Silkscreen or Screen Printing Business
May 10, 2006 by Leo 33,387 Views
The heart of the process involves a fine mesh or screen that is tightly stretched around a rigid frame. The areas that are not to be printed are masked out on the screen. To create the print, the framed screen is positioned over the item to be printed along with a dollop of thick ink. A squeegee is then used to press the ink through the screen. The masked areas prevent ink from passing through, but the unmasked areas allow the ink to be imprinted on the material. If more colors are desired in the final design, the process is repeated with different screens. Therefore, a design that requires four different colors would require four different screens.
There are a variety of ways that the screen can be masked. The most straightforward way is to apply masking fluid directly on the screen. This technique is suitable for simple one or two color graphics but is ineffective for more complex prints. For multicolor jobs, screen-printers often use photosensitive emulsions to create the masked areas. First, the design is created on a clear piece of plastic film. Meanwhile, a photosensitive coating is applied to the entire surface of the screen and then dried. The film is placed on the prepared screen and they are exposed to bright light. After a period of time, the exposed areas can be washed off the screen with water which makes the screen ready to print.
Silk screen printing can be done on t-shirts, sweatshirts, mouse pads, stickers, binders, and much more. This opportunity is great a person looking for a second income. Everyone owns a shirt, so why not make money from it. Screen printing or silkscreening is a printing technique particularly suited for flat or relatively flat surfaces. The part that is to be printed is made up of silk, nylon or a stainless-steel mesh. Ink can pass through this area but not through the other part of the stencil which is contained inside a frame.
The photo on the right displays the most basic components of a single color screen printing setup. The screen is tightly stretched around the frame which in this case is made out of wood; the blue emulsion is dried on the screen and serves as the mask. The squeegee is nothing more than a strip of rigid rubber mounted in a wooden handle. To begin the screen printing process, the operator positions the screen directly on top the item to be printed. Next, ink is be applied to the area directly above the unmasked logo, and the squeegee is used to press the ink through to the substrate. As the operator firmly presses down with the squeegee, it is slid along the surface to ensure that ink penetrates through all areas of the unmasked logo. If additional colors are required, the process is repeated with additional screens. When finished, the screen is removed and the printed item is ready for curing.
Basic materials can be purchased at any bookstores. Plain white cotton shirt can be purchased wholesale in Divisoria or any other malls. Estimated price for the materials to print 1 dozen t-shirts: P1,400
- Silkscreen (Note: A silkscreen costs P1,000+, but they can be used up to thousand times depending on your care of them. You can change images as often as you need).
- Emulsion (coating you put on a screen in order to place the image in the silkscreen)
- Plastic tape
- Ink
- 1 dz plain T-shirt
Estimated cost price is P 116/shirt which you can sell for P150-175. Remember art work is a separate charge and is extra profit if you do the art work your self.
Silkscreen printing is not limited to just t-shirts. This process will work on many different items like Sweatshirts, Aprons, Tote Bags, Lunch Bags, Muscle Shirts, Mouse Pads, Jackets, Vinyl Binders, Tiles, Flags and Signs
For more info, check the following sites:
- Very Basic Instruction
- How to Expose Photo Emulsion for Silk Screen Printing
- How to Print a Single-Color Silk Screen
- How to Build a Printing Unit for Silk-Screening
- Learn how to silkscreen
Training and Seminars:
TLRC
Silkscreen Printing P 4,169.00
Sen. Gil Puyat Ave. cor. Bautista St., Makati City
Tel: 7291508 7294447 6336726 and 6336733.
