Screen Printing T-Shirts: A Guide To Doing It Yourself

Screen printing is a fun and easy way to personalise your T-shirts. It's a great DIY project, and you can make it as simple or complex as you like. You can create your own designs or use pre-made templates, and there are various methods and tools available depending on your budget and skill level. You can even start your own T-shirt business with custom designs. Whether you're a beginner or an expert, screen printing is an enjoyable way to express your creativity and make unique fashion statements.

Choosing the right screen printing frame

When choosing the right screen-printing frame, you have two options: wood or aluminium. Aluminium frames are only a few dollars more but are infinitely better.

If you want to make your own frame, you can screw 2x2s into a frame. It doesn't need to be perfect, just solid and flat. You can then staple the "silk" (which is actually polyester) onto the frame with a regular staple gun, making sure it is very tight. Trim the edges of the silk and tape the outside of the silk onto the frame with painter's tape.

Selecting the best fabric paint

• Consider the fabric: Different fabrics require different types of fabric paint. For example, if you are printing on cotton, you will want to choose a paint that is designed for use on natural fibres. If you are printing on synthetic fabrics such as polyester, you will need a paint that can adhere to these materials.
• Finish: Fabric paints come in a variety of finishes, including opaque, semi-transparent, glossy, matte, and metallic. Choose a finish that complements the design you are creating. For example, if you want your design to stand out, choose an opaque paint. If you want a more subtle effect, a semi-transparent paint may be a better option.
• Durability: If you plan to wash the item, choose a fabric paint that is permanent and machine washable. For items that will not be washed, such as wall hangings or artwork, a semi-permanent paint may be sufficient.
• Application method: Consider the method you will use to apply the paint. For detailed work, a fabric pen or paint with a fine tip may be the best option. For covering large areas, a paint with a wider tip or a roller may be more efficient.
• Colour: Choose a fabric paint that offers a wide range of colours to ensure you can create your desired design. Some paints may also be mixed to create custom shades.
• Fabric thickness: The thickness of the fabric will impact the absorbency of the paint. Thicker fabrics will absorb more ink, resulting in richer colours. If you are using a thinner fabric, you may need to apply multiple layers of paint to achieve the desired colour.

When selecting a fabric paint, it is important to read the label and reviews to ensure the paint is suitable for your specific project. Experimenting with different brands and types of fabric paint can also help you find the best option for your needs.

Preparing your artwork

• Design your artwork: You can create your artwork yourself or hire a professional designer. If you are designing it yourself, you can use programs such as Illustrator, Photoshop, or Procreate to create and prepare your artwork for printing. These programs offer tools to separate and clean up the artwork, ensuring that it is ready for the screen printing process.
• Choose the right image: Select an image that is simple and bold, especially if this is your first time screen printing. A silhouette or simple lettering is a good choice. The image should be opaque, blocking all light from passing through it. You can test this by holding the image up to the light; if light comes through, the image is not dark enough, and you will need to print another copy and place it over the original, or colour it in with a black marker.
• Prepare your screen: You will need a screen printing frame, which is typically made of wood or metal and has a polyester mesh screen. You can buy pre-made screens or make your own by stapling the mesh to a square wood frame. Ensure that the mesh is tight and that there are no gaps. Tape the outside and inside of the screen with painter's tape to prevent paint from dripping through.
• Coat the screen with emulsion: In a dark room, mix the two parts of the photo emulsion and run a bead of emulsion across the top of your screen. Use a squeegee to draw the emulsion down over both sides of the screen, creating the thinnest coat possible. Work quickly and put the screen in a dark area to dry. The drying process can take between one to three hours, depending on the thickness of the emulsion coat.
• Place your image on the screen: Once the screen is dry, you can transfer your image onto it. Place your image or transfer paper on the screen in reverse, so that the dark portion of the image is touching the screen. Place a clean piece of glass over the image to hold it in place.
• Expose the screen to light: Use a light source, such as a 150-watt lightbulb, to expose the screen for the required time. The exposure time will depend on the size of your screen and the instructions provided with your photo emulsion. During this process, the emulsion on the screen that is exposed to light will become permanent, while the emulsion under your image will be washed away.
• Wash the screen: After exposing the screen to light, wash it with a high-pressure tap, such as a showerhead or outdoor garden hose. Spray the screen with lukewarm water, focusing on the image area, until the image starts to appear clearly.

By following these steps, you will have prepared your artwork and screen for the screen printing process. The next steps will involve setting up your screen printing press and printing your design onto your T-shirts.

Exposing your screen

Exposing a screen is one of the most important steps in the screen printing process. The process involves exposing an emulsion-coated screen to a light source, which is often referred to as "burning" a screen. The best light sources are those high in UV (ultra-violet) light, including the sun.

