The silk-screen printing technique came to graphics in the 20th century from Chinese and Japanese textile printing. This art began to develop in Soviet countries in the 1930s. Silk-screen printing is distinguished by its brightness and decorative coloring, allowing you to obtain relief images and high-quality artistic screen printing.
We decided to present the silk-screen printing technique in hand-made conditions. Someone will definitely be interested in this. If something is unclear, ask questions.
So:
PREPARATION
You will need:
1) Mesh (special silk), size 40-50 cm (price - approximately 12-15 USD per linear meter). This is a rare mesh for average quality drawings. High-resolution drawings (for example, photographs) are produced only on silk 80 units and above (price - approximately 20-25 USD per 1 linear meter)
2) Wooden frames, the best size is 40x50, 40x60 cm, preferably with very aligned corners (the quality of the stencil and design depends on whether the mesh is stretched flat), preferably made of hard wood that will not twist due to constant wetting with water
3) Light-sensitive emulsion (price approximately 25-45 USD)
There are many companies and brands that produce products for printing houses; I have recently been using products from the English company "Autotype", the emulsion is called Autotype 6000. In general, they come in 4 types, depending on the mesh, paint and material on which the design is printed, as well as the equipment on which everything is done. The most convenient at home is the purple emulsion, which is illuminated under a 500 W lamp for 15 to 20 minutes.
Autotype 6000 is just this type. Emulsions are usually supplied separately with a chemical reaction catalyst, which must be mixed into it immediately before starting work. There is a secret here: the emulsion activated by the catalyst deteriorates over time (within about six months), so it is best to activate it immediately before a large piece of work.
The emulsion is supplied in volumes of at least 1 liter (about 50-70 average-sized stencils), so it makes sense to divide it into parts when working, and activate only 1 part, then another, etc. There are also catalyst-free emulsions that have a shelf life of up to 2 years at home, but they are usually twice as expensive.
The emulsion should be stored in a cool, dark place (the bottom drawer of the refrigerator is ideal) when not in use. This extends its shelf life.
4) 500 W lamp, with mirror reflectors in the housing (those that illuminate billboards are just right), with a 220 V plug, of course:)
5) Glass slightly larger than your largest frame, preferably high quality, without opaque stripes, thickness 5-8 mm
6) Red lamp
7) Drawing on tracing paper (or oiled paper), good quality, very black - this is important!
SEAL
1) Paint (price 10 - 25 USD)
There are many inks for printing on fabric using stencils made using silk-screen printing (or simply meshes), but they all differ in their properties, subsequent processing and price. Some paints simply cannot be used at home, because, for example, to fix a picture you will need a special, very expensive infrared treatment, otherwise this picture will not be fixed in any way. Therefore, I recommend water-based silk-screen printing paints to begin with, such as Manukyan, Argon (they do not require any processing after printing, are easily washed off and dry quickly, why should the mesh after working with such paint be washed after 5-10 runs, and very carefully, otherwise the stencil will become clogged with paint and ruined).
Then you can use plastisol paints, which give very high-quality and durable prints, can print more than 100 copies at a time, are washed off only with solvents, but require subsequent heat treatment (with an iron), the temperature and duration depend on each specific type of paint (the price depends on manufacturer and color of paint, white and black are usually the cheapest from each manufacturer, colored ones are more expensive). You can also use acrylic paints, they are easy to use, although they give a dim and not very durable print, and they are also treated with heat within 5 minutes after application to the fabric. Such acrylic should be in paste (because liquid acrylic, most of which is available on our market, will spread over the stencil; it is only suitable for drawing by hand). It could be bought in Poland at any art supply store. It is unknown whether there are analogues in Belarus; there is nothing similar in the “Everything for the Artist” stores. Price in Poland - 8-10 USD for 1 kg
2) Squeegee - a special thick and elastic rubber band with which paint is applied (also sold together with materials for printing houses). Price - 10-12 USD for 1 linear meter, you will need about 30 cm. It is better to nail the squeegee to a wooden handle, it will be more convenient to work, it is quite possible that they are sold ready-made too
3) Material or T-shirt
MANUFACTURING A STENCIL
The stencil is made in a dark room under the light of a red lamp. The mesh (silk) needs to be pulled over the frame, pulling strongly from the centers to the corners. The mesh should be stretched very tightly so that it cannot be pressed with your finger. the mesh can be secured to a wooden frame with a stapler or buttons. In a dark room (necessarily no direct light), under the light of a red lamp, a pre-activated emulsion is applied to the frame with a grid. It must be applied on both sides of the mesh.
