Topic awaiting preservation: anyone into screen printing? (Page 1 of 1)

hey guys havent posted for a while, how's everyone doing? just wondering if there are any other screen printers out there?

i've just started to really get into it
tis very fun

I did it in school some 16 years ago. Enjoyed the few project I completed then. Havn't realy done much since except for some prep for others screen printing. It's a fun craft I may have to try it again. One thing I was considering building my own CD screen printing press to do my own lables for my portfolio. Where have you been getting your supplies do they still make UV or Photo sensitive stencils or are you cutting your masks using that orange gel mask, or have they developed something better?

J. Stuart J.

hey dude...

i've just been useing acetate stencils which are a bitch to cut out. i've been getting some cool stuff thought. photo stencils are one thing i need to learn how to do

whats this orange gel mask stuff you speak of? sounds interesting

i've just been getting my stuff from the local screen printing supply place, the guys there are real helpful which is cool

The orange gel film, is acetate base with a gel coating similar to Rubylith. You cut the mask from the gel side, not cutting through the acetate. Then once done you apply the mask to the screen with water and a spunge. The Gel disengages from the acetate and adhears to the screen pluging the screen and creating the mask. Simply pull the acetate off and you are ready to go. Great for complex masks with small complex shapes. Photomask is applied to the screen in a similar manor.

J. Stuart J.

What do you mean by "screen printing"?

I used to work on the pre-press side in preparation of books to be printed. When we create an image, it would be screened in the printing process. Is that what you're referring to?




-- not necessarily stoned... just beautiful.

What you were doing is called the Halftone process. What we are referring to is, if you went to a custom tee shirt shop and ordered 20 tee shirts for your local golf club. The process that they would use is the screen-printing process.

Screen-printing: A method in which a Screen, typically a nylon mesh not unlike a window screen only somewhat finer is streached across a frame. A mask is then applied to the screen. Ink is then applied using a squeegee or airbrush on top of the screen and mask. The ink is forced though the screen in the unmasked areas and is transfer to the printing medium below. The process is typically used to print on clothing or items or on thing you couldn't easily through a conventional printing press. Stenciling is a similar process only there is screen.

Multiple colors or even 4-process is possible by using multiple screens registered to one another. There is a device called a screen press that hold 4-6 screens on a spindle, that you can lock down in register to each other. This allows you to quickly reproduce multicolored designs. It can be done without the press of course but it a lot more work.

J. Stuart J.

Thanks J. Stuart J,

That was a nice explaination. The process you describe sounds to me a lot like silk screening. Are they the same process or is silk screenning some thing different?




-- not necessarily stoned... just beautiful.

It's the same thing, the modern screen material use is Nylon, Dacron or stainless steel. Silk would get expesive fast.

J. Stuart J.

OK. Thanks. This thread has been informative.

-- not necessarily stoned... just beautiful.