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3 Ways to Create Soft Prints with Plastisol Ink
Soft hand prints are best achieved with water-based ink but can be done with plastisol ink as well. Between the inks you choose to use, the garments you're printing on, to the available ink additives, achieving soft plastisol prints is possible. Let's take a look at three ways to create soft hand prints with plastisol ink.
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Best Practices to Ensure Proper Ink Curing with 4 Curing Methods
Curing your prints is one of the last steps of the screen printing process, but it is one of the most important steps. Ink needs to be cured properly so it sets into the garment. If the ink does not cure fully, it will crack, fall apart, and not last for long. Printers use either heat guns, heat presses, flash dryers, or conveyor dryers to cure inks. Let's take a look at how each curing device works.
The Best Way to Set up a Screen Print Shop in a Garage
Tons of print shops start off in basements, spare rooms, and garages. Think about it, they're already investing a good chunk of cash into purchasing the equipment and supplies, why not set up shop in a space they have already paid for?Â
Print expert Darryl Sapp shares his past experiences of working in a garage shop, offering best practices to make the most efficient workflow in the space you have.Â
The Basics of Mixing Emulsion and Coating a Screen
Not all emulsions respond the same when coating screens: some emulsions require adjustments in pressure and speed, depending on the emulsion thickness and the type of mesh you're working with on your screen. The end result should give a nice glisten that makes a great stencil for your next screen printing job. Darkroom expert Colin Huggins is on the case.
A Guide to Firing up Your T-Shirt Printing Side Hustle
Need some extra cash? Want to diversify your income? Starting a side hustle is a great way to earn some extra money while doing something you love. Screen printing is a great side hustle to start up. Dip your toes in with a small press and take the craft as far as you want. Let’s talk about why you’d want a side hustle, what you’ll need, and how to be successful at it.
A Guide to Creating an Underbase in Adobe Illustrator
Creating an underbase for your art is important to make sure your design comes out as clean and vibrant as you imagined it. Want to know how to do it? Screen Printing Expert Colin Huggins walks you through the process of creating the white underbase in Adobe Illustrator.
CMYK vs. Spot Color vs. Simulated Process Printing
Okay, so you’ve heard their names, CMYK Process, Spot Color, and Simulated Process, but what are they? What sets them apart from one another and what is the best use for each? Let’s go through them, one by one!
A 5-Step Guide to Separating Spot Colors in Adobe Illustrator
For some screen printers, using Illustrator to separate colors can be overwhelming at times. Luckily, the main roadblock people run into is over-thinking the process. In this video, Luke Ryerkerk shows a simple way to separate a design using some key tools in Illustrator.
Your Brand Starts Here with the Riley Hopkins 150 Press
Ready to start your own clothing brand? No matter what position you're in, the Riley Hopkins 150 Press will help you start your brand — and that's just the beginning. Let's learn how the press can expand your brand, your shop, or your business without costing you an arm and a leg.Â
Shift Your Shop into Overdrive with the Riley Hopkins 300 Press
With more than 30 years of developing high-quality, affordable presses, the Riley Hopkins brand has sold the most manual presses in screen printin...
Four Ways to Print Black Plastisol Ink on a Black Shirt
Printing black plastisol ink on a black shirt — trendy, right? As with everything in screen printing, there are multiple ways to achieve this goal. From using a puff base to printing with clear base to curing at higher and lower temperatures, printers can offer a variety of effects and looks to their customers. Let's take a look to see how each technique turns out so you can decide what's best for your next print job.
Invest in the Stock Market or Invest in Yourself
Investing in the stock market isn’t the only way to bring home more money. Another way is to start a side hustle. Since you’re here, I believe it’s safe to assume that you’re thinking about diving into screen printing. If you’re a problem solver, a go-getter, a hard worker who’s creative, motivated, and driven, then screen printing is definitely for you.Â
