Screen Printing

This post provides general information about the process of screen printing.

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Screen Printing at Ace

A subset of screen printing supplies and tools  previously used for classes at Ace are available for member use as of October 2024. Screen printing supplies for member use are located in a bin in the Art Shelves in Clean Fab. When you use Ace’s screen printing supplies, please be sure to do it up in Clean Fab and use the utility sink in the hall for cleanup.

General Description

Screen printing is a technique that imprints an image by transferring ink or paint through a mesh material onto a porous surface like paper or fabric. This is commonly done using stencils, frames, squeegees, and screen printing inks.

General steps for screen printing

1. Find, purchase, or make a silk screen.

This likely will be a wooden/aluminum frame with a mesh material tightly pulled over it. Ace has several pre-made wooden frames not yet available for member use. There is a possibility to create new frames using tools and scrap wood from the woodshop. This is especially great if you’re looking to screen-print a design larger than the frames on-site.

To make your own screen, start with a wooden frame and use something (eg staples, tacks) to attach mesh material over the frame. Optional next step: use masking tape to tape the inside and outside of the frame edges to prevent ink from dripping through. A few resources to make your own screen:

2. Design and cut a stencil image.

There are many ways to design a stencil image, including hand-drawing and using design software. There are also many ways to cut a stencil out by hand or with machines on-site.

3. Attach your stencil to the screen.

Optional step: use a photo emulsion to bake in your stencil image.

4. “Register” or line up your screen above the object to print on.

For this you may want to use base attachments with hinges, screwed onto a prepared wooden frame. If you want precise positioning, you may want to consider doing some registration using additional material, eg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnf5h_iJH9Q.

5. “Flood” your screen to load your stencil with ink.

This ensures your screen will have enough ink in large open areas to produce a good even print. Do this by dragging ink evenly across your screen before it is placed directly onto your printing surface.

6. Place your screen onto your object and use a squeegee to firmly drag ink through your stencil onto your object.

7. Remove your screen and, if printing on fabric, heat-set using an iron before washing.

Textile detergent can be used for pre-washing.

8. Clean the screen.

At Ace, the utility sink outside of Suite 214 is available for members to use and is large enough although a bit awkward to accommodate even the larger screens.

Additional resources

 

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