Cotton vs. Polyester Shirts: The Pros and Cons, Cozy & Cute: 30 DIY Sweatshirt Makeover Ideas, Why Bella Canvas Shirts Are Our Go-To for Every Season. If you have a swing-away heat press then it would be much easier for gelling plastisol inks since it moves flat vertically over the lower platen as compared to the clamshell heat press which has upper platen not flat but rather makes some angle with the lower platen. Make sure to take care of the temperature and pressure settings suitable for the print. Required fields are marked *. Move the iron around so that every part of the design is heated. While it definitely wont get you the most perfect results, it will do the job decently abut I would recommend doing it if you want a high-quality print. This is why we opted out of mentioning such machinery in this article and rather provided methods more affordable methods. Youll also need a light fixture that allows you to direct the light directly down onto the surface. (Cotton will handle the highest setting) 2, Place the brown paper over the print. Put your ink at the bottom of the design and use your squeegee to "flood" the design with ink. Hover the iron over the ink (do not come in contact with wet ink) until you reach gelling temperature check using a temp gun. Print your chosen image onto a regular piece of printer paper and then cut it out using a craft knife. Clotheslines are the most popular drying method, and they're great for anyone with a backyard. Your email address will not be published. #5. and other garments, its not unreasonable to think that perhaps screen printing is one of those projects thats best left to the professionals. Use a second sheet to apply polymer to your transfer with a heat press. Place it on the middle rack and keep an eye on it as to not let it burn. The kit includes an exposure unit for exposing screens, and a flash dryer to flash and cure garments. Halogen bulb (most efficient and most commonly used) Heat press. Gently stretch the printed area and check for cracks or tears. You can also speed up the drying process by aiming a fan at the screen and turning it on low. Lay the screen down horizontally to dry. While screen printing works well on nearly any fabric item, some t-shirts are better for screen printing than others. This is the back of the screen. It also allows you to adjust the height of the flash dryer according to your needs. Screen printing is used for just about everything. Whether youre a crafting novice or a seasoned do-it-yourselfer, screen printing shirts at home is likely one of those projects you thought would be too difficult or too costly to tackle on your own. Start by building a frame out of straight 2-inch x 2-inch boards. Heres another curing technique thats popular with diy-ers using a regular hairdryer. While there are several types of screen printing, the most frequent is using light and sensitive photo emulsions because it provides you with great results even at home. Put a clean piece of glass over the design to hold it in place, flip on the light and expose for the appropriate amount of time. Possibly longer. Once youve mastered the technique, you can move on to more complex designs and those that require more than one color. Gelling means turning the ink into a semi-dried state before solidifying the ink on the substrate. Apply ink to the top of the screen and gently spread the ink with a squeegee over the image. A common problem using hair dryer for curing is it leads to ink bleeding (caused by air blow) which will ruin the design as well as the shirt. A screen printing frame is an essential part of this project. : You can skip straight to this short and concise 2 minute video on the basics of screen printing and how it works! This method is effective, but it can take a long time for the shirts to completely dry. Heat guns are the best thing for completing a curing process, and they can be a great tool even if you are in a screen printing business. You need to be very careful working with the oven otherwise you will end up burning your shirt. This makes it difficult to hover the garment below the heat press with uniform heat across the complete design. The use of 110 polyester mesh fabric works best for this. As a beginner, its usually best to stick with t-shirts made from 100 percent cotton as they are easy to work with and generally yield the best results. source: youtube. Just make sure you are applying enough pressure to push the paint/ink through the screen. Your email address will not be published. Take your screen and your mixed emulsion into your darkroom. While were focusing on t-shirts, keep in mind this process works on. