Screen Printing is FUN!
By Eric and Val Solomon.
It’s True! Screen Printing is Fun!
We designed Screen Printing is Fun! with Jon Kelly Green for WB Camp to showcase multiple types of water based ink on the same garment. We demoed how to construct and manage these different inks to create a bold and soft print. Let’s walk through this print step by step.
The Process.
We started with a Matsui Under Base Blocker (301-LG Black) WB Mixture Printed through 122 mesh. We cut this with 10% EasyPrint White and 5% Quick Additive, for ease of print and to prevent the screen from popping due to the Charcoal in the Blocker ink. This was used to under base the Cyan and Gold Shimmer.
Next, we flash. Then we used a 157/48 thread to lay down an EasyPrint White HSA (mixed with 5% Quick Additive) as a secondary base for the Cyan color, followed by a stamp with the STAMPINATOR – to allow a smooth surface to print over.
Followed by:
- Matsui Cyan 319c Soft Stretch Hybrid Ink – (mixed with 5% Quick Additive) custom Pantone-matched color using the Soft Stretch Hybrid Series ink with Neo Pigments. Printed through 230/40 thin thread.
- Flash.
- Orange 021c Brite DC – (mixed with 5% Quick Additive and 6% Activator) custom Pantone-matched color using the Brite DC series ink with Neo Pigments. This was not underbased; it printed directly onto the garment through 157/48 thin thread screen.
- Flash.
- Navy 281c Acrylic WB – (mixed with 5% Quick Additive) custom Pantone-matched color using the Clear 301 Acrylic WB ink with Neo Pigments. Printed through 230/40 thin thread screen.
- Open Head – We used the built-up pallet heat to gel the Navy ink before printing Gold.
- Matsui Gold Shimmer 620 WB – (mixed with 5% Quick Additive). Printed through 80 mesh screen.
The Result.
We received a lot of feedback that this was a fun exercise that showcased how creative you can get with different water based inks. It was also a great way to show that you can use different ink sets on a poly/cotton blended tee.
Screen Printing is Fun! received the 2022 Premier Print Award for Multicolor (Non-Process) Textile at the PRINTING United Alliance Expo in Las Vegas this past October! Thanks to all who voted.