Why T-Shirt Screen Printing Makes A Good Business

T-shirt screen printing can make for a great business to own because there is not a lot of competition around.  There are also a lot of different directions in which you can take your business.  For instance, instead of simply printing anything that comes your way, you could specialize in printing on one particular item like t-shirts.  You could also become a designer.

How A T-Shirt Screen Printing Machine Works

The t-shirt printing machine is based upon the carousel system.  Producing a single one color  t-shirt will cost you less than three cents.  After you are done printing the t-shirt you will need to allow it to dry in a spot curer process that takes approximately 40 seconds.  Once you get used to doing these things the entire process will not take you very long at all.  In the long run, you will also find that this printing method is a lot less expensive than the heat transfer method of printing.

Deciding Upon The Right T-Shirt Screen Printing Machines

There are some things that you will definitely need to take into consideration whenever you are deciding upon the right t-shirt screen printing machine for you.  To begin with you need to determine just how many different types of customized t-shirts you want to print.  This will mainly depend upon if you are using the t-shirt screen printing machine for a hobby or a business.  You also need to take a look at just how much room you have available to dedicate to your t-shirt screen printing machine.

The next thing that you need to determine is what the right type of t-shirt screen printing machine would be best for you.  Here is where you will want to take some time to look at the various reviews of t-shirt screen printing machines that are available for you to peruse online.  These reviews will give you a lot of information so that you will be able to feel confident as you make this decision.

Next, it is a matter of looking at the various price ranges that t-shirt screen printing machines are available in.  Of course, you should also take a look at your budget in order to determine what type of t-shirt printing machine you will be able to afford.  It is a good idea to compare the prices that you find for the t-shirt screen printing machines that you are interested in so that you can decide what manufacturer will best suit your needs too.  For this reason, it will take you some time to do some research in order to make these determinations.

Purchasing T-Shirt Screen Printing Machines

Whenever you are just getting started you should simply use only a screen until your business grows enough to warrant purchasing a t-shirt screen printing machine.  Once you do purchase a t-shirt screen printing machine you will see that everything goes a whole lot faster.  This is especially true if you don’t have a lot of employees but you do have a lot of orders.  Nevertheless, you probably still don’t want to purchase the most expensive type of t-shirt screen printing machine on the market today.  You can actually find screen printing machines that are available for less money than you would ever imagine simply by purchasing one second hand.  There is nothing wrong with these t-shirt screen printing machines.  Most of the time, their owners simply have decided that they don’t want to be in this business after all.

Using Silk Screen Supplies

Using silk screen supplies isn’t very difficult to do.  This is why the process has been in use for a number of years now.  With these supplies you will be able to print on a lot of different types of objects (i.e. paper, wood, glass, ceramics).  The process of doing so is also known as serigraphy.  Today there are a lot of businesses that use this printing method because it is an inexpensive way in which to provide their customers with high quality results.  The reason why these results look so great is because they don’t look as though they were made or printed by a computer.  In fact, the images almost look real.  You can even feel them with you hand since they pop out a bit because they are not imprinted into the fabric.

Choosing The Right Silk Screen Machine

If you don’t take time to choose the right silk screen printing machine, you will be wasting a lot of valuable time and money.  This is why it is so important to take a look at the three different types of machines that are in use today.  They include:

• Automatic machines take care of the entire process for you so that you won’t have to do anything.  Herein you will quickly receive high quality results, which is why they are great for businesses even though they are a bit costly when compared to the other two types of machines that are on the market today.
• Semi-automatic machines require you to do some work (i.e. fix screens, place and remove objects for printing).  These machines operate on electricity and can be used to print on a variety of materials.
• Manual machines require you to do everything yourself.  These are actually the most inexpensive type of silk screen machine but it is definitely not recommended if you are looking to use a machine in your business because it will take more than double the time it takes an automatic machine to do the work.

Choosing The Right Type Of Screen

There are different types of materials that screens can be made out of, including plastic, wood and steel.  Both plastic and wood are less durable while steel is known for its longevity.  You will need to take this into consideration and determine just how much use you will need to get out of your screen in order to decide what type is right for you.

Choosing The Right Type Of Squeegee

Squeegees are another important tool in the silk screening process.  It is used to ensure that your ink is evenly distributed and that your image or design is properly transferred.  Just how much you will pay for a squeegee will depend upon its quality.  You should invest in a good one if you want great results though.

In Conclusion

Whenever you are determining what silk screen supplies you want to purchase, you first need to decide whether you are creating a business or just having some fun with a hobby.  This will help you to determine how much money you will want to spend on these silk screen supplies.  Of course, the amount you spend will equate to just how good your design turns out in the end.