The best tool for applying the emulsion is the lid of a cassette box, which can simply be used to scoop the emulsion out of the jar.
Important! you need to try to ensure that the emulsion is evenly distributed in a thin layer, covering the entire working surface of the sieve (to the inner sides of the wooden frame) without gaps or holes on both sides. Excess emulsion must be removed, then the emulsion on the mesh must be dried with a hairdryer on both sides.
Place something black (a T-shirt or a piece of material) under the frame, then lay it with the mesh side up, put a drawing on it (on tracing paper or oiled paper), press the drawing with glass. A 500-watt lamp is fixed at a distance of 45-50 cm above the grid (it is best to prepare everything in advance). The lamp is turned on for 16-20 minutes - the stencil is illuminated. Autotype 6000 emulsion lights up in 16-19 minutes. It is best to first try to illuminate each new emulsion and note the exact time. After the exposure time has expired, the stencil should be quickly rinsed with a shower with strong water pressure, preferably cold, or slightly warm until the design is completely visible on the mesh.
The stencil is ready, but it is best to print with it the next day (the emulsion can still be broken, holes and unevenness may form in the drawing), then it is completely fixed.
SEAL
The stencil is placed on the material with the mesh down. The paint is applied to the stencil over the entire width of the design with a reserve (do not skimp on paint here, the excess can be removed later). The stencil needs to be pressed against the workbench as tightly as possible (ideally, it’s better to print with two people: one holds the frame, the other fiddles with the paint). With a sharp and strong movement, the squeegee pulls the paint through the entire drawing so as to spread it evenly and in a thick layer into the drawing area. When the paint is distributed over the entire area of the drawing, the back of the squeegee (it is without paint) must be pressed backwards to remove excess paint. Then the frame is carefully lifted and the material is set aside to dry.
It will take some time to learn how to type smoothly, so don't be stressed if you don't get it right away.
You can print large quantities at once (if the ink does not clog the design too much). Subsequent processing of material with a pattern - depending on the type of paint. Regardless of the type of ink, I advise you to thoroughly rinse the frame with the mesh immediately after printing (if the ink remains in the mesh, the design may be printed worse in the future, and if it hardens there, the frame itself can then be thrown away). The grid frame can be used several times.
The emulsion is washed off with a special remover (price 12-15 USD per 1 liter), and if the mesh itself remains in perfect order (no tears, remaining paint, etc.) you can make a new stencil on this mesh.
That's all! Good luck!
prepared the text Sazska la Contra
Enterprising American minds have developed a new technology for making stencils for silk-screen printing. According to the developers, RhinoTech, a new “method”, allows you to create a stencil without applying an emulsion to the frame, without drying and exposing. Does RhinoTech have any future?
Now let's talk more about alternative technology. The developers claim that the only equipment we need is a laser printer and a heat press. The first stage: on a laser printer on plain paper you need to print a negative of the desired image in black and white color. 
Next, we take the transfer paper and place our printout with the image facing down on the desired side of the transfer paper. We put it all in a heat press and hold it in it for 20 seconds at a temperature of 110 degrees. Under the influence of temperature and pressure, the printed image is transferred to the transfer paper. 
Then, you will be surprised, we take the transfer paper with the image and place it face down on the frame and... We put it all in a heat press. Keep at 180 degrees for 30 seconds. After the frame has cooled, remove the paper from it - a hard, thin image remains on the frame. 
