104, 106-107, 112
mixing colors 73-74 paint bucket 31
puffing agent 129, 131
mixing systems 74 pallet 82-83, 125
monofilament 45-46, 64, 90-91, pallet tape 82-83, 125
123-124, 126, 130-131, 139 paper size 106
MSDA 61, 196-197 parchment 106
mugs 103, 105, 113, 164 partnership 173-174
multicolor 41, 46, 48, 53, 59, 87,
89-90, 92-93, 96, 101-102,
pen tool 30 R
photochromatic 138 ram 18
105-106, 110-112, 122-123,
130, 132-133, 140-141, 190- photopolymer emulsions 49, 126 random square dots 27
192 photorealistic 11, 13, 15-16, 23, raster image processor 20, 147
multicolor transfers 106, 110, 112 25-28, 33, 40
Photoshop 18-19, 24-28, 35-37, reclaiming 58-60, 64, 195
multifilament 45-46, 64
39-42, 97-98, 147, 192-193 reflective 116, 133, 136-137
Mylar 133-134, 139
pinholes 57-58, 63, 84 registration guides 140-141
pixel 19, 24-26, 35 renting 176, 194-195
pixels-per-inch 36 resale permit 173
placement 87, 198 retarder 75, 140
N plasticizer 65, 67, 71, 73 retensionable screen 44, 47-48, 64
plastisol 10, 26, 65-67, 71-76, 85- rfu 73
name drop 90, 115
86, 90, 96, 99, 103-107, 112,
newtons 47, 125 RGB 19, 37-39, 41
114, 117, 120-124, 126-127,
non-textile items 51, 108, 112, 130-134, 136, 140, 142, 190 rib knit 156
139 plastisol heat transfers 103, 105 rip 18, 20-23, 31-33, 42, 147,
numbering 90-91, 104 point light source 53, 192-193 150-151, 190-193
nylon ink systems 120 roving 155
polyester yarn 113
nylon jacket 90, 116 post expose 56-57, 63-64
poster 19, 139-141
252 INDEX
spray adhesive 81-82, 88, 93, 108, toxic chemicals 195
S 120, 123, 125-126, 160 tracing 9, 16-17, 20, 33-34
sample job 168 square dots 27-28
trade magazines 129, 154, 179
samples-per-inch 19 squeegees 77, 80-81, 83, 94-95,
99, 124, 198 trade shows 9, 179-180, 186
scanner 18-19, 33, 185 stencil systems 49 trade standards 184, 186
scoop coater 49, 63, 88 stickers 9, 113, 139-140, 161 trademark 116, 184, 186
scrapbook docker 31 stock designs 105, 115, 169 transfers 9, 12-13, 18, 37, 46, 67,
screen 9-18, 20-23, 25-35, 37, 40- stretch test 72 71-72, 103-108
41, 43-45, 47-53, 55-65, 67 trapping 20, 31, 33, 106, 111, 155
screen exposure 17, 190-191 stroke 30, 75, 82-86, 94-95, 102,
108, 121, 125-126, 137 troubleshooting 63-64, 102
screen fabric 12, 14, 43, 45, 48, sublimation transfers 104-105, true resolution 19
51-52, 60, 64, 84, 102 113, 117, 122
Screen Jet 61 type manipulation 29
suede 129, 134-135, 160, 169
screen making 9, 13-14, 28, 43, suede ink 134-135, 160
49, 59, 61, 89, 92, 144, 198
screen opener 81, 84, 86, 96 sunlight 14-15, 52-53, 56-57, 136,
screen prep 52, 169 super-trans 106
screen storage 89 synthetic fibers 155
scumming 57, 63 U
sensitizer 49
ultraviolet 14, 49-50, 53
separations 13-16, 18, 20-21, 23,
25-29, 31-32, 37-38, 40, 59, underbase 26-27, 31, 33, 46, 66-
67, 96-97, 102, 136, 147
97-98, 130, 137, 184-185
set-up 77, 94, 125, 191
T underexpose 55-56
SGIA 173, 179-181, 197-198 t-55 105-106 unfiltered blacklight 52-53
shimmer 106, 129, 134 t-75 105-106 uniforms 43, 65, 67, 90, 115, 147,
shirt line 172 T-Biz Art 24, 26
shrinkage 20, 51, 105-106, 155- t-shirts 9-11, 24, 143, 149-150
158 taxes 174-176
signs 9, 105, 110, 112, 136, 139, TDS 65
170
simulated process color 25-26, 28 Technical Data Sheet 121, 134 V
softcure 67 temperature 32, 50, 64, 67, 70-72, vacuum table registration 110
108, 118, 125, 148
software programs 18, 23 temperature probes 72 vectors 23, 33, 36
sole proprietorship 173 template 29, 33 vellum paper 16-17, 20-21, 98
Spandex 67 tension 44-45, 47-48, 63-64, 107 ventilation 86, 194-195, 198
sparkle 106, 134 tension meter 47, 63-64 vinyl ink 140
special effects printing 124, 129, test print 93-95, 98 VOC 98, 197
131, 133, 135, 137
Specialty Graphic Imaging test squares 81, 98, 161
Association 179 text 18, 24, 29-31, 35, 138, 147
speed table 96 thermochromatic 134, 138
spot color 15, 20, 23, 25-26, 28, thixotropic 73
30
tie-dye 136
spot removal 154
tints 15, 31-32
spotting guns 99, 195
INDEX 253
W
washing directions 114