Types Of Silk Screen Printing Machines That Are Available

There are several different types of silk screen printing machines that you can purchase.  Deciding upon which machine is right for you will depend upon what your goals are.  If you are attempting to establish a home business, then you will need a machine that will work quickly to provide you with high quality results.  On the other hand, if you are only looking for a hobby, a very basic machine will probably work just fine for you.

Choosing The Right Screens

Whenever you want the silk screen printing process to be really easy, you will want to make sure that the screens have exposures included within them.  This is something that is only included within the brand new silk screening machines though and older equipment will not be able to offer you this option.  However, by ensuring that the exposure units are included within the system you will save yourself from needing to purchase them individually, which, of course, is going to save you a lot of money and time.  You should also make sure that the drying cabinet and screen storage room are also included.  This will save you even more time since you will not have to enter into a dark room in order to dry your screens.  Of course, you will also be able to save on both room and space in this manner.

Considering What Supplies You Will Need

You will also need several different types of supplies to go along with your new silk screen printing equipment.  Fortunately, these are things that can be purchased online.  In fact, you will actually be able to find a lot of different supply kits online.  What these kits cost will vary depending upon the type and amount of materials that they include.  If you find that this doesn’t work well for you, then simply visit a supply store in your area and see what options they have that are available for you to choose from.  One of the main benefits to purchasing material from a store in your area is that you will be able to see the items up close before deciding upon them.  This is different from seeing the pictures and then thinking that you will receive something only to find out that what you receive is actually different from what you expected it to be.

Comparing Silk Screen Printing Equipment Online

As you start to compare silk screen printing equipment online you will find that there are several different things that you will need to take a close look at.  These things include other buyers’ opinions and product reviews.  You will also want to read through the product explanation and any other important information in regard to the product and its manufacturer.  This will enable you to decide whether or not this is dependable silk screen printing equipment.  Hopefully, this will also enable you not to make any mistakes whenever you are making you purchase.  Of course, this is also why you need to make sure that there is a good customer care staff available to help you if you do face any obstacles.

Printing With White Ink

A lot of new screen printers have problems whenever it comes to printing with white ink.  Unfortunately, the problem usually has to do with the printer themselves.  There are some variables and techniques that you will need to change throughout the screen printing process in order to correct this issue.  This is because you have probably been doing something wrong, even while you are working with color ink, and not even realize it.  The reason I say this is because it doesn’t require a whole lot of ink to be able to print things on light colored garments.  However, more ink will be required when printing things on dark colored garments.  Of course, this would only make sense and thus should go without saying.  However, it is important to note because it means that you will need to make sure to use the correct screen mesh, have off contact and use the right squeegee technique so that you will get a final print that looks good.

Setting Up Your Screen Printing Press

It is important to understand how to choose the proper mesh size.  This is especially true whenever you are working with white ink since it is thicker and thus needs a lower size mesh screen.  Typically you need 110 to 156 when printing white ink.  Of course, there are some times whenever an image will demand a higher mesh count.  For instance, since a fine line drawing will not hold on a lower mesh screen, you will need to use a high mesh frame and apply more passes in order to achieve that bright white color.

Adjusting Your Screen

You will also want to make sure that your screen is properly adjusted on the press.  The off contact should be about 1/8 to 1/16 of an inch.  However, considering that white ink is somewhat thicker, you may need a slightly higher off contact for it (by about 1/8 inch).  In order to understand what all of this means to you, it is vital to understand what “off contact” means.  This is defined simply as the height between the screen mesh and whatever substrate you are printing your design on.  Whenever the off contact is correct the ink will be able to easily be cleaned off of the screen mesh as the mesh is released upwards directly after the print stroke is complete, thus leaving your ink to settle smoothly onto the shirt.

Using An Off Contact Tab

An off contact tab is simply a little piece of material (i.e. penny, cardboard, paper, a piece of plastic) that is the same height as your off contact.  You place this on the end of the frame’s screen where it is about to hit the top of the neck platen.  Whenever you use an off contact tab you will be able to make sure that your off contact remains in place throughout the entire print stroke.  This is because the tab will hold the end of the screen up as you push down on the mesh.  Without having an off contact tab in place you may actually have a more difficult time clearing the mesh because your screen may want to stay flat against the material with ink stuck inside of it.  Now you know why they say that using an off tab is so important.