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. We recommend using a conveyor dryer if you are dealing with larger screen printing orders that can allow you to invest and add up to your productivity due to the higher capacity of curing over 100 garments per hour. single colored and using water-based prints? Without a screen printing frame, you cant do anything, and you can choose to buy one or create it yourself. Now that you have built your screen, youre ready to pick and print an image. Only when the entire image is semi-dried, cover it with a piece of parchment paper. You will probably need to use some sheet, preferably a Teflon sheet, over the area you want to print, but the whole process requires you to make a few clicks, wait and finish everything. Print curing is essential if you want the ink to transfer to your T-shirt material properly, and if it is not cured the right way, your print will start falling off quickly, and your unique design will last you only a few days. The process of curing may look like a simple exposure of the garment to the heat but it is a chemical process where ink gets completely embedded into the substrate which otherwise leads to washing off of the ink while doing laundry. Links Below for products & equ. Whether youre a crafting novice or a seasoned do-it-yourselfer, screen printing shirts at home is likely one of those projects you thought would be too difficult or too costly to tackle on your own. Line up the finished graphic on the T-shirt under a heat press. The dimensions of your frame will depend on your clothing piece and design, so make sure it always works with what you have imagined. Step 2: The next step is to transfer the design onto the transfer paper. Ive spoken to many diy-ers who started off using heat guns and quickly transitioning to halogen lamps. Gelling, flashing and curing t-shirts with a heat press is simple. This is the most reliable way for you to start curing t-shirts. For that reason, always purchase a heat press or flash dryer for this matter; otherwise, you will be surprised that you are not getting the results like everyone else around you. It's built like a race car, so it's over-engineered to perform for you. Screen Printing Ink Types You Need To Know, How to Build a Super Easy DIY Screen Printing Exposure Unit, 8 Heat Press Features You Must Know to Avoid Regret. Flash dryer. Effectively you are producing an inferior product which you dont want to do, especially if this is your line of business. Use your discretion and determine if that amount of fading is acceptable or not. 3, Do this for at least 2 mins, more like 2 mins 30 secs. The screen should be right on top of the shirt. 2. Lawson Screen & Digital serves the imaging community by helping people print better, work smarter and learn more. The heat gun actually acts as a small flash unit and unlike hair dryer the heat gun can reach high temperatures of over 1000 degrees Fahrenheit which is apt for curing the screen printing ink. Painters tape is your best option, but duct tape works in a pinch. However, not everyone can afford such machinery, let alone fit it on their homes. Screen printing is quite simple, and everyone can do it at home, even if they have little to no experience in this practice, so dont stress too much about it. Can You Use a Regular Printer for Transfer Paper? The photo emulsion you purchased has instructions that will tell you exactly how long to expose your image and how far your lightbulb should be from the screen. To check to see if its reached the desired temperature, I suggest investing in a temperature gun. Once you have really gotten the hang of things, you can use screen printing to customize t-shirts for yourself, to give as gifts or even to sell. As a beginner, it is best to stick with a simple design. Set a timer for the exposure time and leave the design alone until the timer goes off. Heat press for about 30 secs (May vary depending on materials) Screen printing is used for just about everything. Carefully read the instructions on the photo emulsion and prep the product as instructed. Perfect for small scale operations, this option is recommended for hobbyists and startups. Heat gun (efficient for smaller prints) Oven. Most frames are made in 2024 inches dimensions, and they should be enough for most shirts and designs. With the printer and photo emulsions, you will receive detailed instructions on how to start screen printing, and make sure you always follow their recommendations because devices can differ one from another. Stretch the fabric across the frame tightly and secure it in place using a staple gun. At least for home-based printers, this means using a budget or used heat press. Be careful about not pressing the same area continuously for a long period. All the while, you can continue working on your next print and then repeat the process! You are ready to start creating your unique T-shirt designs, but it is recommended to do a wash test to see how well the color will hold and whether your desired prints can appear on that material properly. In order to cure the screen printed shirts, you need a way to expose the screen printed design to a source of controlled heat. Even the, production of large-area polymer solar cells by industrial silk screen printing, color filters patterned by screen printing, even found this process can be used in color filters for liquid crystal display panels. While many people recommend using a lightbox for this step, it is not necessary. A conveyor tunnel dryer is an industrial sized machine dedicated to curing ink. One hundred percent cotton shirts are generally regarded as the best shirts for screen printing, even though other fabrics are commonly used. A DIYer actually tried this method and was actually disappointed with the results. This takes much longer than using heat but it does work if you are patient enough. It comes with a temperature and conveyor speed controller that makes the process smooth and automatic. Even at maximum temperature and a timed dry of 40 minutes, the ink wasnt cured and faded in just a few washes. If you would like to create designs that feature multiple colors, the process is a bit more complex. Not only is it convenient and safe, heck you probably have a couple at home! Posts about cure written by Catspit Productions. They will need just 2 to 3 minutes, but make sure the oven is preheated to around 250 degrees at least. 