How to Silk Screen Fabric

I had a screen printing business for several years. Here are the steps to screen print an image on a Tee-Shirt or other fabric. Screen printing is a fun hobby and the right design can also be the start of a profitable business. A single screen is needed for each color. If you want to use multiple colors it is easiest to screen print with a press that aligns the colors tightly with a jig so you do not need to hand align the screen.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Silk screen frame
• Photo emulsion
• Screen printing ink
• Squeegee
• Tape
• Fabric
• Heat to cure ink

1. I would recommend buying a commercially stretched screen to begin with. The expense is not much more than stretching your own screen but in the printing process the right screen tension is needed to get a clear crisp image. Coat the screen with photo emulsion in a dim lit area or dark room area (with a photo red light). Let the screen printing emulsion dry in a dark place.

2. The image should be on clear acetate plastic. Dark opaque lines for a good image. Fine line drawings are difficult to screen. Shading is possible but hard to do and is done with newsprint type dot matrix printing. Tape the image to the screen with the emulsion in a dim lit area using clear tape. Expose the image with a light box or sunlight. Time will depend on the light strength and emulsion type used. See the instruction on the emulsion for exposure times.

3. Remove the image. Gently rinse out the image with running water. A light shower head type stream of water is best. The unexposed area under the image will wash out. Allow the screen to dry. Hold the screen to the light. Put masking tape over any pin holes outside the image area or paint with emulsion and expose to light to cure.

4. Pull Tee-Shirt or fabric over a board to hold the fabric taut. Printing presses for tee-shirts have a shirt shaped board that is sprayed with a light adhesive.

5. 
   Screen printing ink

   Put screen printing ink on the top of the screen. Place the screen in position on the shirt or fabric. Pull ink across the screen and image with a squeegee using light pressure. Lift screen. If you are doing a second color you will need a screen with the second color only prepared and align it and screen the next color. This is easiest with a press that has a jig to keep colors in alignment each time.

6. Remove the fabric from the board. Hold it out as the ink is still wet. Cure the ink with heat. A hair dryer may work. Small flash heat dryers are inexpensive. Commercial printers have a belt dryer they use. There are some inks that will cure in the sun. See the ink container for the temperature and drying time needed.

Tips & Warnings

• Some inks are made for certain fabrics. Most screen printing ink is made for 100% cotton or a cotton polyester blend. Some nylon fabric cannot stand the heat needed to cure the ink.

[jcrush]

on 5/10/2009 Screen printing is so much fun. More people would probably do it if they knew it wasn't so hard./*****

[kristara]

on 5/5/2009 I didn't know you could do this, great direction for silk screening. 5*

[mcccmu]

on 4/30/2009 I would love to see this process in action. If you get the chance to post a video for it, either here or on youtube, please let me know! 5*

[FrazzledNanny]

on 4/29/2009 Thanks for the great craft article. I've never done Silk Screen Fabric before but it sounds cool! Well written and easy to follow! 5*

[bossypants]

on 4/26/2009 Detailed and easy to follow steps. I used to silk screen by cutting film with an exacto blade, to make the design. I've never done photo screens and have wanted to try it. I am confident I could do it following your instructions! Thanks!