Getting Thin Lines Or Small Type To Come Out Right

The three biggest factors that make it difficult to create fine details are:

• The screen’s mesh is too low of resolution to be able to hold the image.  You will find that there are a variety of resolutions of screen mesh (a.k.a. “mesh count”) available.  They range from 33 through 300.  The Yudu screen printing machine comes with a low resolution mesh count (110), which will not hold thin lines or small type.
• You are using a poor quality squeegee to pull the ink with.  There are a lot of different types of squeegee blades available to choose from today, what you should mainly be concerned about is its flexibility.  Since the Yudu screen printing machine was designed for general purpose, manual screen printing, you will want to purchase a squeegee of medium durometer (a.k.a. hardness), which would be around 70.  This will allow you to be able to pull most general-purpose inks through your screen.  Unfortunately, the squeegee that comes with the Yudu screen printing machine is less than 60, which definitely is not hard enough.
• The screen’s frame is too flimsy to be able to hold adequate tension.  It is considered a low-tension screen and thus it definitely will not work well for even the most casual screen printer.

Understanding Resolutions

There are three types of resolutions that you will encounter whenever working with a screen printing machine.  They include:

• Low resolution (110 mesh) is used for thick or light colored ink.  It is also used for low detail prints.  This is what the Yudu screen printing machine does well with.
• Medium resolution (160 mesh) is used for small type (12 point) and thin lines (1 point).
• High resolution (190 mesh) can capture really thin lines and small dots.  Whenever it is used in conjunction with automatic screen printing presses you will be able to achieve very photographic like images.

A Look At Squeegees

You will find that there are a variety of different types of squeegee blades also available.  Other things that you need to take into consideration are the handle’s characteristics, the blade’s structure and its composition.  Since the Yudu screen printing machine has been designed for doing general purpose manual screen printing you will want a flexible, all purpose squeegee to use.  This is why a 70 squeegee comes recommended for use with this machine, even though it isn’t what comes with it.

In Conclusion

Whenever you look at the limitations that you will encounter with the Yudu screen printing machine, you will see why it is so important to limit the types of imprints that you try to do while using this system.  While there are a lot of people who have been successful using the Yudu screen printing machine, these are people who are using thick lines (3 points or more) and large type faces (20 points or more) in the designs that they create.  Of course, your skill level will also play a big role here.  Even so, you will not find it easy to get crisp images without the right tools.  So, if you do not find these limitations upon your work to be acceptable unto you, it would be advisable for you to find a different system, which is more versatile, for you to work with.

For this reason, it definitely makes a whole lot of sense for anyone who is just getting started in the printing industry to purchase used printing equipment instead of finding themselves swallowed up by an insurmountable amount of debt.  However, there are a few different processes that you will need to have a good understanding of if you choose to purchase used printing equipment.  This is important because you will want to be able to ensure that the equipment that you purchase is as “clean” as possible.

The Dehazing Process

Whenever you purchase used printing machine equipment you will need to learn about the dehazing process.  This is because you will want to submit all of your screens to this process in order to remove any residue that would otherwise leave a faint trace (a.k.a. a “ghost image”) on any of the print runs that you do.  The reason for this haze is because there is ink trapped within the mesh, usually at any points where it overlaps.  Once the screens have been through the dehazing process it, along with any of the other used printing equipment that you have purchased, will be ready to be used again.  If you are lucky, you may even find someone who has done this work for you before selling the used printing equipment to you.

The Reclaiming Process

You can reuse the silk or the polyester that has been stretched over the top of your frame.  However, if you are no longer going to use the same stenciled design, you will need to put the silk or the polyester through the reclaiming process.  This process involves cleaning all of the remaining ink off of the silk or the polyester and spraying the stencil with a liquid, gel or powder stencil removing agent.  This agent will clear off any remaining emulsion.  Powder stencil removers must be mixed with some water before you can use them and thus are often thought of as a type of liquid.  They are also safer to use in industrial environments.  Once you apply this removing agent you will then need to use a high pressure water sprayer to wash away any of the remaining emulsion.  You will then be able to use your silk or polyester again.

In Conclusion

Now that you know what processes your used printing equipment needs to go through after you move it into your shop, it is important to take a little time to read up on each of these processes.  Take some time to learn how to do them properly so that you will be well prepared whenever your used printing equipment does arrive.  While you may think that they would be somewhat difficult for you to do, you will actually be quite surprised by just how easy they are.  Albeit they will take some time, in the end this shouldn’t really matter all that much whenever you stop to consider just how much money you have managed to save.  While you could argue that time is money, in this case when you are just starting to set up your new business, you shouldn’t worry about that so much as what you will be able to save in the long run.

