Simple screenprinting using adhesive vinyl and a basic printing kit

Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2020/12/15/simple-screenprinting-using-adhesive-vinyl-and-a-basic-printing-kit.html

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I remember doing that with just precut paper patterns at a kids’ museum. Back when I had access to a vinyl cutter and laser cutter, I wanted to do make my own patterns for doing one-off T-shirts. Okay, I still do, it would just be a bit more effort now.

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For some reason, I’m just a bit disappointed to see members-only content being posted.

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Did the OP mean to post to a paywalled, members only video to BB? I’m wondering if he didn’t realize it was paywalled because if you’re signed in you wouldn’t necessarily notice when watching the video or previewing this post in WordPress.

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I recommend doing the photo emulsion, it’ not that hard.

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From a standing start, the emulsion itself is quite expensive, especially if you have to buy a suitable light source to expose it (which most people would). A slide projector with an incandescent bulb works well, but if you have to use a general-purpose lamp, then you’re limited to a level of detail that could be done with stencils or hand-painted screen filler anyway.

Also, washing out exposed screens can become a major challenge in a DIY setting unless the screens are very small. You need a sink or tub that will comfortably hold the screen, and the facility to spray it down with quite a lot of hot water at high pressure (ideally using an actual pressure washer).

In my experience with DIY screen printing, I have found that when people claim that things are easy, they often mean “… in a studio that is already equipped for it”. You can do advanced screen printing at home, and none of the skills or tools are that inaccessible, but it’s a significant undertaking, like having a wood shop in your garage. If you just want to do it casually, I wouldn’t aim beyond the kind of thing in this video (which can still produce a lot of cool results).

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While it’s true the photo emulsion can be expensive, I found that a lot of the specialized equipment isn’t necessary for a small DIY project. I’ve had success with sunlight, it only takes a couple of seconds to get a proper exposure. As far as the screens themselves, I simply stapled the screen material to a cheap dollar store picture frame with the glass taken out. and it worked perfectly. I’ve not had issues with washing the screen at all, I just used a garden hose with the nozzle on the stream setting. The biggest difficulty I had was getting the registration right for CMYK prints.

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Fut the Wuck?

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