Learn How to Screen Print Tee Shirts - For Fun Or For Money

There are several steps involved with learning how to screen print. Each step will take you closer to the actual printing of the tee shirt. But the learning curve can appear to be too great to accomplish if we over analyze and look at the whole endeavor at once. We can break the process down into 7 very basic parts:
 
1- Create the artwork positive.
2- Output the artwork to film.
3- Make the screen.
4- Expose your film positive to the screen.
5- Washout stencil in screen.
6- Print shirts.
7- Cure printed shirts in oven.
 
Now there are many different ways of accomplishing a screen print. The above checklist would be more of a rough commercial outline. However, printing at home in an arts and crafts fashion is fun and easy. You can use everyday items such as an old picture frame or an embroidery type hoop as your frame. Some people have used white, sheer nylon curtains as the mesh. There are even ways of hand applying a stencil to the screen so there is no need for complicated equipment or light sensitive chemicals.
 
Since screen printing is a basic stenciling process, you don't necessarily need to push ink through the screen with any kind of squeegee. Many dab or swab different kinds of inks and paint through the screen with brushes or paint rollers. There are even fabric additives for standard acrylic paints that can be used. They only need to be set with an iron.
 
The possibilities of screen printing at home are endless. It can be fun and educational while producing a lasting keepsake. You can refine your techniques to screen print at home quite well in fact. Many people end up doing shirts for friends and family. You can get good enough to consider going commercial but there are many things to consider in commercial screen printing.
 
Although you can do quite a lot at home and even print shirts for money with a "home brew" style of screen printing, going commercial is a little bit different. The idea in commercial screen printing is to produce the highest quality print in the least amount of time with the least amount of effort. That means it should be fast and easy to print really great looking prints on tee shirts.
 
This is something to consider as printing in general is riddled with deadlines and large quantity pricing. That means as the customer buys more shirts, you sell them at a lesser price per shirt. You will actually make more money by printing high volume jobs than smaller runs. That is where your equipment needs to be able to produce for you.
 
That is where the expense of printing commercially comes into the picture. If you want to be serious about screen print jobs, you need at least a few key components to your equipment line up. The tee shirt press is an essential piece of equipment for professionals. Of course a belt dryer and an exposure unit would also be important.
 
Have no fear; there is hope for the merging of the 2 different sides of screen printing. One could always buy only the key pieces of equipment one would need and then fill in the blanks with homemade or hand crafted tools or accessories. And perhaps set it all up in your garage?

Many screen printing businesses have been started that way. Just think, you could print tee shirts for you mothers birthday party and pay for the shirts with the money you make printing shirts commercially.

Well, there is yet another thing to consider with that. Be careful to abide by any local environmental laws pertaining to the usage and disposal of screen printing related chemicals and products. Vendors of screen printing products will be happy to provide Material Safety Data Sheets, (MSDS), for chemical makeup and hazardous materials information as well as precautionary information for human usage. This also means checking into local zoning laws that may restrict or prohibit such semi industrial activities in a residential area. This of course would not apply to a hobby or home craft style of screen printing.

Learn How to Screen Print Tee Shirts - For Fun Or For Money

Learn How to Screen Print Tee Shirts - For Fun Or For Money
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This article was written by Jonathan Monaco, owner of Catspit Productions, LLC. Jonathan has a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree with Specialization in Photography and Screen Printing. He has over 20 years of manual and automatic screen printing experience and is well connected in the industry. He is currently running a free screen printing educational service based on his website and YouTube in his spare time. Visit Catspit Productions on YouTube.com.

[http://catspitproductions.goods.officelive.com/default.aspx]

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The Best Printers For Cheap Ink Cartridges

There are so many printers on the market, all with varying features and benefits. So when it comes to buying a new printer it can be quite a job to sift through everything and find the right one for your needs.

The main issue for people when buying a printer is the price of the ink required to run it. Now most people fall into the trap of seeing a printer for under £50 that has all the bells and whistles on it, but soon discover that they aren't getting such a great deal when it comes to replacing the ink cartridges So how do we overcome this problem? Well the simplest answer to this question is to do your research first before relying on what the salesman in your local PC World is trying to sell you. There are some tips you can follow to make sure you get yourself the best printer for your money.