Step 1: Prepare Your Artwork

Print or hand-draw a crisp, dark positive of the artwork you want to print. Ensure your positive is dark enough so that no light can pass through. If you hold the artwork up to the light and it shines through, it is not dark enough. You may need to layer multiple copies of your artwork to achieve this.

Step 2: Coat Your Screen with Emulsion

In a dark room, coat a clean screen with photosensitive emulsion. This process should be done in an area where the emulsion won't be affected by UV light. You can use yellow bug lights, which are cheap and readily available, to light the room.

Use a scoop coater to evenly apply the emulsion to your screen. First, coat the side that will touch the t-shirt, and then repeat on the side you'll be inking. Work from the bottom of the screen to the top, and use a rack to hold your screen in place to avoid mess. Depending on your artwork and mesh count, you may need to apply a second coat.

Step 3: Expose the Screen to UV Light

Now, it's time to turn your artwork into a stencil by exposing it to UV light. Place your artwork positive between the light source and the screen. The artwork will block the light from reaching certain parts of the screen, creating a stencil.

You can use the sun or a UV exposure unit for this step. If using the sun, ensure it is at full strength, and place the screen on cardboard to avoid light bounce-back. If using an exposure unit, follow the manufacturer's instructions for exposure time.

Step 4: Wash Out the Screen

After exposure, wash the screen with lukewarm water to remove the soft emulsion from the stencil. Spray both sides of the screen evenly with a hose and sprayer or a power washer. You should see the stencil start to appear as the emulsion washes away.

Step 5: Dry the Screen

Finally, blot the screen with newspaper to remove excess water, and then let it air dry on a drying rack in your dark room. Lay the screen flat to avoid any leftover soft emulsion or water running down the screen.

Your screen is now ready for printing!

Printing your design

Now that you have your screen, it's time to print your design. The first step is to decide on the image you want to print. For your first screen-printing project, it's best to choose a simple design that is just a silhouette and one colour.

Print your design or letters onto a regular piece of paper. Carefully cut out the image with a craft knife. If you're using a more detailed image, you'll want to invest in some transparency paper, which you can buy on Amazon or at Staples. The image you print has to be opaque so that it blocks all light from going through it. If you're unsure whether it's dark enough, hold your image up to the light – if light comes through, it isn't dark enough. You can either print another copy and layer them on top of each other or colour in your paper with a black marker.

Now you need to grab your screen. A screen-printing frame is a wood or metal frame with silk on it. The silk is actually polyester. You can buy a pre-made screen, or you can make your own by stapling "110" polyester mesh to a square wood frame.

You'll then need to prepare and burn your screen. This is a four-step process:

• Paint the screen with emulsion. This must be done in a completely dark room, and you should let it dry for a couple of hours.
• Place your cut-out image onto the prepared screen once it's dry.
• Turn on a light to cure all of the photo emulsion. The emulsion on the screen that is exposed to light will become permanent. The emulsion under your image won't receive any light and will be washed away at the end of this screen-burning process.
• Get your screen, squeegee and mix your photo emulsion according to the package directions. In a dark room, run a bead of emulsion across the top of your screen. With your squeegee, draw the emulsion down over the entire screen on both sides. You want the thinnest coat possible, but be sure to work quickly. Do one side and then the other, and then immediately put the screen in a dark area to dry.

Now it's time to expose your screen. Once the screen has dried, you can transfer the image you want to print onto it. You don't need a lightbox to do this – a 150-watt lightbulb or a 20-watt LED bulb will do. Your photo emulsion jar will tell you how long you should expose your image, depending on the size of your screen. It will also give you the distance your light source should be from your screen.

Place a light with your lightbulb shining down onto a black matte surface. Carry your dried screen over to your light area, keeping it covered with a towel to prevent light from hitting it. Place the screen on your black matte background, with the "back" of the screen (the non-recessed part) facing up. Place your cut-out image onto the screen in reverse. Place a clean piece of glass over the image to hold it tight against the screen. Turn on your light and expose for the required time.

Once the time is up, remove the glass and paper cut-out. You'll see a faint image. All of the emulsion surrounding your image is now cured hard, while the spot where your image was hasn't been cured and will wash away. Wash your screen with a high-pressure tap, such as your shower head or outdoor garden hose. Spray the screen with lukewarm water, focusing on the image area. Just keep spraying, and eventually, you'll see the image start to appear more and more as the emulsion washes away.

Now for the fun part! Lay your T-shirt out and place your newly burned screen onto it. Run a line of paint across the top of your screen and drag the paint over your image with your squeegee without applying pressure. This is called flooding the image. Then, going in the same direction, run over the image with the squeegee again, this time with some pressure to push the ink through the screen and onto the fabric.

You're done! Carefully remove the screen from the T-shirt by lifting it up. Hang your piece to dry. When you're done printing all your items, wash your screen right away by running cool water over it. When the ink is very dry, heat-set the image by pressing it with a dry iron.

Frequently asked questions