This is a quick video on using cut vinyl as a stencil instead of standard emulsion. It is not necessarily cheaper option, but more of a time saver and easy to do for 5 or less prints.
Yes, we used to do this too at the place where I worked. I silk screened road signs, big ones, usually one color, on a machine. We used it on short runs usually less than say five panels. After that the acetone would eat the vinyl. But we even used these to print three colors, red, yellow, green, one pass, for stop light type road signs. It is a little tricky though and you really only get one chance to get it right. Good job.
the best video showing the stencil way of screenprinting by far.....you simply showed every thing i been wondering about with this process!!!!Thanks!!!
Thanks for the vid. I’m just moving from vinyl to SP and the screen burning is a bit of a learning curve. This i can do until I’m more comfortable/experienced. 👍🏾
What about small details..they peel quickly when flooding the screen anx sometimes stick to the shirt ...any pointers on how to keep this from happening
Your tutorial was very informative! I have not tried screen printing yet but when I have my fabric paint bleeds through.... you didn’t have that happen... What am I doing wrong? Thank you!
exam type of rubber gloves work great, peel them off and toss in the trash. This is how I paint in my home, when I have to. Saves a lot of time and scrubbing.
Great one..What catched my eyes is the lines on your platen...I understand it's for alignment but can you explain them so I can do similar on my platen?
Very cool. Nice video. I love how you used the application tape to tape off the screen. That's an old Ranar press. And a Ranar flash cure unit. They last forever. That's why I sell them ;) I sell plotters too so I really need to do a video about this. Come get some Catspit~!
No doubt. Yeah it's hard to see how old the unit is. If it were not too old it could be upgraded. But if it's wicked old, then you're stuck as is. Just depends on the unit.
Well let me know if I can help out with the new press then. I offer free shipping in the US and a lifetime guarantee on the Ranar presses. I'm the only dealer who does that ;)
Thanks for the video James. I'm a small business owner and use my Silhouette Cameo currently to make custom shirts using vinyl for events that I'm planning. I'm looking to make the leap into silk screening my shirts but before I make the costly investment in equipment I want to make sure it's right for me! I LOVE that you used a vinyl stencil as this is exactly how I'd like to practice, see if this is a viable and profitable endeavor for my shop, without playing around with photo emulsion. What brand of vinyl did you use? I'd like to keep the screens with the vinyl stencil attached, can I do a quick rinse of ink and have the stencil be usable again? (In case I get more orders for shirts with the same design). I would be using a Speedball ink that requires a heat press to set (as I don't have a conveyor dryer or a flash to dry for using plasticol or water based). Thanks so much!! Sandy
Sorry I m just replying. Technically, yes. I guess you could. However, it would lose alot of the tacky that it need to hold the vinyl and it may be more trouble than its worth.
Awesome video James! I currently have a cricut and am learning screen printing with the vinyl on the screen press. I'm pretty clueless on screen printing. Your tutorial is very helpful. My question is: I do not have a heat gun. Can I heat press the shirt as soon as make it (covering the shirt with a Teflon sheet) to set the ink, or do I have to wait for it to completely air dry and then heat press it? I own an Etsy shop owner and monogram shirts with heat transfer vinyl. But heat transfer vinyl is expensive and very time consuming when making 10 of the same shirts. I appreciate your input. 😊
yes, you can use a heat press to cure the ink and yes, you can go straight from the press to the heat press. You want it at about 325 degrees and press for 15-25 seconds.
leaving the past... love that song. respect man! im trying to learn everything to do with printing. any tips for someone that hasnt started with hands.
You need to get the ink off right after you finish printing. Otherwise the ink "sets" with the adhesive and becomes hard to work with. With that said... you just peel off the vinyl and then clean with regular ink remover. If you need it, you can use some goo gone or icky sticky unstuck.
I am into HTV and sublimation as a hobby and now i want to try screen printing and this method seems to be reasonable for me since i im not a pro and i dont have a bussiness. That UV coating was a factor that always kept me away of that. How long are those screens lasting? Can tehy be cleaned easily and can you put the dirty paint water in the canal or is it dangerous? The only problem with this method is that you can not do pictures or complex shapes because the plotter can not cut fine details but for fonts ond logos this is enough i would say. I dont like the look and feel of HTV i have to say. I saw on youtube that somebody printed with puff ink which creates that marshmallow effect, looks really nice. I have to try that and i can use my heat press to fix the print i guess. greetings from Germany
Thanks for the video... I was wondering about this very issue of using vinyl instead of going through the whole making a screen for a short run. Any issues with small details? Like flooding... I've retired as a graphic designer (spent my early years doing photo retouching), but I have designed face painting stencils and temp tattoo stencils with Corel draw and often the face painters or airbrush artist want a shirt for the program they are working for the day...football, movie openings.I'm using my own pigments, and emulsions which all all waterborne... Now to try it out.
