Hey guys am kinda new here. i just wanna ask if anyone of you knows what tools are needed to print shirts? am not really in it for profits. i just like printing shirts. problem is i dont know what specific paints or tools to use.
i know how to (my dad teached me when i was 12) but since its like 10 yrs ago i think am a little outdated when it comes to everything.
hope you guys help. thanks in advance.
Re: Shirt Printing
I guess the easiest method would be printing your own iron on transfers.
as for silk screen and other types, I'll accompany you in waiting for the answers as I am interested in this too. 🙂
Safety first - always wear face/eye/ear/hand protection as a minimum.
Re: Shirt Printing
I did that a LONG LONG LONG time ago. We used silkscreens. If you want to make more than one then this is the way to go. You could just use a paintbrush I suppose. National Bookstore has all sorts of supplies for textile printing. There are also cheaper sources in Manila.
Tell me you'd like to hear more and I post what I remember.
Re: Shirt Printing
if I'm eligible to answer, and my answer is a "YES, I would like to hear more please", will you post more?
'coz my answer is Yes, I would like to hear more please. TIA.
Safety first - always wear face/eye/ear/hand protection as a minimum.
Re: Shirt Printing
Basically, a silkscreen is just a fine mesh screen where portions of the screen are blocked. Ink will flow through the unblocked portions.
To block the screen, blue film is applied to the screen. If I remember right blue film dissolves when a chemical, maybe water, is applied. Before application however the image is transferred to the blue film. I remember cutting the pattern out using a blade. It was a tedious process. The film is translucent so it is not hard to see your original. By now, I would not be surprised if there is photographic process of transferring the image to the film.
To use the prepared screen, you stretch the fabric (T-shirt) over a flat surface. The screen is then positioned above it but raised a few mm off it by putting spacers. Ink is then poured in a straight line on to the screen but in a portion that is blocked and with space enough to bring the squeegee in to position. The squeegee is then used to apply the ink by pressing the squeegee down till it touches the fabric and then pulling it across the screen that in turn runs the ink over the screen through the unblocked portions and on to the fabric. The action of pulling the squeegee causes only a straight line across the screen to be touching, and transferring ink, to the fabric, at any given point in time. This is very important. Speed, pressure, amount of ink, and even screen tension all play important parts.
You can make multicolored images by using several screens applied one after another after each set of ink dries.
Silkscreens are not only used for fabric printing. I know for a fact this is a popular method for putting those labels on all sorts of equipment and tools.
Re: Shirt Printing
i got my silkscreen printing basics from this site...
http://www.nomediakings.org/doityourself/howto_silkscreen_posters_and_shirts.html
Shirt Printing is a great idea if done rightly. I was doing the same to understand and develop more for cheap business cards for any quantity. It's what I was talking to people here and there too.