1. When looking for a printer you want to look at the type of cartridges it takes. This information should be found in the product specifications if you are browsing online. The most cost effective printers are the types that take individual cartridges for each colour.(1 cartridge for the black and 1 cartridge for each colour) This is the most cost effective way to print as you only replace a cartridge when that specific colour runs out, Whereas printers that use just 2 cartridges to print with (1 cartridge for Black and 1 cartridge for the 3 colours) are more expensive to run as once one of the colours runs out on the colour cartridge you are effectively losing the rest of the cartridge as the prints it produces will look odd as you are missing a colour.

The Best Printers For Cheap Ink Cartridges

2. What you will soon realise when you look at the price of printers that the cheapest ones like HP and some Canons are expensive to run. Hewlett Packard are notorious for have printers that run with 2 ink cartridges and the price of replacing them is nearly the same cost you paid for the printer! Also the standard ink cartridges for these printers don't tend to hold a lot of ink so if you're are a medium to high user you will soon find that the ink doesn't last very long and will have to look at upgrading your ink cartridges to XL ink cartridges which give you a lot more ink for your money, generally 2.5 times to 3 times as big. The only problem with this is that the average price for the XL ink cartridges is £25 - £30!!

3. We tend to find that the best printers to run are some of the Canon printers (the ones that take individual inks) and the Brother printers. Canons will give you amazing results with your photo printing and the speed and features built into the units is always impressive. The Brothers are superb printers for everyday printing and scanning of documents and printing from the internet. They are also very competitively priced for the features you get built into it. I hope this article gives you some advice and help when it comes to buying a new inkjet printer. If you require any further information then visit us at Everything Ink.or call us on 01626 337444.

The Best Printers For Cheap Ink Cartridges
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How to Make Rubber Stamps: Comparing Methods of Manufacture

Vulcanized Rubber Stamps

The traditional red rubber stamp that everybody is familiar with will have been manufactured in a vulcanizing press. The first rubber stamp vulcanizing press was patented in 1890 by Charles Schultze in New Orleans USA. Vulcanizing is today one of the most cost effective methods of making rubber stamps for mass produced stamps. Each batch of stamps is produced using a mould. This method of manufacture is more suited to stamp making where the same moulds are used over and over again. Making custom made stamps with a vulcanizing press requiring 'once only' moulds will drive the cost of manufacture up significantly.

Making the mould - before a mould can be made you must have a master plate manufactured from metal or polymer, the master plate has the necessary relief (the artwork is raised) to make an impression in the mould. Having a master plate made each time a mould is required is what drives up the cost of manufacture for vulcanized stamps. Pressing the master plate into a Matrix board creates the mould that will accept the rubber. Heat and pressure is applied to the master plate and matrix board inside a Vulcanizing press. The Matrix follows the shape of the relief provided by the master plate, this then hardens on cooling.

How to Make Rubber Stamps: Comparing Methods of Manufacture

Making Rubber Stamps - Creating stamps is a simple process once the mould is made. Raw rubber stamp gum is placed on top of the mould and then placed inside the stamp press. Hydraulic pressure is placed upon the rubber and the mould from within the stamp press causing the rubber to melt into the areas of the mould that contain the images and text, curing and hardening takes about 10 minutes. Once cured the sheet of rubber is pulled away from the mould and cut up into individual stamps to be affixed to mounts.

Cost of a vulcanizing system is approximately ,000 AUD

Advantages - Low cost of production for mass produced stamps, good ink transfer.

Disadvantages - Cost of producing master plates and moulds for custom made stamps.

Laser Engraved Rubber Stamps

The traditional raw rubber used for vulcanizing stamp dies is quite unacceptable for the production of laser stamp dies, the laser process requires a very even thickness and blemish free surface to produce an acceptable printed image from a stamp die. The rubber must also be subjected to a specific curing process before it can be exposed to the elevated temperature of a laser beam.