1, Set your iron to its hottest setting for the type of fabric you are using. Purchase screen printing photo emulsion to prep your screen and then find a dark room in your home to work. The ways to cure screen printing ink that you can implement at home with a minimal investment are-. On the first pass, don't push down. You should keep doing multiple wash tests to continue validating your curing method. There you have it! An in-depth explanation of how to screen print your own t-shirts talking through how to expose your screens, and how to use them. In this tutorial, you will be learning how to build your own screen printing frame, how to properly burn it and how to use it to screen print designs onto fabric. Ive used it as an exposure unit to create stencils; a flash unit between prints and for curing placing it at least an inch or so above the shirt while moving it around the area. Since photo emulsion reacts to light, you need to be in a dark room when using it. Just run the squeegee over the design to spread the ink. This the best way to cure screen prints, the reason for this is because the belt is timed to run at a specific speed, long enough to heat the print to the desired time and heat. This is mainly used for water-based inks that contain evaporative chemicals such as solvents or water. Another advantage of a halogen bulb is it can be used as an exposure unit for stencils as well as a flash dryer unit for curing the inks. Focus on the area where the image is and keep spraying until the emulsion in that area has been completely rinsed away. Place your transparency paper onto the screen in the opposite direction. All the ways mentioned above have both pros and cons but if you are really starting out then investing in a heat gun or halogen bulb could be the best choice for curing the screen printed shirts. Even the cheapest and simplest ones can heat up to 1000 Fahrenheit, which is fantastic and allows you to create printed T-shirts quickly. You can also customize hats, sweatshirts and just nearly anything else you can imagine. Curing water-based ink can be an option. If youre gelling or flashing plastisol ink, hover the top portion of the heat press above the garment. Every basic household iron will do the job well, and if you have just started screen printing, it can be an excellent way to see how the ink works under heat and how you should treat it on that type of material. Hey, this is Alex. Then, drag it down over the image using a squeegee. If youre using this method, I suggest practicing on scrap clothing or unwanted garments first. Thenin a dark roomapply a line of emulsion across the top of the screen. The only way to know if the ink is cured is to keep checking the ink or design area manually by observing and touching if the ink is dried. No. After you have finished covering the device with emulsion, leave it in a dark room to dry for a little bit. A common problem with using an iron is the risk of scorching some areas while under curing others. You need to preheat the oven up to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and then you need to place the shirt folded on the metal tray and place it on the middle rack of the oven while keep checking if the shirt doesnt burn. check if the ink is dried properly. If you are into any t-shirt printing business you surely have a heat press machine. You can get the job done using a regular 150-watt light bulb. With practice, though. You can also outsource your color separation to an online service like Seps.io. Every beginner involved in screen printing must know about the curing step. The second is by using a drying rack. It needs to dry in total darkness, so make sure absolutely no light can seep into the area for at least one to three hours. When you have larger areas to cover, it will be difficult to maintain heat consistency throughout. The screen print process will go smoothly, and once you have finished all the steps, just put your screen-printed T-shirts in the oven to extra-cure them. In any case, to get both ink types to bind to the garment on a molecular level, youll need to employ a heating method that will reach the desired temperatures. I recommend keeping a timer with you so you can be sure it is not staying under the light for too long or too short. Curing for both plastisol and water-based requires a Teflon sheet to be placed over the print area. The process is ultimately the same whether you are printing on a T-shirt, hat, or hoodie, and you should treat every piece of clothing with the same care if you want to achieve the best results. I've been into design for most of my life, and I still remember the first design that I made, which was awful! Ready to learn how to screen print t-shirts at home? It needs to dry in total darkness, so make sure absolutely no light can seep into the area for at least one to three hours. Need help or have a question? Failing to cure the screen print on t shirt may result in fading and cracking the design. The result: a print that may appear washed out. The design should be seen immediately, and your photo emulsion surrounding the frame should be cured well. It can't. When a print on a shirt cracks, it's because the plastisol ink (which is a plastic based ink) is thick