Basic Screen Printing Procedures for T-Shirts

1. GOP_5-2 Screen Printing Basic Screen PrintingProcedures for T-Shirts

2. Prepare Your Screens and Run a Step Wedge Test (this will determine your exposure time)

3. Step 1 - Degrease the Screen • Degrease your screen on both sides(usedegrease brush) • Rinse with pressure washer • Apply micro grit on screen(use grit brush) to roughenup fibers - DO THIS ONLY1 TIME TO A new SCREENthen RINSE • Dry screen in Drip Drain - No dust! Don’t Touch After Cleaning!! Wet - Degrease - Micro Grit - Rinse - Dry

4. Step 2 - Coat Your Screen(Your Instructor will do this initially - you get it set up) Do This in Subdued Light Only! • Get Emulsion from refrig and stirwith wooden stick only!! • Pour Emulsion into scoop coater (After taking off plastic protective piece) Tilt Screen and coat flat side ofscreen, first starting at bottomand spreading to top • Coat other side of screen • Must be coated evenly and smooth - no bubbles • Dry flat side up in light tight cabinetin storage room overnight (or preferably screen side down if your cabinet accommodates that)

5. Step 3 - Step Wedge Test Do This in Subdued Light Only! • Must run test for each type of mesh to determine proper exposure time • Tape test strip to flat side of emulsified blank screen • Place screen flat side down onto glass on exposure unit • Use rubylith to cover sections of test strip that you do not want to expose • Cover corner with rope so the blanket won’t seal air inside the frame

6. Step 4 - Step Wedge Test(cont’d) Do This in Subdued Light Only! • Hold down top of exposure unit / turn on vacuum / expose for 1 min. (turn dial past 2 min. and then back to 1min. to set timer) • Move rubylith down 1 more section and expose 1 min • Repeat until test strip complete • Mark down your test times Note: Clean glass on exposure unit and if one bulb burns out replace all of them!

7. Step 5 - Step Wedge Test(cont’d) • Your screen stays light sensitive until you wet the emulsion with water • Take off test strip • Wet both sides of screen with sprayer • With flat side of screen facing you, stand back and with soft spray wash at top of screen and work your way down • Turn screen around and lightly wash inside of screen • Blot out image area with special towels on both sides (or blow gently blow dry with pressured air) • Put in sunshine to dry or in front of a fan • Write down your test results and post

8. Note: Most equipment manufacturers either sell an exposure calculator or include it with the purchase of an exposure unit. One exposure with the calculator can reveal the best exposure after examining the image.

9. Now You’re Ready to Create Your Own Piece of Art Work!

10. Step 1 - Design yourone color art work • Document size is maximum 8.25” x 10.75” • Design art work using one color (black areawill be where the ink goes through the screen) • Make sure you put registration marks outside artwork so you can line up on screen with T-square • Print out a proof on plainpaper first to check your artwork • Print out your final art workon a special paper calledvellum on the Xantepostscript printer

11. Step 2 - Coat your screen Do This in Subdued Light Only! • Open pink Emulsion and stirwith wooden stick only!! • Pour Emulsion into metal tray(take off plastic protective piece) • Tilt Screen and coat flat side ofscreen first starting at bottomand spreading to top • Coat other side of screen • Must be coated evenly and smooth - no bubbles • Dry flat side down in light tight cabinetin storage room overnight

12. Step 3 - Attach positive Do This in Subdued Light Only! • Attach the positive(yourart work printed on the vellum) to the flat side of the coated screen backwards with scotch tape • Use a T-square to make sure it’s straight and centered within the frame Hint: Put a mark with apermanent marker on eachsection of the frame to indicatethe center point

13. Step 4 - Expose • Place screen flat side down onto glass on exposure unit • Cover corner with rope so the blanket won’t seal air inside the frame(can expose 2 screens at a time -drape rope over both) • Hold down top of exposure unit / turn on vacuum / set exposure time (turn dial past 2 min. and then back to 1min. to set timer) Do This in Subdued Light Only!

14. Step 5 - Wash your screen Do This in Subdued Light Only! • Your screen stays light sensitive until you wet the emulsion with water • Wet both sides of screenwith soft spray • With flat side of screen facing you, stand back and with soft spray wash at top of screen and work your way down • Turn screen around and lightly wash inside of screen • Blot out image area with special towels on both sides • Put in sunshine to dry or in front of a fan

15. Step 6 - Tape screen • Use plastic tape to tape up short sides of screen frame first(pinch & tear) • Tape long sides • Use scotch tape on flat side of screen to tape out registration marks • Block out any pinholes(use small brush and Ulano Block out) Note: Wait 15 min. to let block-out dry

16. Step 7 -Place on press YOUR ART WORK • Put your vellum art work on the platen, line up and tape in position(use a pencil to indicate the center of the platen) • Mount screen in the press where you want the image to print on the shirt by matching it to the position of the vellum

17. Step 8 –Add Ink • Add ink • Attempt to keep ink away from edges and corners - it is difficult to remove with a squeegee • Secure a squeegee slightly larger than the width of your image • Taping over the gap of the squeegee keeping tape 1/4” away from the printing edge, will make cleanup easier

18. Step 9 –Load shirt on printing platen Make sure the shirt is straight and flat on the printing platen

19. Step 10 – Print with the squeegee Hold squeegee at a 45 degree angle while printing

20. Step 11 – Remove the shirt from platen

21. Step 12 - Put in dryer (ink side up)

22. YOU’RE DONE! • Put the shirt on.