The depth of the engraving is determined by the laser speed, its wattage and the density of the rubber. For example, a 50 or 100W engraver will engrave the rubber deeper and faster than a 25W machine, which may require a second pass to achieve a similar result. Usually supplied in an A4 size sheet form, a good quality laser rubber is required for engraving stamp dies and must also have suitable compression strength and ink transfer properties.

To assist the engraving process, it is necessary to remove the excess dust which is constantly created by the laser cutting action with an efficient exhaust filtration system. As very few, if any, CO2 laser engraving machines were initially purpose built for engraving and cutting rubber, installing and maintaining an effective dust extraction system pays long term dividends. Mirrors, lenses and any exposed bearing surfaces should be cleaned thoroughly as part of a regular maintenance program. Any neglect in this area will be detrimental to overall trouble free laser operation, as the build up of dust and residue will affect running efficiency and the quality of the finished stamp die. Lasers are controlled directly from a computer, the software drivers supplied with lasers work with many graphic programs such as CorelDraw.

Approximate cost of a 25 watt Laser suitable for stamp making is ,000

Advantages - Production is computer controlled, custom made stamps can be made easily

Disadvantages - High capital investment, maintenance costs and running will be much higher than vulcanizing or polymer methods of manufacture.

Liquid Polymer Rubber Stamps

Converting rubber stamp polymer from a liquid into a solid to make stamps is quite fascinating. Polymer stamps are manufactured between two sheets of glass using precision controlled UV light which passes through a negative containing the stamp artwork solidifying the polymer. Negative production has been simplified with the introduction of water based negative technology, photographic chemicals for producing negatives are now a thing of the past.

The first step in making polymer rubber stamps is to print your images, clipart or text onto Vellum, an almost transparent paper like film.
To produce quality stamp artwork you must use a laser printer, inks from bubble jet printers are translucent allowing UV light to pass where it should not. Water based negatives are easily washed out after being exposed for a few minutes in a UV exposure stamp machine.

Polymer contained in a sachet is now replacing the older cumbersome method of using foam tape to create a dam and pouring of rubber stamp polymers, the sachets have also addressed the age old problem of removing air bubbles from the poured polymer.

The negative of your artwork and polymer sachet is sandwiched between two sheets of glass spaced 2-3mm apart which is then exposed in the machine for a few minutes. Once you have completed the exposure it is a simple process of cutting open the sachet and washing away the excess unexposed polymer before returning the stamp die back to the machine for a 10 minute curing. Once the stamps are cured they can be cut up individually. Polymer sachets are available in a range of sizes up to A4 size.

Processing time is about 30 minutes for a batch of polymer stamps.

Cost of polymer stamp making machines range from ,500 AUD for an Australian made unit designed specifically for stamp making up to high end imported units with computer controlled washout for ,000 AUD.

Advantages - Lower capital investment, polymers make almost clear stamps making them ideal for scrapbooking and card making. Stamp relief can be easily controlled during exposure.

Disadvantages - Early polymers did not accept inks as well as polymers available today, this along with being new technology caused initial resistance to polymer stamps.

Summary

Most large stamp manufacturers have a mix of the above equipment. The unmounted rubber stamp dies produced with any of these manufacturing methods can be cut up and affixed to simple hand stamps, dater stamps or self inking stamps. Craft stamps are usually affixed to wooden blocks or in the case of polymer stamps affixed to clear acrylic blocks with adhesives or InstaGrip mounting mat. Various manufactures produces stamp mounts. Astron Industries in Australia manufacturer the clear hand stamp 'Vuestamp' and also distribute the Ideal range of self inking mounts. Other brands of self inking mounts are Trodat, Colop and Shiny.

How to Make Rubber Stamps: Comparing Methods of Manufacture
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Robert de Rooy is based in Australia and has been involved with the rubber stamp industry in the Pacific region for over ten years, he has provided consultation to the development of http://www.stampsearch.com.au [http://wwwstampsearch.com.au] and operates http://www.instastamp.com.au a web site about making rubber stamps.