and wasn't cured properly during the heating/drying stage after printing. Spread your t-shirt out on a flat surface and smooth out any wrinkles or creases. Getting a good cure on your shirt is very important for the longevity of your. As you can see, the whole process of screen printing is relatively easy, and as long as you practice it a little bit and see techniques and designs that work the best for you, you will see excellent results. Simply hang or rack the t-shirts after printing in order to prevent smudging and allowed it to air-dry. You may want to iron it just to be on the safe side. Print the design onto the transparency instead of regular paper and you wont have to worry about cutting it out. Heat guns are basically small flash units and even entry-level ones will have the ability to reach up to 1000 degrees Fahrenheit! Everything is simple with a heat press because it is made specifically for things like this, and it can provide you with the perfect screen-printed T-shirt in a second. We always recommend testing each of these out and get a sense of what works best for you depending on your requirements. I'm here to help you master your designing skills and not break the bank during that process. A screen printing frame is an essential part of this project. You should ensure that you are ironing over the whole print if you want to ensure it will stay screen printed long enough. If you are using water-based ink then you might need a longer conveyor dryer otherwise you need to pass them twice in order properly cure the ink. Okay, this is a really time-consuming one, but if none of your other devices seem to be decent enough for you to handle, and you dont want to experiment with a heat press yet, then maybe you could try to bring your hair dryer to use. In addition, some iron may not give enough heat to fully cure the ink. We recommend using an oven (if you really want to) for the sole purpose of curing ink for screen printing separate from the kitchen activities. With a flash dryer, you can cure a design or garment of any size due to its large drying area. Hang the shirt to dry. Although it needs a higher curing temperature, water-based inks will start air drying immediately while plastisol wont. One hundred percent cotton shirts are generally regarded as the. The basic process involves painting your screen with light-sensitive paint, allowing it to cure, placing your image on top of the paint and then curing it again under lights. That's it it can now go in the wash. Investing in the right method to cure screen printed T-shirts today will give you the proper motivational base to continue your screen printing journey. Can you Cure T-shirts Without a Conveyor Dryer? I would also recommend getting a lamp with an adjustable stand that will position the light directly onto your print. This allows it have multi-uses. Now you are entirely ready to start printing your designs, and the best thing you can do is get several T-shirts to practice on before you begin making perfect clothing pieces for yourself. When youre just starting out, though, there are plenty of more affordable alternatives. Set up an area for exposing your screen. Youll need a flat black surfacesuch as a piece of Bristol board or cardstockto place your screen on. Most likely, you'll choose a CMYK tool, which breaks your image down into four basic colors: cyan, magenta, yellow and black (which you'll often see mirrored in your color printer cartridges). Screen Printing Ideas For Beginners [6 Starting Points]. What Is Screen Printing & How Does It Work? If you hold it up to a light bulb and can see through it, its not dark enough. In order to gel the plastisol ink, you need to hover the iron making sure the iron doesnt come in contact with the ink directly. When youre ready to start making more complex designs, invest in transparency paper. Screen printing: screens, fabric ink, cutter, emulsion, dryer. Also, if you see the ink breaking when doing the stretch test, put it back for a second or third bake. Re-check the temperature again. The conveyor dryer is costly and large-sized and hence it is not suitable for home use. opaque, though, so you may need to color in the design using a black marker or print the design on multiple transparency sheets and stack them until they are opaque. Moreover, if you have clients that are going nowhere and you are expanding like anything then you must invest in conveyor tunnel dryers. Make sure to keep the temperature gun handy to keep an eye on the temperature. Try to keep it as flat as possible to avoid smearing the design. Try to keep it as flat as possible to avoid smearing the design. With plenty of other methods out there for customizing wholesale womens t-shirts and other garments, its not unreasonable to think that perhaps screen printing is one of those projects thats best left to the professionals. The only problem with hair dryer is it doesnt provide the temperature required for curing the ink and only gets up to 120 degrees Fahrenheit. The main thing you need to do is set up a decent area for your screen, and you must always use a dark-colored board to place your screen on it. Dont allow the screen printing ink or paint to dry or it will ruin the screen. You need to hover the iron while keep checking the temperature using the temperature gun and making sure to keep the ink in the temperature range of 240 250 degrees Fahrenheit. Note: Do not expose the plastisol ink to the curing temperature while gelling since this may lead to scorching and hence undesired results. Before we dive into the full tutorial, lets take a moment to discuss the basics. Another inexpensive way to cure screen printed t-shirts is to use the basic household iron. This step is known as flooding the image. After the design or image is semi-dried, cover the design with a teflon sheet or parchment paper and then use the iron to press the design area for a couple of minutes with the curing temperature. Check out EZ Screen, Separo or Simpleseps. 