craftgrrl | Screenprinting: a tutorial and other info.

I printed these shirts last summer, and never put them up so thought I'd share.
These shirts were made in conjunction with a fundraiser for a photography scholarship in honor of one of my mother's friends that died in a car wreck last year.
The image I used was one of his photographs.

Screen printing paint isn't paint, its "ink" but that's not what you need to know. For tshirts, what you need to know is that regardless of what paint, ink, or whatever you use, if its not for tshirts you'll need to get some fabric medium. There's a picture of it below, and you can find it with the acrylic paints in most craft stores or craft sections in department stores.

You will need:
a screen
your image
a shirt
screenprint paint/ink for shirts OR screenprinting ink + fabric medium
fixative or some other method of putting your image on the screen (see below)
squeege
a nearby sink: this could get messy

You will start out making your screen.

Adventures in making screens: It will start out pretty, clean and unused: your blank canvas. I used the light-burning method to make my screen. Here's how it works: you brush this stuff on your screen and let it set for a while. I forget how long, but I let mine set for a little too long the first time. After letting it set, you'll need to put your design onto the screen. I took my design to kinkos and had them put it on a transparency. I put the transparency on top of the screen, and then used a light to burn the image into the screen.

If you are using the light-fixative method of screenmaking, too much heat too close to your screen will ruin it. You will hear this over and over, and that's because its no joke. You won't be able to get the screen goop out, and your screen is shot. Screens cost around $20 each, so you're going to want to keep them re-usable. After putting the goop on the screen you'll need to let it sit in a totally dark space.

I used too much of the light fixative goop on it and it went on very thick, but (after one botched attempt in which I applied too much heat and burnt the whole screen) I was able to get a good, clean screen. Your screen will just be blue--I forgot to get a picture before I actually burned the image on, so don't let this confuse you.
My screen

For my lighting source, I ended up using one of those tin-backed garage lights and a 200 watt Phillips Duramax bulb. I put this about 2 feet above my screen.

After burning the image onto your screen, you'll need to scrub it. The light fixative burns all of the (we'll call it) background into the screen so that it creates a covering that the ink can't go through. If you look at my screen, its the blue part. The parts of the screen that are covered (the design on my transparency) will not get "heat set" into the screen. So after burning for the alloted amount of time, you wash your screen and the parts you want the ink to go through will be washable (the white parts of my screen.)

You don't have to use the light-fixative setting stuff for your screen. You can use tape, you can do it a ton of different ways. Check the memories and you'll see a ton of suggestions.

Other supplies

I didn't have tshirt screen printing paint so I added fabric medium to my regular screen printing paint. Seemed to work fine. I did include washing instructions with each shirt with a reminder to wash inside out and hang to dry.

To actually to the paint on the shirt:
Put some paint on your screen--I would do a thick line across the top of the screen. Then I would run the squeege down the screen (before putting it on the shirt) to even the coat of ink out across the screen. Then hold your screen over the shirt and MAKE SURE its when you want it. Hold the screen down very tightly and run your squeege up and down and back and worth a few times to ensure that all of the open spaces are coated evently.

Pick your screen up SLOWLY--otherwise you might pick the shirt up and it might fall and crumple--which means wet paint everywhere and a ruined shirt.

My assistant. He's cute.

While not necessary, its nice to have someone else around to help you hold the screen down while you are pulling the paint across the screen. Because unfortunately, I don't have 4 hands. Otherwise, its a good idea to secure your screen with some clamps to ensure that it doesn't move and you get a clean print.

Test Print!
I highly suggest you do one of these to make sure you like your color combos, etc.

This reminded me to make sure the edges of the screen are masked. I knew that the outline of the page would leave paint, so that wasn't a big deal. But I also taped the edges of the screen your screen because you are pushing the paint to the edges with the squegee (sp?) so it has a tendency to puddle there as you are making the prints.

After putting on the ink, let your shirts dry. This shouldn't take long at all. Mine were dry within 2 hours, tops.

AS SOON as you are done hanging up the last shirt to dry WASH YOUR SCREEN to remove the ink from the screen. I used dish detergent and my hand. I did use a dish scrubber (lightly) in a few spots where the ink was being stubborn. If the ink stains your screen don't worry--its just your screen that's stain and the stain won't affect later uses.

Changing colors: If you are going to use more than one color ink, you'll need to wash your screen inbetween color changes.

You're going to need to heat set your shirts. I did this with an iron. 5 minutes on the front and 5 on the back.
I used a tshirt scrap between the iron and the paint so as not to get paint on my iron.

For washing, if you didn't see what I wrote above, be gentle! Wash your clothing item inside out and hang to dry and your image will last much, much longer.

Additional notes:
I used a screen printing kit that I got at Michael's Crafts. I also got my screen printing paint at Michael's. I got an extra screen at Michael's. I got my shirt at Wal-Mart because I was on a very limited timetable and wasn't able to order them. (They would be cheaper if you order in bulk, and if you do, be nice to your fellow women and men and try somewhere that's against using sweat-shops for their products.)

I'm sure I've left a ton of things out, so if you have any questions, just ask. KEEP IN MIND that there are also a ton of resources in the memories and elsewhere online.

EDIT: Also read the commments made by