I have had screen printing in my bag of tricks for quite some time. It is the best way to get consistent and clear prints. Until recently, I have used the traditional framed screen which is durable and accurate. and bulky. Durability is important, but my style changes and I rarely use a screen for more than a couple projects. Of course, they can be cleaned off and reused. The "photo-emulsion" method produces the finest lines and greatest detail; but it is a pain for us home enthusiasts. It requires more tools than I have around the house! Enter a new product: the
EZ Screenprint frameless screen. It uses the sun to develop, and I have access to abundant sunshine. It takes only a minute in the sun, some soaking in warm water, and curing time (again in the sun) to make a screen that can be used for many repeats. It is delicate and I find that paint will dry rapidly in the screen in our near zero humidity, so care must be exercised.
I decided to make a screen for our business, so we could advertise while we ride! At first I designed a screen which would tile together. The results were okay, but not great. I had little success in lining up my registration marks, so my tiles didn't match up like they should. I cut the fabric into smaller pieces and made a puzzle ball out of it. (See "Balls!" in this blog) My next attempt did not involve matching edges. I created a 6 x 6 inch square in photoshop featuring our logo, some gears and cogs, and petroglyphs.
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Tiled Screen (See how the edges wrap-around?)
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Non-tiled Screen (Nothing to line up!)
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The square is printed out in black on to an acetate transparency. This is layered with the screen material and then taken outside into the sun.
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| The transparency and original print out |
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| The layers: glass,transparency,screen, mat. All clipped together! |
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| After a 15 minute soak the print emerges!. |
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| The cured screen. Note the color change and where the clips were! |
I had ice-dyed nylon from previous dye sessions, (See "The Learning Curve" in this blog), and I selected a yellow green to print on. It takes very few tools to print. A squeegee, paint, painter's tape, paper towels for clean up, a tray with water, and the fabric.
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| The tools assembled. |
I knew from my first experiments with these screens that metallic ink clogs them quickly; one strike and they must be cleaned; so I selected an indigo paint to go with my yellow green background. As you see in the photo, I marked out lines (6 x 6) on the screen. I also marked this grid on my fabric with washable chalk. Printing works best with a little padding under it. I like the height of my ironing board and it is padded nicely. I put on my cover for crafting (i.e. I don't care if something gets on it!) and began.
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| Stretched into place and secured with pins |
I found that I needed to soak and clean the screen after three strikes. Did I mention we have no humidity?! That slows the process a bit, but it preserves the screen. Soon enough, the fabric is covered.
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| Finished fabric |
After letting the fabric and paint cure for 48 hours, I heat set the paints with the iron to make it permanent. I then sewed it into a new tool kit, the 'velope.
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| Voila, a 'velope! |
I have some fabric left and I plan to make a mini-backpack from it. I think it clearly depicts our loyalties!
I submitted two photos of t-shirts I screened to the EZScreenprint people for their gallery, and they were chosen for display on their website! Pretty cool! I was paid in the form of more screens for which I have lots of ideas! Here's the link to the gallery:
http://ezscreenprint.com/roxyb.aspx
There are in depth tutorials on their website and all in all, it's a great way to screen print!