The stencil is ready: 
The technology is interesting, however, it is not clear how well such images stick to the frames - will they peel off when applying paint? And, again, such frames apparently cannot be reused like frames made using the traditional method. You can see how everything works in this English video:
Finally, let me briefly remind you what the traditional stencil manufacturing scheme looks like. A special photographic emulsion is applied to a frame with a well-stretched mesh. Next, we place the photo form (a negative of the image printed on a printer) on the frame (on the side that we treated with the emulsion). Next we expose: we illuminate the emulsion using a UV lamp. The emulsion from unexposed areas (those that were covered with a photo form) is easily washed off with water, and a thin, hard film of polymer remains on the exposed areas.
What is your opinion, colleagues?
You will need
Instructions
After a few minutes, the film should be placed in water, rinsed, and particles of excess coating should be removed with a soft brush. Then dry the wet negative under a UV lamp or on. The negative is ready, now you can transfer the image (inscription) directly onto the product itself.
Next, place the product on any plastic panel and attach the finished negative to. Press the negative tightly onto the product and apply any paint suitable for silk-screen printing with a special plastic spatula. The negative, if washed with water, is ready for use again. Using silk-screen printing, you can apply a logo to almost any souvenir product.
Video on the topic
note
Perhaps the first print will not be completely smooth, but there is no need to despair if the first pancake is lumpy.
Helpful advice
The frame should be made of hard wood that will not rotate due to constant exposure to water. The best frame size is 40x50cm or 40x60cm. The corners of the frame must be even so that the drawing is pulled onto the frame correctly and without distortion. The mesh must be pulled over the frame so that it is not pressed through with your fingers;
Photosensitive emulsion tends to deteriorate if not used within six months. If you store the emulsion in a dark and cool place (for example, in the bottom drawer of the refrigerator), this will extend its shelf life;
The lamp must have a power of 500 W and have a mirror reflector in the housing (lamps that illuminate billboards are suitable).
Printing images on fabric allows you to turn ordinary clothes into unique things. This can be used when preparing an original gift. Fabric printing also allows you to apply a selected photograph or picture to a simple T-shirt.
You will need
Instructions
The photo from the computer will only need to be transferred to thermal paper, then ironed.
In order to realize your plans, you need to install on your computer one of the programs with which you can edit photos. You will also need an inkjet color printer, as well as the most suitable photo in digital format.
You will also need to purchase a plain T-shirt. The color of the item should be such that against such a background the photo looks most successful and even advantageous.
In a specialized store you can purchase special LomondTermoTransfer paper. To transfer the image to the fabric, you will need any completely flat surface, for example, an ironing board, as well as an iron with the most suitable temperature setting.
First, you should flip the selected photo using the mirror method in a graphic editor. It is very important that the image after editing is sharp enough, since when transferred to fabric it will look a little blurry. After this, the photo is printed on a color printer so that the reverse image appears on thermal paper.
Before using thermal paper, it is recommended that you read the instructions very carefully. Be sure to ensure that the thermal paper is loaded with the correct side into the printer. Next, all you have to do is follow the instructions on the thermal paper packaging.
The sheet attached to the surface of the T-shirt must be ironed with a hot iron. The protective layer cannot be removed immediately, since the paper must cool completely.
In order for a thing with an image to retain its original appearance for a long time, it should be properly cared for. Firstly, it is necessary to turn the product inside out before washing. And secondly, the T-shirt should be washed not in hot, but in slightly warm water.
Sources:
Which is perfect for printing text or images with fine details. As a result of the work, you will have developed unique prints on fabric, clothing, paper that were made with your own hands.
After stretching the fine mesh fabric onto a wooden frame, apply a thin layer of photosensitive emulsion to the screen and allow it to dry. Then take a stencil (transparency film with images printed on it) and place it on the screen, then expose the “screen and stencil sandwich” to light. Light helps strengthen the emulsion and binds it to the tissue. Where light is blocked by the stencil images, the emulsion remains water-soluble.
Next, we direct a stream of water onto the screen, washing away the unhardened emulsion. These areas will cause ink to bleed onto the fabric during printing. Finally put it on a T-shirt or other fabric (paper), apply ink to part of the screen. If you are using fabric paints, you can heat them after they are dry and the image will be permanent and washable.
We follow the instructions that are written on the cans of photographic emulsion.
Fill the bottle with the sensitizer 3/4 full with cold water. Shake the bottle well. Sensitizer (in the form of sediment at the bottom of the bottle), vigorous shaking is required for mixing.
