Weddingbee Blog

As you probably could have gathered from my last post, the YUDU is a nifty gadget with some slight P.I.T.A issues. Don’t get me wrong…I love the convenience of an at-home screen-printing device and all the possibilities it has to offer. But it does have a slight learning curve to it, and if you haven’t done your research prior to playing with it you could find yourself cursing the machine. Fortunately, I read up and did my research, and there was only the occasional misstep and mutter of profanity. I am here to offer input and tips from what I learned in my first YUDU experience.

Dos:

1. Make sure you read the instruction manual (though it isn’t as clear as it could be).
2. Search through YUDU forums for additional tips and tricks.
3. Wash your screen with soap and water prior to applying the emulsion.
4. If using fonts or fine details use the 220 mesh screen.
5. When creating your design, use fonts that don’t have a lot of detail in them (unless they are very large and the details aren’t too small)
6. Save yourself some time and burn a screen with different fonts and sizes to test print quality. This will save you from recreating your design numerous times and can provide you with an inventory of fonts that you know will work. (I didn’t do this, but think it’s a great idea.)
7. Purchase a new squeegee (the one that comes with it doesn’t work well for fine detail) or improvise with a flat, thin plastic (like a credit card).
8. Use the YUDU brand supplies to save time on trial and error. (I didn’t have as many issues as others who have used different emulsion or inks.)
9. Use 40% off coupons to buy your YUDU supplies because they can get pricey.
10. Use the recommended burn time of eight minutes (or slightly less for very detailed images).
11. If you have trouble applying your emulsion sheet follow this user’s trick! (It def worked well for me!)
12. To remove the emulsion use a clean sponge and gently rub over it while water is rinsing it away.
13. Find a printing buddy to help move prints as they come out. (I didn’t during my trial and realized I would’ve been better off with more help.)

Don’ts:

1. Don’t burn your image to the wrong side of the screen. (If you flip it to correct it, your screen won’t lay flat and your prints will pretty much suck.)
2. Don’t stick card stock to the sticky side of the t-shirt plate. (It won’t come off! I didn’t do this—no way. )
3. Don’t put too much ink down or do too many multiple passes for paper prints. (This could cause your image to bleed.)
4. Don’t wait too long between prints. (The ink will dry in the screen.)
5. Don’t get frustrated if things don’t go your way.

I know this isn’t the greatest list of tips, but it is a start to help you through your first project. I do plan on coming up with a more detailed tutorial once I get the perfect print and figured it would be silly to give more than one.

Until then, here is what I do have for you:

Fonts:

• Our Names: Precious, 36pt
• Body: Goudy Handtooled, 18pt

Flower

• “Hand-drawn” and edited in Photoshop

Invite details

• 5×7 inches
• Printed on card stock (final product will be printed on linen paper)
• Outlined with a 1pt border (to aid in trimming the prints)

Have you played around with the YUDU yet? What issues did you run into? If you haven’t tried to YUDU, would you?