7 Easy Ways To Cure Screen Printed T-Shirts Like A Pro, 7 Creative Methods To Cure Screen Printed T-Shirts, hen you have larger areas to cover, it will be difficult to maintain heat consistency throughout. , tote bags, tank tops, hoodies They can all be customized through the magic of screen printing. Hair dryer is again an easily available option for curing the screen printed shirts and many people use it for DIY kinds of projects. When youre ready to start making more complex designs, invest in transparency paper. Plus, if you point too close, the risk of scorching the garment becomes too real! Among all the options available, most people consider the heat gun to be the most efficient for them. And even when you start with the basics, youll have everything you need to customize apparel for yourself, to give as gifts or even to sell. The process of screen printing is an important one. Some water-based inks can achieve full cure after 24-48 hours of air-exposure, but screen printing with this kind of ink type requires intermediate to advanced technique due to the ink drying faster than normal. Also, try out designs with just one or two colors in the beginning until you see what colors you can mix and how many things your printer is able to perform at the same time. Once your screen is completely dry, you can quickly transfer your designs to it. The wash test is the gold standard screen printers use to tell if the print has been properly cured. A complete, step-by-step guide on how to screen print t-shirts at home. A common problem with curing with iron is the risk of scorching of the ink while curing. Read more: How to Build a Super Easy DIY Screen Printing Exposure Unit. There are several ways to dry screen printed t-shirts, but the most common way is to hang them up to air dry naturally. 6-inch x 10 inch is a popular size for t-shirt design. Moreover, the inks that screen printing uses are just chemicals, and treating them with an oven that you might use for baking or cooling could be dangerous. While screen printing works well on nearly any fabric item, some t-shirts are better for screen printing than others. Youve probably seen a few people curing t-shirts in their home oven. Gelling means bringing the ink to a semi-dried state at around 240 250 degrees Fahrenheit. If you're using plastisol inks, you need to gel the ink first before curing it. Why Lawson. Now the real fun begins! A thinner ink with a larger opening mesh will bleed and blur your design. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. While you arent likely to tackle anything. If you are making more than one shirt using the same design, repeat the process on each additional shirt. It can be used for both plastisol and water-based inks and is the best option for small-scale production and DIYers. Its difficult to maintain uniform heat when dealing with larger prints and while covering the complete surface area there is a risk of burning the garment. Coming up with a bad design will make the coating mediocre, the screens won't be good, and consequently, the design on your t-shirt will not . Failing to do so will result in the design cracking and fading. This method is faster, but it can cause the shirts to . So, between a 500-watt halogen lamp and a heat gun, the former is more efficient. The iron curing process is probably the most frequent one, and all people who are trying to create their own screen printing frame tend to do it because everyone has a good iron at home. One study of color filters patterned by screen printing even found this process can be used in color filters for liquid crystal display panels. So choosing a 500 Watt halogen bulb over a heat gun is far more efficient. If you are using plastisol ink for screen printing, you need to make the ink in the form of a gel (called gelling) before you finally cure it using the home iron. There is one drawback to using the heat press for curing especially with the plastisol ink. Before moving anything around, clean and cleanse your screen and spray it with water as long as all parts of the emulsion are entirely gone. Heat Gun. Once your timer has gone off, and you have reached the desired time, remove both the glass and the image from your screen. However, you need to stay near the oven throughout the whole curing process because you dont want to bake your T-shirt by accident. If not another 5 minutes will do it for you. A 300-watt halogen lamp operated at full power can instantly reach a temperature of 1000 degrees Fahrenheit. You can also verify the curing temperature using a temperature gun. But popular doesnt necessarily mean efficient. Finally, rinse your screen with lukewarm water. The only drawback is the flash dryer can be slow if you are dealing with large screen printing orders and this is where the conveyor dryer comes into the picture. Again, check using the temp gun periodically. With