The Essentials!
Screen printing supply companies will try to sell you just about anything they think they can – trust me! When I first started out researching, I called one of the wholesale screen printing companies and talked to the sales rep. While the lady was very helpful in explaining everything she tried selling me, the fact of the matter is that she’s a sales rep.
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Item after item she tried adding to my shopping cart. Since I was new to it all, I simply went along with it, but had her explain each item to me in detail about what it was and why I needed it. It was an hour-long conversation.
**Screen Printing Tip**
Ask for free samples and mention since you’re looking for a company to buy from if you like the sample you’ll be back for more!
What I found out is that you only really need the following, which you can usually buy in a screen printing kit. Screen printing kits are a great way to get started.
CHECK LIST
Transparencies: You print your t-shirt design onto these.
T-Shirt: Your blank canvass ready to be turned into a masterpiece or just a really rad t-shirt! Your design on your time!
Scoop Coater: What you use to put the emulsion onto your screens.
Emulsion: This allows you to make your stencil (or design) on your screen, which leads us to the next item…
Screens: This item, combined with emulsion, is what you make your stencil on. For t-shirts, you need a 110 mesh (mesh refers to the actual screen itself, not the aluminum or wood frame). I recommend a 24×20 inch, 110-mesh count, aluminum frame screen press.
Degreaser: This is used to remove greasy residue from your screens. Use this before applying emulsion. Also as the final step to reclaiming (or reusing) your screen.
Spray Adhesive: Keeps your t-shirt from moving on you t-shirt board
Block out: This is an optional item. When creating your stencil, sometimes little pinholes are left in the emulsion, which enables ink to pass through into unwanted areas. This is bad. Use block out to plug these holes simply use Scotch Tape.
Screen Printer’s Screen Tape: Used to keep ink from getting through screed edges to your t-shirt.
Ink Screen Wash: Removes ink from your used screen without harming the emulsion. Also great for cleaning utensils used for scooping up ink.
Ink Degradent: This is a more powerful ink screen wash. It is used when you’re about to reclaim (or reuse) your stencil for another design. It’s optional. The ink screen wash seems to work just fine for me.
Emulsion Remover: Removes emulsion from the screen. This is part of the reclaiming process that enables you to reuse the screen.
Dehazer (Or Ghost Image Remover): After removing ink and emulsion from your screen, sometimes there’s still a slight/faint image of your stencil. The dehazer removes this image.
Squeegee: Made out of wood with a rubber insert, the squeegee is used to push (or transfer) the ink through the stencil onto the t-shirt.
Plastisol Ink: When pushed through the stencil, the ink transfers your design to the t-shirt. Plastisol ink is liquid until it reaches a certain temperature then it hardens. Needs to hit 320 degrees for about 15 to 20 seconds.
Spatula: Used to scoop ink out of container onto screen or off screen back into container.
Ink Card: An optional item, it is used to scrape the ink off the screen more efficiently than the spatula.
Scrub Brushes: Helps to apply degreaser, emulsion remover and ink remover.
If it’s not on this screen printing supply list… you don’t need it! I’m getting by just fine with the above and making money at it!
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