is it even possible?
Moderators: Shamax, Leadfoot, ApeShirt, Catspit Productions
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- Screen Trooper
- Posts: 7
- Joined: Sun Aug 11, 2013 7:28 pm
is it even possible?
Is it possible to do a two color print on a single station? I only have a single printing station but want to print some shirts with words one color but a couple of words a different color. Is it even possible?
- Shamax
- Master Screen Printer
- Posts: 145
- Joined: Tue Oct 09, 2012 7:08 am
- Location: Charleston, WV
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Re: is it even possible?
If you have multiple print heads, like on a normal manual rotary press, then it's easily doable: you would load one screen into one print head, and then the other screen into another and put whichever color ink you'd want in each screen. If you only have one print head though, that's a whole different ballgame. If there was space between the words that you wanted printed different colors, you could put the whole design (and both inks) on one screen. You'd have to be careful not to mix the inks, but you could possibly lay a shirt down, carefully stroke 1 color, then stroke the 2nd color with a different squeegee. Or you could lay the inks side by side and print them both with one stroke, allowing the inks to blend a bit in the middle.
What type of setup do you have and what kind of design/coloring were you thinking of?
What type of setup do you have and what kind of design/coloring were you thinking of?
Andy Barker
Owner/Operator of Fragile Branch
Store: http://fragilebranch.storenvy.com
Site/blog: http://www.fragilebranch.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/FragileBranch
Owner/Operator of Fragile Branch
Store: http://fragilebranch.storenvy.com
Site/blog: http://www.fragilebranch.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/FragileBranch
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- Screen Trooper
- Posts: 7
- Joined: Sun Aug 11, 2013 7:28 pm
Re: is it even possible?
I bought this starter kit on ebay
http://www.ebay.com/itm/181036759413?ss ... 1439.l2649
I don't know if I can upgrade it though?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/181036759413?ss ... 1439.l2649
I don't know if I can upgrade it though?
- Shamax
- Master Screen Printer
- Posts: 145
- Joined: Tue Oct 09, 2012 7:08 am
- Location: Charleston, WV
- Contact:
Re: is it even possible?
That kit is the same on I got, and no, it's not upgradable. It's a pretty simple, no frills 1-color press. The only way you'll be able to do more than one color with it is if you place two or more inks on the screen side-by-side and try to print with them. If you're wanting to do jobs that require multiple screens, you'll need a different press and preferably a flash dryer. Since it wounds like you're just starting out (much like I was last year when I got my kit), I'd suggest you try doing a couple of 1-color jobs to get the hang of the process in order to learn some of the "why" and "why not" of doing things, and then look into getting a better kit or piecemeal upgrades. Jonathan has some great kits available at http://www.catspitscreenprintsupply.com - you can even buy the individual pieces of equipment if you want to upgrade gradually. I'm still using my 1-color press from the kit (due to space constraints), but I grabbed an air flash dryer and exposure unit to help make other parts of the process easier. The kits in the Catspit store are more expensive than what you'll find on eBay, but they include more stuff and sturdier equipment.
Andy Barker
Owner/Operator of Fragile Branch
Store: http://fragilebranch.storenvy.com
Site/blog: http://www.fragilebranch.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/FragileBranch
Owner/Operator of Fragile Branch
Store: http://fragilebranch.storenvy.com
Site/blog: http://www.fragilebranch.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/FragileBranch