Screen printing 101

[drowningcreek]

OK...I've had enough of my verbal sparring with idiots on these boards.

I'm starting this topic to start discussing screen print techniques. Not whos are better, but what works.

In the coming weeks I will document the process from line art to finished piece. I have a few projects on the schdule that will allow a close documentation.

This is not about the art...it's about the process.

So here are a few questions to ponder..

1. What is the best way to get art out of a computer? off a drawing table and onto screens? What mesh counts work best for you?

2. Got any special techniques you want to discuss like tranparent ink mixtures, special papers and substrates etc?

3. SAFETY!! some of this stuff has HAZMAT warnings from HELL...what do you do to protect yourself?

4. Shipping posters....bulk and individual. How do you pack?

5 halftones, mezzotints or random dither patterns (indexing)?

These are just a few of the things I want to discuss.

Let's have some constructive dialog.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: drowningcreek on 2002-01-18 10:56 ]</font>

[Dusty!]

Thanks for this

[jcooper]

i was wondering if there is a better method to ship just one poster other than a roll tube. I realize that the tubes are probably the safest way to ship without getting damaged but i hate the thought of someone getting my poster all rolled up and out of shape. Has anyone found a way to ship them flat without getting all banged up?

[Pedini]

I am most stupid about how to create good seperations on a computer. Not 4-color process, mind you, just how to trap colors and get a good, crisp output for screenprinting. Any advice is greatly appreciated.

[JGex]

I don't trust the postal gorillas with shipping flat. It really doesn't take that much time or effort to flatten them.... just a couple of heavy books.

I would be very interested to know if anyone *is* shipping single posters flat &amp; how they are doing it and whether or not they have had posters damaged this way... anyone?

Great question, Jason!

[MaximumFluoride]

Mike Murphy ships all of his posters to me flat. he wraps them really good in butcher papr and tapes them down to a piece of heavy cardboard. Then he just tapes another piece of cardboard on top and off it goes..well he tapes the HELL out of itactualy that way it doesn't slide around inside..it seems to work. I have never recieved a damaged poster from him.

evre see one of his prints up close? they are sweet. He's a great printer.

[DaveGink]

I use 6"x6" x24" heavy corrugated Boxes I found from a box company in Chicago called PackagingPrice.com. They were only 45 cents each in a bundle of 25. I still roll up the posters but now they are in there without having to roll them real tight. Works nice, they flatten out pretty easy after being taken out of the box. For my 11x17 stuff I use the priority mail boxes the post office privides for free. I leave them flat and tape up the ends, then mark DO NOT BEND all over it. So far so good.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: DaveGink on 2002-01-18 11:46 ]</font>

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: DaveGink on 2002-01-18 11:49 ]</font>

[Dusty!]

I have a question about the differences between using vellum, mylar, acetate, and vegetable oil. i mean besides the price differnces, is there any difference in quality?

[buddylee]

hey cap'n,

i use oiled paper because i don't care which one is 'better.' all i know is it's quick n dirty, and it makes me laugh. oil makes paper translucent! and i can burn screens this way! that's genius! ever cool! how punk! etc...

...i doubt it's the BEST way to burn screens though. some people would probably look at most of my printing habits as fine examples of how NOT to screenprint however, because i don't have to make customers happy, only myself, i can afford to do things my own way. flood strokes? don't do em. clean and-dehaze used screen? forget it - i tear it off and staple on new mesh. a proper screen burning unit? nope - black material laid on the floor, a 375 watt light bulb suspended from 2 lengths of 2x2 lumber that are bridged across two old kitchen chairs, a piece of glass to hold the oiled paper down. a vacuum table to hold the paper down while i print? nope - i tape down thin pieces of cardboard and line up the paper against them. spray gun for washing out emulsion/washing screens? nope - garden hose with my thumb over the end (i do have a spray area and a good sink though).

i don't mean to blather on, but it all comes down to this: some people want to screenprint quote-unquote 'properly,' and some people just want to SCREENPRINT. i am one of the latter.

Buddy Lee

oh yeah, before i go off sounding like a total rookie, i do t-shirts as well, and on that side i have good gear - a flash drier, a conveyor drier (both properly vented), a 4 color tshirt press &amp; a 5 color one. but i still use oiled paper and burn the screens the same way though!

[buddylee]

oiled paper: cheap. only limited by size of paper. i've had no problems burning fine details. makes me laugh.

acetate: only come in 8.5 x 11 for laser prints (at least, that's all i've seen); must get film shot. while you're trying to find somewhere to get your film shot, i've already oiled the paper and burned the screen.

vellum: limited experience. i've burned 6 or 7 screens using vellum, when people have given me the art on vellum. nice and crisp burns.

mylar: no idea.