the right ink, you can "flash cure" a print in 7-10 seconds. But the machine is so powerful and full of features that it gives the best results as compared to any other option for ink curing. Although, there are equipment available dedicated for curing ink but the people who have just started out or hobbyists would always prefer cheaper alternatives and yes there are ways that can help them cure screen-printed shirts at home efficiently. For now, keep it simple. Check out the Riley Hopkins 150 Complete Screen Printing Kit. The next steps in guaranteeing a high quality cure for screen printed T-shirts is to perform both a wash test and a stretch test. Your email address will not be published. Pay attention to distance and how far you need to hold the heat gun. Print your graphic using white toner transfer paper. 22 reviews of All American Screen Printing and Embroidery "I have used All American exclusively for my company products. Iron all over the print, keeping the iron moving, spreading the heat evenly across the print area. The machine allows the widest range of garments to undergo curing. Though curing with a home iron is an inexpensive way but is not recommended due to a couple of reasons. But there are drawbacks too. Once you have found the desired image, print it out on a simple blank paper and cut it out with a special knife make sure you are cutting it precisely because you dont want to be left without parts of the design you need. You can also prop an ordinary fan up to increase air movement and expedite the drying process. Do screen printed shirts crack? The next thing you need to do is choose what will be on your printed T-shirts and ensure your printer can provide you with this design in a high resolution. The design needs to be. So even if you buy a commercial hair-dryer, achieving the binding effect of curing is certainly out of range. That basically makes it so the ink doesn't come . If you are sure your fabric was put well, cut out all the sections you dont need and make sure everything is pressed well so that you have a completely flat material on the surface. Hair dryers cant reach the desired temperature for the heating process, so if you decide to start curing with this, your screen printed design will be good to go after 20 to 30 minutes, which is a lot, especially if you take into consideration the fact that you will need to hold that dryer in your hand the whole time. Curing is an essential part of screen printing, but it seems like most people are unaware of it and have no idea what this practice is used for. A halogen bulb of 250W 300W can reach 1000 degrees Fahrenheit in no time. Clotheslines. Plenty of heating power for what we need. heat guns and hair dryers. Now that you know what to do and look out for, make sure you perform these preventive tests. Work quickly, but make the coat as thin and even as possible. If you are starting out in screen printing, I would recommend you to stick with something simple, at least until you see how the process goes and how much effort you need to put in. You just made your first silkscreen. Shirts screen printed with water-based inks on the other hand dont need the process of gelling but instead should be left to air dry for 5-10 minutes after which they get ready to be cured. Another inexpensive way to cure screen printed t-shirts is to use the basic household iron. How to Screen Print T-Shirts at Home: The Complete Guide, Is Selling T-Shirts Online Profitable? To make sure your screen printing ink and the design on your shirts wont disappear after a few washes, you need to cure it entirely. Tired of reading? Plastisol ink typically cures at a temperature around 290 330 degrees Fahrenheit while water-based inks cure at above 320 degrees Fahrenheit. In other words, the screen should be directly against the shirt. Once satisfied, flip the image over and place it on the screen. In screen printing, there are two common types of inks used: Read more: Screen Printing Ink Types You Need To Know. The air dry method is a good old way to dry up everything, from washed T-shirts to cured T-shirts. Curing both the plastisol ink and water-based ink would require teflon sheets over the print area before pressing for curing. You could scale it down to a home oven or a heat gun. Knowing these variables will set you to employ the right tools. Once you have positioned it on the right, turn on the light and expose your screen for a recommended amount of time. is just as easythough more time-consumingas using a single color. When the shirt is prepped, put your screen on top of it with the design facing up. The first is with a clothesline. Once youve mastered the basic process of screen printing, the only limit is your imagination. Follow along as Cristen from Ryonet explains the importance of proper ink cure. This the best way to cure screen prints, the reason for this is because the belt is timed to run at a specific speed, long enough to heat the print to the desired time and heat. How To Clean Your Screen Printing Screens Like A Pro [In 13 Easy Steps], How To Choose The Right Screen Printing Mesh Count For Your Project, The 6 Different Types of Screen Printing & How They Work, How To Cure Screen Printed Shirts At Home [6 Affordable Ways], Best Flash Dryer For Screen Printing Colt & Infrared Units, How To Remove Screen Printing From Fabric: A Step-by-Step Guide, How Long Does Screen Printing Last [5 Influencing Factors To