How-To: Cheap & Dirty Screen Printing

I stumbled on this cheap & dirty DIY tutorial while doing a bit of research tonight. If you’ve ever wanted to play around with screen printing but didn’t want to spend a lot of cashola on buying a kit, this might work for you. They used old picture frames to create the screens, and exposed the screens in the sun instead of using a fancy schmancy lighting setup. Having worked at a print shop in my early college years – I do know a bit about the process and this DIY does seem to cover just about everything. My only suggestions would be to use actual silk screen mesh instead of a curtain (more moolah, but it will last longer) and to secure the screen to a work table with clamps while you are printing – as it would be really difficult to keep it in place with only one hand while you are trying to push ink through with the other hand. Better to just lock it down tight.

I should also add that this system is best for doing one-color prints. You’d really want to buy or build a more extensive setup to do multiple colors. If you’re interested in purchasing a kit that has all you need, silkscreeningsupplies.com has some great packages and decent prices. Now it is time… to go forth and print!