Screen Printing tips

TIP SHARE!

Tip 1. BURN TIME

The time it takes to burn a screen with a photo flood light bulb is about 6 minutes at a distance of 18 inches. Closer/longer can cause over-burning- a mistake from which there is no salvation. The emulsion should rinse easily off of the screen. Using the soft side of a sponge for detailed areas can be helpful, but if you find you're using the scrubby side and having to put your back into it, chances are you've over-burned your screen.


Tip 2. TAPING THE SCREEN

When taping the borders of your frame, try taping on the inside where you'll use the paint. It keeps paint from sneaking into the cracks, which can make cleanup a lot messier and more time consuming.

Normally I use clear packing tape to tape of unwanted portions of the screen, but after being stuck with duct tape the last time i had some realizations. Duct tape is good for re-use. During my last session I was able to peel and re-stick several times, which saved both time and tape. Once packing tape is wet and pulled off the screen, you pretty much have to toss it and tape anew. The only thing to be careful of is that duct tape is so sticky off the roll it could potentially tear some emulsion and/or screen. A couple of swipes across an arm, palm, or even shirt will lessen the stickiness just enough. It's still sticky enough to tape- and re-tape!


TIP 3. WORK WITH A DRY SCREEN

After rinsing one color of paint from your screen, allow enough time for the screen to dry completely before moving on to the next color or design. Even a tiny bit of dampness can cause running and loss of detail when pressing the paint through- especially if you're already working with a thinner paint. Working with two screens help relieve the "watched pot" syndrome while waiting for a screen to dry. While one is drying you can be working with the other one and vice-versa.