Screen Film

One of the first screen printing supplies that you will need is screen film.  This is a clear, transparent film in which you print your design.  It plays an important role in properly transferring the design to your t-shirt or other material that you are using.  Keep in mind that regardless of what type of film you use, it has to match your printer (i.e. laser, inkjet).  You can buy it in a variety of sizes to fit your needs.

Emulsion

Whenever you are transferring your design from film to mesh you will need to use some special, photosensitive emulsion.  This is what you must coat your mesh screens with before you expose them to extreme light and pressure wash them to reveal the design that you just burnt into your screen.

Screen Printing Ink

Once you are ready to start printing with the screen you will need to have the right colors of ink for your design.  You will use your ink after you have placed your product onto a flat surface and put the screen on top of it.  Whenever you are done doing this you will need to pour some ink onto your screen.

Squeegees

After your ink is finally on your screen you will need to use a large squeegee to pull it across the screen, through the screen and onto your product.  Whenever you choose a squeegee you will want to make sure that it is one that will allow you to be able to make a smooth, hard swipe because the ink needs to cover all of the different areas.

Mesh Screens

The mesh screens are the most important supply that you will need.  These screens are specially crafted to hold your design after you are done transferring it.  They are what allows you to print your design with key registration and quality.  If you don’t have a lot of money to invest in screen printing supplies right away, you should note that it is both quick and easy to make your own mesh screens.  You can find directions for how to do so online.

Other Screen Printing Supplies

While the main screen printing supplies have already been mentioned above, you should know that there are also other items that you will need before you get involved with the screen printing process.  These other screen printing supplies include:

• Wood strips that measure 8 1/2 x 11″
• A staple gun with staples that you can use to join the nylon over the wood if you choose to create your own screen or if your screen needs to be repaired somehow.
• Some water-resistant masking tape
• Old newspapers are great to keep around in order to prevent messes from occurring
• A piece of cardboard that you can insert inside of a double layer of fabric (i.e. a t-shirt or a cushion cover)
• A stencil of your design

In Conclusion

Once you are armed with these screen printing supplies you will be able to start the screen printing process.  Of course, as you continue along within the screen printing process you may find that there are other screen printing supplies that you could benefit from owning.  The point is that these are the screen printing supplies that you will need to have available before you can even get started.

Easy Art Software

Wilfex manufactures Easy Art Software, which is a great tool for separating colors and designing graphic.  This is a plug in software program for Adobe Photoshop.  With it you will find that it is easy to create color separations in the spot color channels in Photoshop so that you will be able to output films.  You will find that it is easy to do because the program will actually tell you which order to print the colors in and what ink formulas to use.  For what it does, this is actually one of the least expensive screen printing software programs costing around $400.

Spot Process Vue Rite

Spot Process Vue Rite is another color separation and adjustment program.  Its features are specific to screen printing t-shirts and clothing.  With this program you will be able to separate colors and create TIF format images that are in the RGB color mode.    You can also easily adjust tonal images.  All of this will only take you a matter of seconds to do because of all of the great tools that this program has to offer.  Once you have everything done you will be able to accurately preview it on your computer screen too.  This is a stand-alone program that will cost you around $700.

Adobe Illustrator

The leading screen printing software program is Adobe Illustrator.  It is able to produce vector-based images that you can then scale to any size you wish without worrying about losing its resolution.  This makes it easy to create t-shirt art because you can draw, type and use both shape and color tools within this program in order to create your design.  You will also be able to easily select which color to print.  If you are planning to use a continuous tone image, you can even import it into the program for use.  Adobe Illustrator’s files can also be exported to Adobe Photoshop.  All of this can be yours for around $600.

Adobe Photopshop

The gold standard program for pixel based editing is Adobe Photoshop.  This program will allow you to create and edit art, logos and graphics.  As a t-shirt printer you will be able to create color separations for your film’s output within Photoshop’s channel palettes.  You will also be able to create process color film simply by choosing what color you want to work with from the print dialog box.  The screen angles and number of dots per inch can also be manually set.  However, Photoshop will not automatically create underbase white channels, so this is something that you will need to do manually.  Nevertheless, this is still a great screen printing software program that can be had for around $700.

Raven Vector Editor

Anyone who is interested in some free screen printing software should take a look at Raven Vector Editor.  This design tool is available online for creating vector formatted full scalable art and designs.  It also makes it easy for you to be able t create t-shirt designs and logos.  Therefore, it is a great program for anyone who is just getting started in screen printing or who cannot yet afford one of the other, previously mentioned programs.

