How to Build a Custom Screen for Screenprinting - Tshirts, Fabric, Designs

Build your own custom screenprinting frame for t-shirts or fabric printing

If you have ever been interested in printing your own shirt or a design, logo, or funny saying onto a shirt - either for profit or just to do it - then you probably have heard that screenprinting is the best way to do it. Well I have to admit that screenprinting is probably the best way to print any design on fabric, although it is a tedious task to learn. I am writing a series of articles to help teach how to screenprint designs onto a t-shirt, and this first one will simply tell you how to make your own cheap screens at home to get started - after all, you need to make a screen, before you can print!

Things You'll Need

• Download my plans in Step 1 and in the resources section
• 2'x 2" piece of pine or Douglas fir - at least 6 feet overall in material
• Heavy Duty staple gun
• Box of 14mm staples
• Electrical staples - also called "U" nails
• 4 corner brackets
• 1 yard of polyester fabric with a really tight weave - curtain type fabric works really well - the tighter the weave, the better the print quality
• Optional: polyurethane spray or varnish

Instructions

1. 

   Before reading each step below, please download my PDF tutorial I created to help aid you in the building of this screen my clicking on the link in the resources section or going to the URL below (copy and paste into browser)

   http://www.bradmerritt.com/Screenprinting_tutorial_buildscreen.pdf

2. The first thing we need to do is cut the wood for the frame. Take your six foot section of 2"x2" lumber and cut it into four equal pieces measuring 18" in length.

3. 

   Now take two of the 18" pieces and cut them into 16 1/4" lengths. And take the other two pieces and cut them into 12 1/4" lengths. See photo below for reference.

4. 

   Now we need to cut the ends of each piece of wood into a 45 degree angle so that we can but them up together to form a frame. Use a mitre saw to achieve this.

5. 

   This is how the pieces will go together - see photo for reference

6. 

   Get your four corner brackets and your pieces of frame that you cut out, and lay them out on the table as you would assemble them. So basically, dry-fit the frame together, and then put the four corner brackets on top of your mitered angles. We will screw these brackets into the wood to hold it together permanently.

7. 

   Now screw down the corner brackets into each of the mitred pieces of your frame so that you have a permanently locked together solid wood box frame.

8. 

   Get out 4 electrical staples or "U" nails.

9. 

   Now turn over your frame, and take 4 electrical staples or "U" nails, and hammer them into the back side opposite of the corner brackets you screwed on in Step 7. The "U" nail should nail into one piece of wood forming the corner on one side, and nail into another piece of wood forming the corner on the other side. This adds extra protection that your frame will not come apart. So now your frame is bracketed and screwed together on the top, and nailed together form the bottom. The reason for the heavy hardware is that you will hopefully use these screens a lot, and this will help them take the abuse.

10. 

    Now that we have completed our frame, we want to staple on our screen fabric. Lay the screen on the table with
    the Corner Brackets side facing downward. We will connect the screen to the smooth side of the screen. Lay the
    screen material over the frame. Be sure to leave at least two inches overhang on each side. Select a side that
    you want to start stapling down, and secure the corner first. Then staple down the entire side. Be sure to keep
    the fabric even around all edges. NOTE: You may want to get a hammer to flatten out some of the staples.

11. Once you have completed one side, you want to staple down the adjoining side. Be sure to stretch the fabric
    tightly first, and then secure the corner with a staple. Pull the fabric tightly along the edge as you staple down
    the side. Be sure to check all the edges and make sure that you have extra fabric hanging over every edge
    evenly. Also be sure to pull the fabric tightly.

12. Finish stapling the remaining two sides as shown. Be sure to always pull the fabric tightly in the direction you are
    stapling. Look for any loose areas in the fabric, and try to tighten up areas as much as possible by stretching
    the fabric on a diagonal, and then in the direction you are stapling. Add extra staples to areas that will help you
    tighten the fabric. Use a hammer to flatten all staples.

13. 

    These next set of pictures show you the direction to staple the fabric to the frame. It is very important that you stretch the fabric tight on each side as you staple. You want to have an end result where your screen is as tight as a drum - so pretend like you are making a drum. See the photo below for the staple directions - follow the arrows.

14. 

    Good Work! Make sure that your screen is super tight on the frame and that there are not wrinkles or loose areas in the printing area. If there are, stretch them out and staple the fabric down to the frame to make the canvas as tight as a drum - Your Screen is now finished and ready to take a graphic for printing.

Tips & Warnings

• Download my tutorial here: http://www.ziddu.com/download/2328815/ Screenprinting_tutorial_buildscreen.pdf.html

• Pull the fabric as a tight as a drum all the way around the frame so that you have no loose fabric in the printing area. The key to a good print is a fine mesh and a tight screen.

Resources

• Download Free Screen Tutorial PDF
• All My Other Screenprinting Tutorials