Learn How To Screen Print With Catspit Productions, LLC
Introduction To Screen Printing Articles; Tips & Advice



Check out the Article Archive for great screen printing articles!!

The following articles were written as promotional articles for The Catspit Blog. These are great introductory articles for anyone just starting out in screen printing:

The Catspit Blog - So You Want To Screen Print?

The Catspit Blog - Screen Printing Is A Technical Process

The Catspit Blog - Garage Boys Galore!

The Catspit Blog - Customer Types, Garment Brands and Purchasing Trends

Learn How To Screen Print!
Catspit Productions' Top 5 Tips:

Tip #1
Eliminate all variables. This is pretty self explanatory. Don't work with something like an old, loose wooden screen. Take the time to get a firm, square and tightly stretched screen. You will thank yourself in the end. Avoid costly mistakes and time consuming "work arounds" by getting the right equipment from the get go. This doesn't mean you have to spend a lot of money. Just make sure you have the appropriate tools for the job. Everything you need for screen printing doesn't have to be professional grade; it just has to work well consistently. Screen printing is fun and easy, when you have the right tools and a little education in its techniques.

Tip #2
Artwork is the single most important step to creating an excellent, high quality print. If your artwork is not set up properly for screen printing, not only will the print look bad but the job could be very difficult to print. It is important to educate yourself on how screen printing renderers graphics and understand how to set up your art to easily print what you want. Take the most time working on your art and be sure of it before you even think about going to screen. If you are unsure of how to do the art, seek out a graphic artist who has experience with screen printing. This will save you much materials and headache.

Tip #3
Not all screen printers understand how to create the art they need for screen printing even though they may know what needs to be done. This is true of graphic designers as well. Not all graphic designers understand how to set art up for screen printing even though they may know the software very well. This is very important to understand and to avoid possible problems with any graphic artist you work with. Make sure the graphic artist has experience with screen printing. If you work in a large shop, the final word on how the art should be set up should go to the printer but in many cases it will go to the production manager.

Tip #4
Keep your ink under control. Plastisol ink never fully dries until it is cured through an oven. If it gets somewhere it is not supposed to be, it will inevitably travel. The ink has a mind of its own once let loose. Be very careful with how you handle your ink. The sign of an experienced printer is a clean work area. The printer will also need to be free of any kind of ink. It is never a good idea to wipe excess ink off onto your own clothes. Always check your hands before you handle your shirts in between prints. I cannot stress enough the importance of working clean.

Tip #5
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.