Screen printing transfers an image, usually from a stencil, onto a flat surface using a mesh screen. The design is then printed on a material like paper or fabric. You can use this pattern on many different surfaces without losing quality.
Even though a screen printing factory may look busy and full of equipment, you only need a few things to start making screen-printed items.
What are the requirements for screen printing?
Screen printing is a simple enough method that you can try at home. It would help if you had a few simple supplies. You will need the following tools and materials to get started-
- A press-
The first thing on your list will be a screen printing press. Using an actual press instead of hinge clamps makes putting the shirt on the pallet easier. It\'s much easier to print shirts on a media with a pallet where you can load or divide them.
There are many different kinds of screen printing presses on the market. These presses differ in how they look, how much they can hold, and how much they cost.
- Ink-
You can only use traditional plastisol, water-based, or discharge inks. As you start, you might buy a basic ink mixing pack and some colors you know you\'ll use a lot, like black, white, and the colors of your local school.
You\'ll also need plastic containers and ink scoops to keep track of your ink. In some stores, you also need scales and mixers to get inks ready.
- A squeegee
So you will also need a squeegee and, perhaps even more critical, a screen. A squeegee is used to print on the net. Many screen printing supplies in Atlanta provide squeegees within a screen printing package.
A squeegee is a tool with a rubber blade and a long handle made of wood, metal, or plastic. It pushes the ink through the mesh screen and onto the printed surface. The printer will often use a squeegee that is close to the size of the screen\'s frame so that it can cover more area.
- Emulsion-
It is something that the scoop coater puts on the screen to make a photographic stencil. There are two kinds: diazo and pre-sensitized.
Presensitized emulsion is very sensitive, exposes quickly, and has a longer shelf-life. It does a great job of capturing fine details.
A diazo emulsion needs a Diazo powder added to it before you can use it to print. Before you open and print for the first time, you must ensure this is thoroughly mixed into the base.
- Flash cure-
For jobs that need more than one color, a press with flash treatments is used. So, when we print in more than one color and need to dry the ink between shades, we put the flash cure over one of the pallets.
Key Takeaway-
You can buy screen printing supplies packages at stores with everything you need to start. You can quickly make your screen-printed items if you have a few high-quality essential pieces of equipment.