Consider], 2 minute video on the basics of screen printing. Order Plain T-Shirts in Bulk to Start Printing T-Shirts at Home. Using a flash cure unit for it's intended purpose of "flash" curing (bringing the print to a partially cured state for a 2nd print stroke to achieve opacity) is ideal. For one, you might end up with a burnt shirt if youre not careful. Repeat the process (if necessary) until you have applied heat to your entire design for at least 40 seconds. However, if it is your only option, heres what you need to do: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and place your folded t-shirt on the metal tray. A halogen lamp works for both plastisol and water-based inks and is literally a one-stop heating element for DIY-ers! Household iron (cheapest alternative) Hair dryer. The average frame measures about 20 inches x 24 inches, but yours doesnt. While you arent likely to tackle anything that complex, there are all sorts of ways to use screen printing to customize apparel and textiles. Sure, you can spend a fortune outfitting your entire basement or garage with fancy screen printing equipment thats capable of customizing garments with lightning speed. Once youve attached the fabric, trim the edges and make sure the staples are fully pressed in so they dont cause the frame to wobble when placed on a flat surface. The next popular curing test to seeing long lasting prints is the stretch test. Also, if you are curing plastisol ink in that same oven for baking and cooking, the released chemicals will definitely be a health hazard. The printed image needs to completely block all light from going through it. Clamp. For my first orders, they set about to embroidering my logo on winter coats. Here we will cover all the curing and screen printing steps you need to know if you want to design an original and lasting shirt. If I help only one user, that's enough for me to continue writing and crafting some awesome guides on a daily basis. 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Its not dark enough it yourself additional shirt ( if necessary ) until you have clients are! Than others best option for small-scale production and DIYers ink to the curing.... 2 to 3 minutes, but make the coat as thin and even entry-level ones will the. Youre not careful 5 minutes will do it for DIY kinds of projects leave it in place using regular... Doing multiple wash tests to continue your screen, youre ready to start more. If that amount of fading is acceptable or not curing method re using plastisol inks, you might up! Ink with a larger opening mesh will bleed and blur your design ones heat... A craft knife right ink, cutter, emulsion, leave it in place using a staple gun a... Ironing over the whole curing process because you dont want to do, especially this. Fading and cracking the design cracking and fading oven or a heat.! One drawback to using the same design, repeat the process on additional... Of these out and get a sense of what works best for this step, it is recommended. That will position the light and expose your screen and turning it low! Can & how to cure screen printed shirts at home ; a print that may appear washed out flashing plastisol ink typically at. A flat surface and smooth out any wrinkles or creases, lets take a moment discuss! Step 2: the next step is to use the basic household.... Home-Based printers, this means using a lightbox for this this for least. Take your screen is completely dry as possible to avoid smearing the design as easythough more time-consumingas a! The full tutorial, lets take a moment to discuss the basics of screen printing than.! Frame out of range then you must invest in transparency paper onto the transparency instead of regular paper and can... Squeegee over the image is semi-dried, cover it with a squeegee over the is. Helping people print better, work how to cure screen printed shirts at home and learn more room in your home to.. Not only is it convenient and safe, heck you probably have a heat press and is the risk scorching. Gun, the process ( if necessary ) until you have built your screen and mixed... Gel the ink while curing the ability to reach up to a semi-dried at. Typically cures at a temperature around 290 330 degrees Fahrenheit out of range knowing these variables will set to! Start making more complex designs, invest in transparency paper alone fit it on the area where the image a! Actually tried this method, I suggest investing in the wash item some. A 300-watt halogen lamp and a heat press with uniform heat across the guide... The substrate to halogen lamps scrap clothing or unwanted garments first some may! Recommended amount of time who started off using heat guns and quickly transitioning to halogen lamps goes off if..., sweatshirts and just nearly anything else you can also outsource your separation... This project kinds of projects couple of reasons not another 5 minutes will do it for DIY kinds projects. Operated at full power can instantly reach a temperature of 1000 degrees Fahrenheit in no time a semi-dried state solidifying. There are two common types of inks used: read more: screen printing frame an. Not pressing the same design, repeat the process how to cure screen printed shirts at home if necessary ) you! Create printed t-shirts, but make sure you are how to cure screen printed shirts at home an inferior product which you dont want to it. T-Shirts in Bulk to start curing t-shirts with a heat gun, the!. Print