DIY: Silkscreen Stickers
Personalizing notebooks, decorating storage bins or labeling drawers, a sticker you make yourself can customize any item. Designing original graphics for sticker is also transferred using the silkscreen method. Water-absorbent decal paper, referred to as blank water-slide paper, also has an adhesive backing with a protective cover that is peeled off prior to application. The artwork is transferred onto the paper using silkscreen tools and once the sticker is dry and cut out, it is ready for decorating.
Things You'll Need
- Graphic
- Soft-lead pencil
- Medium weight Mylar sheet (fogged or tinted)
- Sharp craft knife
- Sharp utility knife (optional)
- Cutting board
- Silkscreen frame
- Newspapers
- Waterproof tape
- Water-absorbent sticker paper
- Blank water-slide decal paper (optional)
- Screen-printing ink
- Wood craft stick
- Protective gloves
- Protective eyewear
- Plastic graphic squeegee
Instructions
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1
Trace the graphic with a soft-lead pencil onto a medium-weight Mylar sheet, which is a polyester film commonly used for stencil-making. The sheets are categorized as mil thickness. The medium weight is approximately 5 mil and sold as 3 to 7 mil Mylar. The 5-mil Mylar is sturdy and is also usable several times. The sheets are transparent and help you see through the surface when placing the screen for printing. Tinted or fogged Mylar stands out against the printing surface when the screen-printing ink is dragged across the mesh screen.
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2
Cut out the areas of the graphic you want to transfer onto the sticker paper with a sharp craft or utility knife. Place the graphic onto a cutting board to cut along the outline surface. The cut out is the graphic stencil.
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3
Position the silkscreen frame with the mesh side facing you on the screen-printing table. Make sure to place newspapers over the table to protect it from unwanted ink stains.
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4
Position the Mylar stencil face down onto the mesh. If you position the stencil facing you, the graphic will appear reversed on the sticker when screened.
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5
Block off any area around the stencil with waterproof tape. Run the tape around the edge of the stencil and onto the frame. Make sure you do not overlap the tape onto the cut out stencil. Exposed areas result in unwanted screened ink passing onto the sticker.
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Place blank water-slide sticker or decal paper onto the work surface. This paper type absorbs water-based, screen-printing inks and is sold at specialty paper supply stores. Turn the silkscreen frame over and place it on top of the sticker paper. Another option is to place it onto a hinged board and clamp the clips shut to secure the paper and frame in place.
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Stir the screen printing ink with a wood craft stick thoroughly until the ink has a smooth consistency to avoid clumps. Work in a well-ventilated area and wear protective gloves and eyewear.
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Tilt the silkscreen frame on a 45-degree angle. Pour screen printing ink across the angled end. The tilted end is referred to as the ink well. Carefully place the screen flat onto the paper.
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Dip a plastic graphics squeegee into the ink well. Drag the ink across the silkscreen and drag it back, referred to as "flooding" the screen. Do not pass the squeegee in a back-and-forth motion more than three times. The heavier the amounts of ink filtered onto the paper, the longer it takes to dry and may also appear uneven.
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10
Allow the decal paper to dry thoroughly, which is usually a minimum of 24 to 48 hours. Run your finger gently over the screened surface. If the ink is tacky or wet, it is not ready to cut.
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11
Place the dried stickers onto the cutting board. Cut out the sticker with the craft or utility knife along your preferred outline. Do not cut along thick ink deposits on the sticker surface paper, which causes jagged edges along the sticker border.
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