Pour the contents of the bottle into a container with photo emulsion. Mix everything until the color is uniform. The initial color of the emulsion is bright, light blue. The sensitizer is unpleasant black-green. Once mixed it will turn out bluish green.
Ideally, all mixing and application operations on the screen surface should be carried out in a relatively dark room so that as little light as possible falls on the emulsion.
The mixed emulsion can be stored in a bottle in a cool place for 8 weeks at room temperature or 4 months in the refrigerator.
Lay the newspaper on the work surface to protect it from photographic emulsion and paints.
Since the screen will turn over many times during operation, we will install a pushpin in the corners of the frame.
If you don't have a rubber spatula, use a piece of cardboard to spread the emulsion evenly over the mesh.
Let's start from the bottom of the screen to the top. Apply a thick line of emulsion from one end of the frame. Using a spatula, spread it evenly over the entire surface in a thin layer. Let's turn the screen over and put it on the buttons. Apply a layer of emulsion to the inside and spread it with a spatula.
We repeat this process until we achieve a thin, uniform layer of emulsion that will cover the entire screen. This does not require more than two passes. You need to work quickly to minimize the amount of time the emulsion is in direct sunlight. The final result should be a smooth surface onto which ink will subsequently be applied.
After finishing work, install the screen on the buttons in a dark place to dry. You can cover it with a cardboard box or leave it in a closed cabinet.
We leave the emulsion overnight to dry, but if you want to speed up the process, you can point a fan at the screen.
The easiest way to make a template is to print a black and white image on transparent film. The image can be composed in a graphics editor or drawn on white paper, and then scanned for further printing.
The light table consists of several fluorescent lamps mounted under translucent acrylic. It may take several experiments to figure out the exposure time. Depending on the light intensity, the exposure time can be around 4 or 5 minutes.
But in this project we use a simple 150 W lamp with a reflector.
Necessary:
We will hang the lamp with a reflector so that the “sun” is at a height of 30 cm (for a screen measuring 25x35 cm) above the surface of the screen and is located in the center. Place black fabric on the surface where the screen will be placed. Let's check the readiness of the image template so that it lies in the correct position.
Keep in mind that you will end up with a mirror image. This is especially important for text!
Place the transparent template with the image on the screen, and then place a sheet of acrylic on top so that it fits tightly to the screen. Let's make sure that the distance between the lamp and the screen is correct. In the case of a screen measuring 25x35 cm and a 150 W lamp, the process will take 45 minutes.
Once the exposure is complete, remove the acrylic sheet and clear template and then rinse the screen.
The water should be warm. To remove the emulsion, use a shower head. Even unexposed emulsion “loves to stick” to the fabric. We will see clear places where the surface was exposed to light. We'll lightly wipe the screen with our fingertips, but if the image has fine details, we may lose some of the nuances by wiping excess emulsion around the edges of the image. Let's point the screen at the light, the grid should be completely clean and open in the unexposed areas of the image. If this is not the case, continue the water procedures.
After the screen is washed, let it dry completely.
Below is an exposure chart for photographic emulsion with 150W and 250W incandescent lamps.
20×25 cm 30 cm 45 minutes
25×35 cm 30 cm 45 minutes
30×45 cm 38 cm 1 hour. 14 minutes
40×50 cm 43 cm 1 hour 32 min
45×50 cm 43 cm 1 hour. 32 minutes
Screen Size Exposure Height Time
20×25 cm 30 cm 10 minutes
25×35 cm 30 cm 10 minutes
30×45 cm 38 cm 16 minutes
40×50 cm 43 cm 20 minutes
45×50 cm 43 cm 20 minutes
It's better to work together. This way, one person can hold the screen on the fabric while another person applies the ink.
We use textile ink for printing on fabric.. If you are printing on new t-shirts, make sure they do not fade.
To print on T-shirts, I recommend making a spacer out of cardboard and pushing it inside so that the ink does not completely saturate the fabric. Let's put a book or a piece of cardboard that is slightly smaller in size than the screen on the fabric, so that it can be pressed tightly against the T-shirt.
