So, alot of people ask how to print multiple colors without the use of a press using these screens. Here is the way I learned to register a screen and it’s still the way I print most of time. It’s not easy to do this method with bulky or non-square items like tshirts or bags, but it does work the same way on fabric squares and it’s how I work 99% of the time. This is going to seem repetitive, but since this process is confusing (until you actually do it), I think the repetition will help.
What you need:
- Backing paper, newsprint or butcher paper (not necessary but it makes clean up and marking easier)
- Packing tape
- Screens
- Ink
- Squeegee or scraper
- Paper or fabric squares to be printed on cut to size (cut all the same size and leave room around design for trimming)
- Sheet of clear acetate or mylar
- Double sided tape (optional)
- Removable double-sided tape (optional)
- Thick paper strips for use as registration tabs (also optional)
- Somewhere to dry your prints (a drying rack is nice)
- Spray bottle with water (to clean acetate)
- Paper Towels
Printing the 1st Color – Normally, I print the largest printing area first to help determine placement.
1. Tape a large piece of newsprint/butcher paper down to your smooth printing surface. Tape paper to the front edge of your surface.
Tape paper to front edge of printing surface
2. Place a sheet of acetate on the butcher paper all the way to front edge of your table or printing surface and tape it across the bottom to create a hinge. (The acetate will swing forward and down and hang over the edge of your table when printing)
3. Place screen on top of acetate (making sure your design will fully print on acetate) and tape across the top edge of screen to create a hinge. The screen will swing up and back.
Place screen over acetate & tape across top edge
The tape acts as a hinge so the screen can swing up and back
4. Apply ink to screen and scrape it across the screen to print on the acetate.
5. Lift the screen. Place something like a water bottle behind the screen for it to rest on. This prevents the ink side of the screen from touching the surface behind it and getting ink everywhere.
Rest screen against a water bottle to prevent ink mess
6. Position paper under the acetate to determine placement. Carefully, swing the acetate forward without moving the paper underneath.
Position paper under the acetate
Acetate swings forward, while the screen swings back and rests on water bottle
7. Hold the paper still with one hand and mark the four corners using a pencil. This will tell you where to place subsequent sheets of paper for printing.
Mark all four corners while holding paper in place
8. For faster printing, use registration tabs. Use two strips of thick art paper, taped down using double-sided tape (permanent kind) in a L-shape. Butt the paper into the corner for quick registration.
Create a corner for faster placement
9. When printing, your paper will likely stick to the screen. If you don’t want this, you can put a piece of removable double-sided tape down where your printing paper will go to hold it in place.
Use removable DS tape to hold paper to surface
Pull the first print
10. Print away! You will find printing will go very quickly after you’ve registered your screen. Also, you can print alot more before needing to wash your screen. Rinse screen immediately after you are done printing or if you notice the prints becoming faint or if the screen seems otherwise blocked. If you have to stop in the middle of printing to wash the screen, trace around the frame so that you can reposition using the same setup. Clean image off acetate sheet with a wet paper towel before it dries or you may have to use a new sheet of acetate.
Printing the 2nd color screen – allow 1st color to dry before printing
1. Set-up exactly as you did your first screen. Use a fresh backing paper. Tape it to the edge. Tape acetate to bottom edge. Position screen over acetate and tape across top edge to create hinge.
2. Print on acetate in second color.
3. Position 1st print underneath acetate.
4. Mark and position registration tabs.
Create registration tabs for faster placement
5. Print 2nd color
6. Wash Screen and acetate.
Printing the 3rd color - allow 2nd color to dry before printing
1. Repeat Setup
2. Print third color
3. Clean up
Tips for Fabric squares – To print on fabric squares spray a little removable adhesive on your surface to prevent the fabric from sticking to the screen. Or you may find it helpful to register each piece of fabric under the acetate. Fabric tends to stretch and the fibers move around so you can’t really get a perfectly registered print on fabric but you can get really freaking close if you check each time. Tshirts are difficult because the are not squares that can be registered using tabs or marking around the edge. Also, it’s difficult to hinge the screen using tape because the t-shirt is too large. For these reasons a printing press works best for printing multiple colors on t-shirts.
For printing with larger wooden frame screens you can still use this acetate method but you’ll need to mount screen-hinges to smooth sheet of wood to act as a printing surface.
