Screen Printing Class - Day Two

Day two of my screen-printing class was all about inks, the different printing techniques, printing processes, the different equipment available and of course printing shirts.  We were able to print a shirt using every technique we learned, including 4-color process, simulated process and spot color. I know I am forgetting a few process.  There was so much information it was hard to keep track. And I was having so much fun actually printing shirts that I did not keep great notes. :) Oops!

It was all so amazing to learn and I can not wait to get home and try each process. They were all fantastic but my favorite was the all over print using DISCHARGE WATER BASED ink.  It was absolutely awesome.  Discharge works best on 100 % cotton, dark garments only because it actually takes the color out of the shirt, kind of like putting bleach on a shirt.  You can also dye the discharge with PC Pigment to get other colors.  We did a small print with red PC pigment added.  The feel of the shirt was incredible. You could not even feel the ink.  It was so soft.

To use the discharge process you need discharge water based ink, discharge agent/activator and PC pigment dye (if you want other colors).  The agent/activator really stinks because it has formaldehyde in it.  Once it is mixed the smell is pretty much gone.  If you use this technique, you need to wash the shirt before you wear it because some people have an allergic reaction to the formaldehyde and may break out in a rash.  If you are going to sell the shirt, it was suggested to put a "wash before wear" sticker on it.  (Always good to cover your back)

The screen we used was 42" x 48" and the squeegee was 36" long.  Yikes!!  It took two of us to pull the squeegee. The picture below is Ryan Moore and another class member doing the all over print. 

Ryan Moore (owner of Ryonet) and other class members doing an all over print using discharge ink.

The end result was an incredible looking, soft feel shirt.  This process was by far my favorite.

Here is the all over print using discharge ink.

I will show you another one of my favorites in my next post.  I do not fly home until Wednesday and I am already getting antsy to practice all I have learned.  I am not looking forward to getting back to the heat of Las Vegas, so I am definitely going to enjoy the rest of my vacation here in the beautiful, cool Northwest.

Later!
Jeanette