Silk Screen Supplies and Materials:
Bevan Supplies – GS EDSA Central Bldg. Mandaluyong City
Tel. No/s.: 631-3680
Screen Grafix Inc – Matrinco Bldg. Makati City
Tel. No/s.: 892-4298
Atlas Screen Printing Supplies – 290-B Shaw Blvd Mandaluyong City
Tel. No/s.: 531-6092
Screen Grafix Inc – 9032-C Angono Makati City
Tel. No/s.: 897-7007
Simcas Philippines – 5048 P Burgos Makati City
Tel. No/s.: 897-9105
Castle Multi Commercial Corp. – 798 Aurora Blvd Quezon City
Tel. No/s.: 724-2985
Printwork Sales, Inc. – 1022 E. Rodriguez Sr. Ave., Brgy. Mariana. Quezon City
Tel. No/s: 727-8430, 722-9798
2009 · All Rights Reversed ·
I’m interested silk-screen printing process, pls email me more info or training schedule wherein nearest at san pedro, laguna. Thanks
For bulk order of shirts and printing needs, we can help you. just call us now! 4123965, 4123938, 4674741
bro i can provide a good quality of shirts pls e-mail me if you need one. tnx
screen printing supplies
tulco – in front of sm sta mesa
virgo – along recto before tutuban mall
pioneer – located along j.abad santos st. cor mayhaligue st. manila
sa akin cost ng screen 250.00 lang per color then photographic screen pa.
we dont use na the green or orange film kase mahirap gamitin lalo na pag
multi color….anyway pls. check my site http://www.screenmaster.sulit.com.ph
any idea of TARPAULIN PRINTING BUSINESS? HOW MUCH WILL IT COST IN ALL?
Sir…paano ba mag print sa mug or any cylinder objects pens etc. may nagaalok sa akin ng cylindrical printer manual sya 25k ang price kasama na ang training dun, baka naman pede gumawa ng improvise na cylinder printer. maraming salamat po. Sana matulungan nyo ako dito.
d po laqr tiner kundi adhering liquid
Bumili ako ng green film sa National bookstore ayaw dumikit sa silk screen. ano bang klaseng tiner ang ginagamit? gumamit ako ng laqr tiner.
hi pls help me kong pano mag lay-out ng image sa computer pls txt me 09204688182
You can buy bulk order we supply divisoria (t-shirt and Textile) we deliver , call 728-3576 serious buyer only (from infant to adult) e-mail me at lscatabian@yahoo.com
Sir,,,,paano ba mag print sa mug or any cylinder objects pens etc. may nagaalok sa akin ng cylindrical printer manual sya 25k ang price kasama na ang training dun, baka naman pede gumawa ng improvise na cylinder printer. maraming salamat
ps..panu ba ang price charging ng silkscreenprint., per color, size, qty,???
bossing, ano bang best na marka ng mga textile paints..yung iba kasing nagamit ko e parang poor color quality..saan ba best na bumili ng supplies nearest to alabang and give me some tips naman for multi color printing like detailed logos, etc… maraming salamat–timbs
Palalat69 Says: 12/15/2006 02:59:00 PM
nice one bro… but…
Can you also include resources where we can get various t-shirt suppliers including the type and weight of the cloth.
Eu-Leh Says: 12/15/2006 04:05:00 PM
Divisoria is a great place to source the cheapest materials. Baclaran is another place too.
marsha Says: 12/27/2006 09:27:00 AM
may silk screen supply store ba na malapit sa alabang? thank you
Anonymous Says: 1/17/2007 05:22:00 PM
san ba dito sa negros nagtuturo ng screen printing
Anonymous Says: 1/25/2007 01:42:00 PM
meronpo bang nag te training ng silkscreen sa Cebu? Pls. advise, thanks.
Eu-Leh Says: 1/25/2007 06:29:00 PM
Hi, you can inquire at TLRC hotline at (02) 727-6205 if they have reqional training centers, or you can visit the website at http://www.tlrc.gov.ph.
atsiks Says: 2/14/2007 05:18:00 PM
any idea of TARPAULIN PRINTING BUSINESS? HOW MUCH WILL IT COST IN ALL?
Anonymous Says: 7/23/2007 04:44:00 PM
is silk screening hard? can an 18 year old busy with school do it? because we’re planning to put up a business. and i think its better if we learn the basics ourselves.
Anonymous Says: 8/27/2007 09:10:00 AM
Hi! I tried calling the numbers you gave and some of them are disconnected. Got other numbers for screen printing supplies in Makati?
Eu-Leh Says: 8/27/2007 12:01:00 PM
You can inquire from TRC’s new number: Tel: (02) 727-6205