Screen Printing

Artwork by Ryan Capp.

Screen printing is a quick technique of mass-producing artwork using a variety of colours.
Setting up is a long process but once done, you can screen-print 'til your heart's content!

Setting up the screen for exposure:
Yellow screens are for fabrics.
White screens are for paper.

• Photocopy black & white artwork onto acetate.
• Cover screen with emulsion.
• The emulsion is light-sensitive, so the screens are kept in the cupboard.
• Place the acetate on the UV machine (any text should be legible, not reversed).
• Place the screen face-down ontop of the acetate.
• Clip the machine lid shut, press 'Vaccuum' then 'Start'.
• The black parts of the image on the acetate will block UV light on the screen.
  The UV light will fix the emulsion to the screen.
• Wash the screen, front and back, until the black parts are washed away.
  Leave to soak for a minute, wash 'til yellow areas are clear and transparent.
• Put the wet screen in the bottom dryer drawer.

Screen printing onto chosen material:

• Place material on flat surface.
  
• Before you begin anything, draw the registration marks around your screen so you know where to place it again for other colours. Mark the position with masking tape.
  
• Mask around the mesh and screen with brown tape so avoid ink slipping through the edges.
• Line up the image on screen with the acetate image.
• Use a squigee wider than the image to cover it entirely.
• Place some ink at the bottom of the screen and pass the squigee up the screen and down four times for fabric and once for paper, tapping the after each pass.
• Wash screen thoroughly after use.