It will take time to figure out which printing technologies are best for a particular screen, ink and fabric. For these prints, we'll place the fabric on a piece of cardboard and then place the screen on top.
Pour some ink onto the screen, then use a spatula (at a 45 degree angle) to spread it over the open areas.
Other tips and tricks:
The ink used in this project is quite old, so it doesn't flow as well as I'd like. Ideally, you can add a little water.
Printing on paper:
The process is quite similar to fabric. Different types of paper and ink will behave differently, so experiment a little to find out how it works. The rough and porous surface of paper generally accepts ink well. “Light” paper often wrinkles under the influence of ink, while glossy paper does not accept ink well and tends to smear.
Again, be sure to rinse all paint from the screen when you're done. Ink that dries on the screen will clog the network. Also rinse the utensils and brushes you used. Close the ink container tightly. If you have any photographic emulsion left over, make sure it is stored in a cool, dark place.
If you are not going to print anything else, you can remove the emulsion. Follow the instructions on the bottle. Wear gloves and know that it will take a lot of hot water and time to get a clean screen.
After the ink has completely dried on the fabric, set the iron to the highest temperature. Place a piece of fabric between the sole and the design, then iron the image on each side for 3 to 5 minutes.
Nice crafts and creative inspiration!
For this we need:
Gelatin about 2 cubic cm. Ammonium bichromate (NH4)2Cr2O7 in common parlance "chrompic" Bright orange powder. Previously, you could find it in photo studios or chemical schools. office Still need water. Gelatin in granules, take whatever is larger and darker, put it in a 200 g glass glass and fill it halfway with cold water. Now let's leave the glass alone for a couple of hours.
And at this time, prepare the “sauce”: dissolve “Chrompik” in a glass of water (50 g) until a saturated solution is obtained. The next step: you need to completely dissolve the gelatin in water. To do this we will make a water bath. Pour water into a saucepan and place a glass with our gelatin in it. And start heating it, stirring all the time. The gelatin dissolves and we get a thick jelly. Now the resulting brew and our bright orange “sauce” must be thoroughly mixed. You just need to do this in a dark room under a red lamp (our potion is sensitive to light).
Store the prepared emulsion in the dark for no more than a week. It's better to use it right away.
We apply the potion to the frame, just like a regular emulsion - with a squeegee and a cuvette. Only in the dark with a red lamp. The lighting process is the same.
For example, the illumination time for a 1 kW halogen lamp will be 3 minutes. The distance from the lamp to the frame is 45 cm.
The matrix is washed with slightly warm water.
After printing, a caustic soda solution is used to wash off the unnecessary matrix and clean the sieve for the next one.
"sophisticated" recipe
emulsion can be stored for a longer time
Gelatin 50 g.
Ammonium bichromate (NH4)2CR2O7 in common parlance "chrompic" 6 g.
Ammonia 10% 20ml
Citric acid 3 g.
Water 80-100 g.
To increase the service life of the gelatin matrix, it can be tanned with an aqueous solution of formaldehyde.
For beginners, you can add in the recommendations that the matrices should dry naturally. Forced drying is unacceptable, especially when there are several colors (it can skew the image so that it will not be possible to achieve registration later)
To increase the shelf life of the gelatin emulsion, you can add about 30-50 grams of alcohol per liter of water (reduce the amount of water when soaking gelatin).
The alcohol also breaks up air bubbles that sometimes form in the emulsion.
The emulsion in a wet state tolerates light quite well, so work on applying the emulsion, preparing it and other matters can be done under normal lighting, after drying only under special conditions. lighting
It should be remembered that an incompletely washed chromium peak during matrix development can significantly reduce its service life; the effect of cracking of the emulsion is observed (desert soil), that is, with a completely washed chromium peak, the emulsion is more elastic.
When working with small parts, we added a little zinc white to the emulsion; this made the emulsion less transparent, which made it possible to better visually control the washing of the matrix.
The emulsion can be applied with a squeegee-cuvette, or with a clothes brush made of natural bristles, applied in three passes (outer, inner, outer) and dried completely each time.
After applying the emulsion, the brush must be thoroughly washed, otherwise it will become dull from the light and become a “stake.”