I tried your idea and it worked fine. I told a customer that the detailed artwork he had would take so long to cut and weed, he would have to pay for a full screen project... he actually paid for the screen (he took it home after I finished) just to print 5 shirts. Again it's pretty much a balancing act when you do the numbers. Thanks..
I have to agree... many years ago I tried airbrushing block out fluid directly onto the screen..then print the first colour and then...airbrush more block out fluid reducing the background towards the forground,...and finally continue to a finish print...this was in the 1980's and a few artist in Sydney were playing with similar techniques... many nice pieces , but sadly this process can produce a ton of waste.. the system is far from perfect, but allowed half tone style fads because of the airbrush. Now since I retired people come up with these unique concepts, but costs for 2-4 shirt can't be justified. Yet after saying that, this idea you have demonstrated could work for other projects. Right now Market Stall holders want the same image on all their shirts, but with different emails, phones and websites for the different regions the franchise holder works from. I did a direct emulsion of the great art work, leaving open fields for the info' they want to add. Seems to work ok for now. Thank you again as this could be a real answer to compete against the new screen print digital systems they now sell here in Australia. Great Job Mate.
Also James have you used solvent based inks??? I was asked to do some reverse in on glass with their logo, phone ETC. I was using Japan Black mixed with Rubbing varnish. This was tight outlines and detailed fonts. I wanted to float gold leaf to fill the letters and then fill the glass with some blackout ink colours again with rubbing varnish. If you have tried it, did the solvent based inks interfere with the adhesive of the vinyl? I'm looking to buy the cheapest indoor vinyl for these type projects as the UV rating mean nothing on this type of project. Any thoughts or factual first hand experience stories would be most welcomed... Regards, Ken
The quick answer... It doesn't. LOL If you are going to be printing more than 10 tees or you think you will need the screen again, use emulsion. NOW, with that said, I did mention in the video that if you get the ink off of the adhesive area on the vinyl, then I have reused the screen days later. Even used ink cleaner on it and saved it.
Yes you can. You need to be careful, but you can. Although, I dont know why it would get blocked. That is usually a result of getting your platen to hot when flashing and it makes the ink cure in the screen. In that case, slow down and let the platen cool. I use a piece of cardboard to fan off the heat.
@@winstonsmith7843 You do realize that just because someone is opposed to Hillary, it doesn't necessarily mean they're in favor of Trump right? I'm not saying this is the case for the OP you were replying to but it's pretty goofy to make assumptions based on nothing other than a surface level comment.
It actually does. The thickness of the vinyl is actually thicker than a standard coat of emulsion. If you use water base or dont use enough pressure then it may bleed out.
have you ever tried putting the vinyl on the top side so that the adhesive side is toward the shirt and does not contact the ink? Is your method better for any reasons? Just curious.
I have been using this method for many years and have tried it both ways. The screen lasts longer if the vinyl is on the bottom, in contact with the shirt. Any small pieces of the vinyl will pull up as the squeegee is drawn over them if the vinyl is on the top. I have made as many as 100 shirts with one screen using this method.
Sorry for the delay... In theory you could print 12-24 as long as the vinyl stays on the mesh. Personally, if I needed that many, I would do it the "proper" way and make a screen using emulsion.
@D L & @FRESH 100 TV Not sure where you are all located, but the 43T measurement is usually used in UK/Europe. In the US we use mesh counts. Personally I dont know how they convert. The mesh count is really determined on the artwork and the ink. A 110 or 156 would be used for white or very light inks where you need alot of opacity. A black or dark ink would use a 156 to 230 because the ink is much thinner.
We're just starting with t-shirts business (1918.pl) Great video! I thought I would have to use UV lacquers for masks and here you have it - another solution :)
I always get a fuzzy outline around my screen prints with vinyl. What could I be doing wrong? Also, my platen is usually covered with ink. How is your coming out so clean? lol
TheRattDawg it’s not iron on vinyl, and I don’t know about him but I’m having a hell of a time with vinyl. Plus it’s a lot more cost effective in the long run with silk screening.
Mary is right... its not HTV. Personally, I HATE HTV and only use it for names and numbers. This is not how I would normally print... it was just a little hack to print with plastisol using a cut vinyl stencil.
