How to Make a Silk Screen T-Shirt

Screen printing on T-shirts creates a dynamic, durable, beautiful print--and it's possible to get started with a few simple tools and materials. A well-stocked art-supply store can sell you all the basic screen-print materials that are required for a simple job. But be sure to comparison shop, as prices vary dramatically. You can also check with a local industrial screen-print supplier.

Things You'll Need

• Wood or metal frame
• Foam rubber
• Screen-printing ink
• Squeegee
• Light-sensitive emulsion
• Light source
• Glass
• Weights
• Artwork on transparency or film
• T-shirts

Instructions

A beginner's guide to screen printing

1. Use mild soap to clean a frame stretched with screen mesh. Rinse and let dry for at least 1 hour. Coat the screen with light-sensitive emulsion (check the instructions for light conditions appropriate to your emulsion). Coat both sides, then scrape away excess emulsion. Let dry overnight. If you didn't buy a pre-stretched screen, you will need to put your screen fabric on the wooden frame, so taut that you can bounce a coin on it. You can use a staple gun, but take care not to rip the screen mesh with the staples.

2. Put your design on a transparency. Either draw with India ink on translucent vellum, or print the design on vellum or other heavy transparent paper on a laser printer. Inkjet printers often do not create an opaque enough image for burning a screen. Some laser printers are too hot, and will melt vellum. If you draw on vellum with India ink, go over your lines or brush strokes twice to insure opacity. You can use Hewlett Packard laserjet printers to create transparencies. You can also send your graphic file to a film-output service bureau for your film positive.

3. Check the instructions for your emulsion regarding exposure time. It may be necessary to do a test screen with graduated exposure times to hit the proper time. Put a piece of foam rubber on the floor or a table. Put your coated screen frame over it on the inside side of the frame (leaving the flat side of the frame pointing up). Put your transparency upside down on top of the screen. Put your piece of glass over the transparency, and weight it at the edges with books or some other heavy objects. If you have ink cans, they will work fine. Hang your light source about 18 inches above your screen and turn it on for the recommended exposure time.

4. Develop your screen with warm water. Spray the screen until the image area is free of emulsion. If your screen doesn't develop, use more water pressure. Blot both sides with newspaper when you are done developing, to remove excess emulsion. If your emulsion comes off too easily, ruining your image, increase your exposure time.

5. Let the screen dry. Place it over a T-shirt and add ink to one side of the screen, creating an ink reservoir. Holding the screen frame down firmly, pull two or three strokes and lift to check your print. Clean the screen immediately when finished. You can do multiple prints. If your print smudges, try a finer screen mesh. If insufficient ink gets on the T-shirt, use thinner ink or a more open screen mesh.

Tips & Warnings

• Start simple, with white, 100-percent cotton T-shirts printed with black ink.

• If you are not using water-based inks, you will need a dryer to cure the plastisol in plastic-based inks.