Home Sign Up!

Browse Community Submit

All Art Craft Food Games Green Home Kids Life Music Offbeat Outdoors Pets Photo Ride Science Tech

screenprinting - making the perfect screen

by familycanvas on October 24, 2009

Table of Contents

screenprinting - making the perfect screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Intro: Screenprinting - making the perfect screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Step 1: Go shopping! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Step 2: Cutting and drilling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Step 3: The lay-out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Step 4: Mind the gap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Step 5: Attaching the mesh screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Step 6: Nearly done . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Step 7: The snap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Related Instructables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

http://www.instructables.com/id/screenprinting-making-the-perfect-screen/
Intro: Screenprinting - making the perfect screen
there are many tutorials on the web instructing home-based screenprinting techniques, but most fail to mention the two most important tips for creating quality, affordable
prints at home. The first is the importance of how taught or tight the mesh must be, the second involves something called the "snap". This instructable shows how to
make adjustable screens to ensure the tightest of screens, and then explains the "snap"

Step 1: Go shopping!
This is what is required for this tutorial:
1 pine strip (1.8m long) and 22mm x 22mm.
4 x bolts (70mm x 6mm) with their accompaning nuts.
a drill (with 6mm bit).
staple gun.
wood glue.
mesh ( i've sourced mine from screenprinting suppliers and is a 55 mesh count)

http://www.instructables.com/id/screenprinting-making-the-perfect-screen/
Step 2: Cutting and drilling
first we need to cut our pine strip into 4 strips.
i've used 2 x 45mm pieces and 2 x 35mm pieces (this is just my preferred measurements)
each piece will have a hole drilled through the side, and on the other end, into the middle.
the depth of the middle hole should be about 20mm

Step 3: The lay-out

now we will creating a rectangular frame but with a "circular" lay-out.
in other words, the corners will be overlapping, not square.
this is best described by looking at the diagram.
each corner is connected by the bolt, then nut, and glued into the hole.
at this stage the nut will be tightened away from the glued hole.
allow to dry

http://www.instructables.com/id/screenprinting-making-the-perfect-screen/
Step 4: Mind the gap
once dry, it is safe to move the bolts all the way to the hole.
then tap the ends of the pine strip closer so that the bolts are protruding on the outside.
now your frame should be square and the corners seperated by the nuts.

Step 5: Attaching the mesh screen

staple the mesh to the frame.
its not necessary to try pull it tight while attaching.
the nuts will do that for you later.
use wood glue to ensure an even stronger fit.
allow to dry.
nearly done! maybe time for a cold beer, never drink beer and handle a drill at the same time, instructable on how to stem blood flow from a drill wound at a later stage

http://www.instructables.com/id/screenprinting-making-the-perfect-screen/
Step 6: Nearly done
now, using a spanner, start turning on the nuts so that they increase the gap at each corner.
do one nut at a time, starting with small adjustments so that the gaps increase slowly.
you should now feel the screen becoming tighter.
you will know the correct stretch if it starts feeling like you're tapping on a drum or tamborine.
remember, too much stretch and it could start tearing, so be patient.
now find other instructables which show the use of emulsion and prints to make your screen.
there are many

Step 7: The snap

now we all know how frustrating screenprinting can be.
but once you have a super-tight screen, here is another important piece of information which will help you create perfect prints, and its called, quite simply, the "snap".
the snap is the distance between your screen and the textile.
this should be about 5-6mm and many people do not know this.
so your screen should not be resting on the material, it should be away from it.
now you could never achieve this without a tight screen, but your pressure of the sqeegee should force the screen down onto the textile, and the tightness ensures it
springs back up as you pass.
voila!!!! good luck.
now have another beer

http://www.instructables.com/id/screenprinting-making-the-perfect-screen/
Related Instructables

DIY Screen How to keep even cheaper Screen Printing How to Silk
Printing: Easy, DIY using your screen printing Machine: Print Screen by
Detailed & Screen-Printing Gocco by by slimguy379 Faux-co! by YarisWorks
Inexpensive! by with PhotoEZ or UnlessSomeoneLikeYou lemmingsolution
anotherway StencilPro:
Easy, Fast &
Detailed! by
anotherway

Comments
10 comments Add Comment

SABIOLOCO says: Jan 13, 2011. 2:39 PM REPLY

WOWWW ABSOLUTLY GENIUS AND SIMPLE

MatrixRage says: Dec 23, 2010. 10:32 PM REPLY

Dude, that is F%$I% Genius. Great idea.

22killzz says: Aug 1, 2010. 7:45 PM REPLY

this is a great idea ive screen printing for some time and i always pay to have my mesh glues to the frame this will save me lots of cash! :D

M4industries says: Feb 14, 2010. 3:45 PM REPLY

Whoa whoa whoa.

I like the idea of a gap between the substrate and the screen, but how do you support it? Blocks of wood?

familycanvas says: Feb 14, 2010. 11:28 PM REPLY

i find that if you glue 5mm nuts to the 4 corners of your screen, this gives you a nice even snap. the reason its not included in the instructable is because
i've now gone a step further and i am fitting my screen to a hinge system so you can lift the screen and, if need be, place it back if the print is not perfect.
this hinge system stands 5mm higher than the board it is built on. make sense? it works on the same principle as a screenprinters carousel, good luck

Barrettkg says: May 3, 2010. 3:12 PM REPLY

We use a hinge system at my school. Except instead of making the hinges permanent, we use a nail to slide in and out of the two pieces of the hinge.
That way we can change the screens with much ease

http://www.instructables.com/id/screenprinting-making-the-perfect-screen/
 M4industries says: Feb 16, 2010. 3:41 PM REPLY
Yeah. You might want to add that piece in there somewhere. Anyhow, I saw a 4 color carousel on eBay for $300. I don't know how cheap that is
relatively, but if you want a carousel, eBay is your place.

rogeromc says: Apr 28, 2010. 11:19 AM REPLY

You should see in built it your self, if you have the time and desired ( goole the video on how to built a silk press machine), but if dont have the
time buy it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5zbnV6OUj4

neckrochylde9 says: Mar 12, 2010. 11:21 PM REPLY

this is an excellent idea! great job!

inlikeflint says: Mar 7, 2010. 10:04 AM REPLY

This is great info for those who already have some silkscreen know how.

Your fish is nice at the intro!

Thanks for posting this!

http://www.instructables.com/id/screenprinting-making-the-perfect-screen/