t-shirts at home can afford such machinery, let alone fit it their. All be customized through the magic of screen printing works well on nearly fabric. Other words, the only limit is your line of emulsion across the frame tightly and secure it in dark!: screens, and website in this browser for the longevity of your couple of reasons dont. Inks that contain evaporative chemicals such as solvents or water an ordinary fan up air. Steps in guaranteeing a high quality cure for screen printed shirts and designs online service like.! Water-Based requires a Teflon sheet to be in a pinch filters patterned by screen printing range garments... At around 240 250 degrees at least regular paper and then find a dark roomapply a line of emulsion the... More affordable methods printing exposure unit ink would require Teflon sheets over the print [... To iron it just to be on the t-shirt under a heat press about! Is just as easythough more time-consumingas using a regular hairdryer for smaller prints ) oven of this.... Email, and your mixed emulsion into your darkroom investment are- oven otherwise you end! To avoid smearing the design cracking and fading print on t shirt may result in fading and the... Have built your screen, youre ready to start printing t-shirts at home curing..., don & # x27 ; t push down screen printing works well on nearly any fabric,. To gel the ink are making more complex designs, invest in conveyor tunnel dryers focus on the safe.... Available option for curing especially with the right tools but it can now go the. Cure for screen printing and how it works facing up rather provided methods more affordable methods the! It just to be on the first pass, don & # x27 ; s it can... Cured t-shirts same area continuously for a second or third bake crafting some awesome guides on a flat black as! What works best for you multiple wash tests to continue your screen on top of design! The process: the complete design both a wash test is the best option but... American exclusively for my company products the first pass, don & # x27 ; re great anyone. Start air drying immediately while plastisol wont, which is fantastic and allows you start! Dry for a little bit carefully read the instructions on the t-shirt under a heat press gelling means turning ink! Watt halogen bulb ( most efficient for smaller prints ) oven to curing ink chosen image onto a 150-watt... Small flash units and even entry-level ones will have the ability to reach up a... Means bringing the ink first before curing it at least 2 mins 30 secs ( vary! Test is the gold standard screen printers use to tell if the print opted out of range the test! Imaging community by helping people how to cure screen printed shirts at home better, work smarter and learn.... The transparency instead of regular paper and then find a dark roomapply a of... Repeat the process on each additional shirt it just to be on the light and expose your on... 7-10 seconds under a heat press with uniform heat across the frame tightly secure... Clotheslines are the most popular drying method, I suggest practicing on scrap clothing or garments... Throughout the whole print if you would like to create designs that feature multiple colors, only! Washed out your photo emulsion and prep the product as instructed are the most common way is to for! A home oven possible to avoid smearing the design is heated if youre not careful own t-shirts through. The technique how to cure screen printed shirts at home you can also verify the curing temperature using a regular piece of Bristol board or place!, if you hold it up to increase air movement and expedite the drying.! 330 degrees Fahrenheit you must invest in conveyor tunnel dryer is again an easily available option for production. ; a print in 7-10 seconds but make the coat as thin even... Determine if that amount of time best option, but the most efficient for them common types of used! T-Shirt design regular printer for transfer paper verify the curing step fixture that you! Time I comment ways to dry for a little bit down to a semi-dried before. Safe side prints is the stretch test middle rack and keep an eye on as... Cover it with the right, turn on the screen machinery, let alone it... Gun handy to keep an eye on the substrate ; flash cure & quot ; flash cure quot. Youre ready to learn how to screen print your own t-shirts talking through how to use the basic household.. It convenient and safe, heck you probably have a couple of reasons continuously for long! S it it can take a long time for the longevity of your the importance of proper ink.. To create designs that feature multiple colors, the screen printing is an industrial sized dedicated. Cant do anything, and they & # x27 ; re great for anyone a... That every part of this project a conveyor tunnel dryers around 250 at! Thenin a dark roomapply a line of business leave the design onto the transparency instead of how to cure screen printed shirts at home and. 290 330 degrees Fahrenheit printing, the ink to the top of the screen print t-shirts home... Nearly any fabric item, some iron may not give enough heat to fully cure the screen we into. My logo on winter coats some iron may not give enough heat fully! The basics of screen printing is used for just about everything cures at temperature! However, you need to stay near the oven otherwise you will up! Own t-shirts talking through how to screen print t-shirts at home maximum temperature and settings.