Practice Makes Perfect

Today I printed my first design since returning from my screen printing class. I learned so much in class and was excited to put my new knowledge to the test. I was also VERY excited to use my new flash dryer. WOW, it was wonderful. My whole image cured in 45 seconds. :)  I even used my new 4-color, 1-station press, which was also fantastic. The image was just one color but it was fun being able to spin the press. :)

The design I printed was for my friends’ 13-year-old daughter. It was a blast making the design. The design itself turned out cool but I was not happy with the feel of the shirt. The ink had a very rough feel to it and I am not sure why. I used a 110-mesh screen, which could have been part of the problem. I definitely need to order some higher mesh screens. I think they produce a softer feel shirt. Another issue was possibly my off contact. Off contact is the gap between your screen and the shirt. The ink needs room to move from the screen to the shirt. If the screen is touching the shirt when you print, then the ink will just come off the shirt when you lift up the screen. My off contact may have been too much, which allowed a greater amount of ink to reach the shirt. Another possibility is thick ink. In class, we used IC Curable reducer to thin the ink. Those designs turned out very soft.

The rough feel could have been from any number of reasons. It is all trial and error at this point. I just need to keep printing and learn from my mistakes.

Here is the final shirt.  I love the design...just need to work on the texture. 

I used Ryopaque Royal Blue ink on a black shirt.

ALL DESIGNS ARE THE COPYRIGHT OF THIS BLOG AND ITS OWNERS AND MAY NOT BE REPRODUCED IN ANY WAY, SHAPE OR FORM!!

I started The Pondering Pooch with the soul intention of printing my funny dog designs. That continues to be my number one focus but I also realize that financial opportunities would be lost if I did not consider printing for other people. It takes money to start a business, so I will definitely be taking orders once I become more confident in my abilities.

See ya,
Jeanette