What is Screen Printing?
Screen printing is the practice of creating designs on fabric by pushing ink through a mesh screen. It originated in China during the Song Dynasty.
- Screen printing reduces waste because new designs can be printed on old or thrifted shirts, reducing the amount of new garments used for printing.
- Screen printing is also fairly simple to try at home or with a group! We also host screen printing workshops at some of A²ZERO’s clothing swaps.
- Screens can be ordered from various websites including Etsy.
To screen print, you'll need:
- an old or thrifted shirt
- a jar of screen printing ink
- a squeegee
- a screen with your design
- a tablecloth for catching spills
- a spoon to scoop out ink
- a washcloth to clean the screen
Step by Step:
1. Lay down the tablecloth and straighten the shirt on top of it, removing any creases
2. Place your screen flat on the shirt right where you want your design
3. Place a peanut-butter scoop sized glob of ink onto the top of the design and spread it into a line
4. Take your squeegee and swipe down while pressing hard, then go back up and down until you feel the ink is securely in the shirt
5. Slowly lift up your screen from the front end up to reveal your design
Congratulations on screen printing your first design!
Here's some extra tips:
- To properly secure the design on the shirt, be sure to let it dry completely and then dry it on hot or iron it before washing.
- Don’t let the screen dry out! The easiest way to prevent it from drying is to print another design, but if you’re done printing you can wash the screen.
- To wash the screen, grab a sponge or old rag and soak/scrub it in a bathtub, large sink, or basin of water
- Screens can be reused or recycled! New designs can be printed on screen printing mesh and replaced into the same wooden frame.
Most importantly, have fun with it!