washout 22, 55-57, 63, 189-193,
198
waterproofing 122
wax thermal printers 103, 114
wearable art 129, 135
web spray 82
wet-on-wet 47-48, 105, 108, 122,
130-132
wetting agent 51-52, 63
wholesalers 153
wicking 155
wiring 70, 190, 192-194, 196
wood frames 44
wrong reading stencil 107
Y
yarn number 155
Yellow Pages 162, 166
Z
zoning 195
254
About the Authors
ABOUT THE AUTHORS 255
Scott is the recipient of SGIA’s The Freseners have travelled the world
coveted Parmele Award for out- teaching garment screen printing. They
standing lifetime contributions are shown here visiting the famous
to the industry. Raffles Hotel in Singapore.
Scott and Pat Fresener entered the screen printing industry in 1969 when they
started a T-shirt printing business out of their garage with a $500 investment. This
business grew to be a large company with automatic equipment.
The lack of standardization and training in the industry prompted the Freseners to Then and now...
sell their printing business and write the original version of this book in 1978. The The Freseners first wrote How To Print T-
next year they founded The U.S. Screen Printing Institute. Their book has now sold Shirts for Fun and Profit in 1978. The
over 150,000 copies and been updated eight times. They have had over 14,000 stu- industry has changed a lot since the first
dents at their Institute. black and white book that only had 160
In 1985 they authored the industry’s most respected technical manual The pages. Over the years the book has gone
Encyclopedia of Garment Printing. through major revisions and updates and
In 1986 Scott and Pat were voted “the most influential couple of the last ten is still the most current and complete book
on garment decorating in the world.
years” by an Impressions Magazine readers poll. They have also received the cov-
eted Service to the Industry and Leadership Awards from industry publications and
trade associations. In October of 1986 the Screen printing and Graphic Imaging
Association, awarded Scott The Magnus, for his outstanding service to the industry.
In 1992, the Fresener's school was also awarded The Magnus for its contributions to
the industry.
A 1992 Impressions Magazine Quest for the Best readers poll voted the
Fresener's school and books as the number one technical products in the industry and
Scott was voted one of the top two consultants. A 2002 25th Anniversary
Impressions Magazine feature article listed Scott as one of the top 25 most influen-
tial people in the industry.
Scott is a popular guest speaker at industry trade shows in this country and
abroad, and has written hundreds of articles for trade magazines. Scott and Pat also
have produced dozens of how-to-do-it training videos and DVD’s for screen printers.
In 1999 Scott developed industry specific color separation software called
FastFilms (now called T-Seps). FastFilms/T-Seps is being used by over 10,000 screen
printers in 75 countries including people who print for Disney, Harley, World
Wrestling, Warner Brothers and others.
The Freseners were also pioneers in the development of direct-to-garment printers
and were the first to print waterbased white inkjet ink on dark shirts.
Scott is a lifetime member of the Academy of Screen Printing Technology. In
1996, Scott was awarded the highest honor you can receive from the Specialty
Graphic Imaging Association, The Parmele Award, for his outstanding lifetime con-
tributions to the industry. Scott was on the Board of Directors of SGIA - the indus-
try’s leading trade association from 2004 to 2008.
The Freseners were former owners of U.S. Screen Print & Inkjet Technology and
today, operate T-Biz Network International - a leading website in the garment deco-
rating industry.
Scott and Pat Fresener have always felt that the way to strengthen an industry is
through education and the exchange of ideas and constantly strive to improve the
industry with their products and services.
eBook Tablet Version ISBN: 978-0-9851068-1-2