Coating The Screen With Emulsion

Now your screen is ready to be coated with emulsion, which is a light sensitive liquid chemical.  It is the most light sensitive once it is dry.  The best tool to use for this process is a scoop coater even if you are doing this at home.  This tool was created to resemble a trough that is the width of your screen with one rounded, smooth edge.  So, if you are dealing with a 20 x 24 screen the scoop coater would be approximately 14 inches wide so that you are able to coat the length of the screen with just one pass from the top to the bottom.

This will provide you with the most consistent, smoothest coat while ensuring that the thickness is even.  You will find that this is important since the stencil’s thickness is directly related to the amount of ink that you deposit on the shirt.  What this means is that the thicker the emulsion is, the deeper the stencil is and the more room your ink will have for being deposited upon the shirt so that it has better “coverage.”

What Type Of Emulsion To Use

You should use either subdued yellow or red light to coat your screens with.  This is something that you will want to do in a “dark” or “exposing room.”  Of course, your exposure table should also be located here.  This is quite handy as the screens dry too because then they will need to be handled in the same lighting conditions.

Creating A Thicker Layer Of Emulsion

Whenever you need to create a thicker layer of emulsion on the substrate side (the side of the shirt that comes into contact with the screen where you want the stencil’s thickness to be present) you will need to make sure that you coat that side first.  This coating should pass lengthwise from top to bottom.  You will then want to put at least one more coat on the shirt from the inkwell side (the side where the ink is place and pushed through the screen with your squeegee).  In doing so you will be able to push a lot of the emulsion to the substrate side, making it look as though it is very glossy or has a wet sheen.

Once you have done this you can dry the screen on a level rack with the substrate side facing downwards.  In this way gravity will be able to ensure that the emulsion remains the thickest on your substrate side.  Just make sure that the drying rack is located in a light safe room, is level and allows for plenty of circulation.  Otherwise both your emulsion and your screen will get messed up.  Now it is just a matter of finishing the printing process and then you will have a screen printed shirt that you will be proud of.

Why Screen Printing Makes A Great Business

This is a great business since there isn’t a lot of competition and there are a lot of different areas that you can venture into.  For instance, you could become a designer or simply specialize in printing on one type of material (i.e. sweatshirts).  Regardless of where you want to go in this business, you should start with a simple screen and wait until your business becomes more established before purchasing a screen printing machine.

Understanding What A Screen Printing Machine Is

A screen printing machine makes the process a lot faster, especially if you are the only person working in your business and you are getting a lot more orders than you expected.  These machines don’t have to be all that expensive either.  You may actually surprise yourself by finding one that you can pick up for an inexpensive rate since it is second hand.

A Look At The Various Types Of Screen Printing Machines

There are a lot of different types of screen printing machines available on the market today.  Some of them are only used for the printing process itself while others are made to help you achieve the ideal screen exposure too.  If you are a hobbyist, your best bet is to purchase a screen printing machine that will actually help you with all of the different steps that go into the process.  However, you will also want to make sure that the screen printing machine you choose is simple, compact and easy to use.

Creating Your Own Screen Printing Machine

You can also make a carousel type screen printing machine.  With this type of a screen printing machine it will cost you less than 3 cents to produce a single colored t-shirt.  You will need to have the following materials:

• A screen
• An emulsion sheet
• A squeegee
• A spray bottle
• Transparency
• Some masking tape
• A five-pound weight

Once you have your materials, you will need to take the following steps:

1. Spray both sides of a screen with water.
2. Go into a dimly lit room and peel the plastic off of the sticky side of your emulsion sheet.  Stick the sheet to the back of your screen.  Make sure that everything is centered and smooth.
3. Squeegee your emulsion sheet so that it is smooth.  Lightly mist it with water and squeegee it again to ensure that it is wet enough that the emulsion will stick.  If it doesn’t look right you will need to start over.
4. Slide your screen onto the drying rack of your screen printing machine and turn the fan on low for an hour.  While waiting on it to dry you should print your design on a transparency.
5. Take the screen out of the dryer.  Try to peel a corner of your emulsion sheet off.  You will know that it is dry whenever it comes off easily.
6. Open the top of your screen printing machine.  Tape your transparency to the glass’ surface.
7. Place your screen on the pegs.  Make sure that the emulsion side faces down.  Close the machine and put a 5 pound weight on top of it.
8. Press the exposure button.  Wait until the machine beeps and take it out.
9. Spray the screen with cool water until the emulsion comes off.