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HP Printer Error Code 20 - How to Fix This Common Error Quickly & Easily

HP Printer error code 20, as the name describes, is a problem with the HP printer on your system. The issue is typically caused if the printer is either not configured correctly, or your system tries to send an erroneous command to it. This error will typically show when you try and print a document / spreadsheet or another piece of data from your system, and will stop the print-out from proceeding. In order to fix this, it's advisable that you follow the steps outlined in this tutorial.

The HP error 20 will generally show in this format:

Printer And Toner

"Printer not activated - Error code 20″

HP Printer Error Code 20 - How to Fix This Common Error Quickly & Easily

There are several reasons why this error may show, including having an outdated / erroneous printer driver, not installing the printer software you need on your PC correctly, or having registry errors on your system. The bottom line of the problem is basically that when you try and print out a document / file from your Printer, there are certain issues which prevent Windows from either recognizing or connecting with the printer on your system. To fix the issue, you need to repair the various problems which cause this to occur - which can be done in quite an easy way.

The first thing to do to ensure the error code 20 is does not show up again on your system is make your HP printer the "default" printer. It might be the case that your system will be unable to use the printer as it cannot identify which one to use. Making your HP printer your default printer will resolve this issue, and should help your system to correctly print out. After that, you should also look to reinstall the HP printer software on your computer. This will essentially remove the printer from your PC and then place it back there again - allowing your system to correct any potential issues it had the last time it was installed.

It's highly recommended that you also "clean out the registry" of your PC by using a registry cleaner program. These are software tools which will fix any errors that are inside the 'registry' of your system - which is a large database that Windows uses to store vital settings and information for your computer. It's often the case that many registry settings will either become damaged or corrupted - leading your PC to be unable to use the files that it needs to run. This often causes a variety of errors to show, and is one of the main reasons for the HP printer error code 20 showing. To fix this, it's advisable that you clean out the registry of your system with a registry cleaner tool.

HP Printer Error Code 20 - How to Fix This Common Error Quickly & Easily

You can fix HP printer error 20 by using the tutorial on our website. You can Click Here to fix HP printer error code 20 on your system.

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The Many Uses of a Scanner

One of the most useful inventions to come along with the computer age is the scanner. Unlike a photocopier which simply makes a copy of an article, a scanner allows you to preserve a digital image of just about anything you can fit on a scanner bed.

Here are a few things you can do with a scanner.

Printer And Toner

Copying Documents - You can turn a good flatbed scanner into a copying machine by scanning in those receipts and other important documents and then use your printer to have a copy or just keep a digital copy. The best thing about this is that you could use software to improve the documents, if you need to take out a grease smudge.

The Many Uses of a Scanner

Other things a scanner can do is copy a quick recipe out of Grandmas old recipe book, or a page from a magazine that shows the instructions for a new at-home project you have been wanting to do. Maybe there are some old documents in the family that you would like to have a copy of for yourself, those can be added to the computer files just as any other document.

Scanning Photos For Printing - Photographs are nice especially if you are a professional photographer, but you could use the photos for websites to display your latest DIY project. The images could be used for desktop wallpaper or sending to friends and family through email. Because they are digitized you can use computer software to edit them, and make interesting images on top of the first.

Here is something else you could do with a scanner and software. Using the edit feature you can enlarge your projects on the computer screen and then print out only that part. This allows you to make a full-sized pattern of anything you wish, turn around and use it to trace the object on plywood. Once you are done, cut out life-sized reindeer, cows, antique cars, you name it.

Faxing Documents - You can Fax a document that is already in your computer, but if that document is on a sheet of paper, you have a problem. A scanner can scan it in, then you can send it out by using the fax driver. When you have long distance relatives, and you find something in a magazine that they need to see, put the magazine in the scanner and then from the computer send them the information.

OCR - Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software is used to convert images to readable text. Once they are converted you can use a word processor to make the changes that are required. OCR software usually comes with the scanner.

There always seems to be a need to try getting a hard copy of some document or picture into the computer files, and a scanner is the only way to achieve that. Having a good scanner could really improve your home or office by allowing you to copy, organize and save important files and photos on your computer.

The Many Uses of a Scanner

If you are considering a business card scanner there are a few options available. Finding the best scanner for your needs will require some thought.

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