Wedding Blog

My last post was about burning a screen using the power of the sun. Today we’ll talk about using that screen to print on some fabric.

You should use your screen as soon as possible after exposing it to light. Once your screen is just dry enough, tape up any edges not covered up by emulsion. Also, tape up anything that you don’t want to print. Any roll of masking tape will work. Don’t use duct tape, as it will leave a sticky residue and mess up the stuff you want to print later.

Take your time and arrange the first item you want to print under your screen. I used some pieces of plain cotton muslin. It’s cheap, but it takes ink beautifully. Spread some of your screen-printing paint to one side of what you want to print. Use your squeegee and pull the paint across the image once. Lift the screen and you’ll see your image.

I like screen-printing with multiple images and colors. Just reset the screen between each color: wash off the excess paint, take off all of the tape, let the screen dry, re-tape, print, and repeat. By the time you’re ready to print again, all of your prints should be dry.

Never let your screen get too dry unless you want the images to stay permanently. When you’re done, just use some photo emulsion remover, rinse, and let the screen dry before adding the next coat of emulsion. Iron your piece of fabric (on the opposite side of any printing) to set the screen printing paint-permanently.