How To Run Your First Screen Printing Job (and nail it!)

Every single screen printer has a story about their first job, and honest truth, most of those stories are complete train wrecks. A local business or a buddy’s car club hears you are getting into screen printing and asks for 150 shirts for an upcoming event. You get excited, pull emulsion across a screen, burn an image that kind of works, and start pushing ink on shirts. A few prints end up crooked, a few look rough, so you slide the bad ones into the middle of the stack, put the best tee on top, and hand over the box. They pay you, leave, and you never hear from them again.

That scenario was Ryan Moor's very first screen printing job, and it is the main reason Ryonet started, because learning the hard way is tough. Your first job is almost always for someone local or in your immediate circle, which means reputation is everything. If you want to learn how to nail your first job, avoid rookie traps, and set your shop up for long-term success, here is the complete playbook for doing it right.

KNOW WHEN TO SAY YES AND WHEN TO WALK AWAY

Sometimes the best first job you ever take is the one you turn down, outsource, or pass along to another shop. If a client asks for an eight-color design on 200 black hoodies with sleeve hits and tight registration, do not execute that on press as your very first job.

Spinning around a manual press hundreds of times on a complex design takes massive effort, leads to high error rates, and burns you out before gaining momentum. Attempting extreme complexity early on ends in ruined garments and a burning desire to sell your equipment. If you are ever unsure whether artwork fits your skill level, give Mark Berryman a call. With 44 years of screen printing experience, Mark can look at your art in 30 seconds and tell you if it is a thumbs up or a job better suited for our printer referral network while you focus on single-color or two-color jobs you can crush in house.  You can also take a Screen Print Experience class and learn from Mark directly! 

ASK THE RIGHT QUESTIONS BEFORE TAKING THE JOB

Turning "I need some shirts made" into a successful order requires asking key questions upfront. Building a client checklist keeps you organized and prevents costly surprises mid-production.

• Design Concept & Complexity: Do they have print-ready art, or is it just an idea on a napkin? How many print colors are involved, and how many screens will it take?
• Garment Specifications: What type of garments are you printing on? Basic 100% ring-spun cotton tees absorb ink consistently and are much easier for beginners than polyester blends, heavy fleece, garment-dyed tees, or items with zippers and pockets. Starting out on quality garments like Bella+Canvas or Allmade tees with dark ink makes your job smoother.
• Size Ranges & Quantities: Are you printing sizes Small through 2XL, or does the order run from infant onesies all the way to 6XL? Extreme size ranges require multiple artwork sizes and screen setups.
• Timeline: Avoid committing to 2,000 shirts due in a week if you run a single-station manual press in your garage. Set realistic deadlines.

Evaluating garment options carefully upfront prevents major headaches once you get on press. Knowing whether you are printing on 100% cotton versus synthetic performance fabrics dictates which ink series and cure temperatures you will need to run.

Additionally, pay close attention to the size breakdown of your order. When an order spans from youth sizes to 4XL, printing the exact same artwork size across every shirt can cause the graphic to look massive on smaller garments or tiny on large ones, requiring separate film separations and screen setups.

DIAL IN YOUR ARTWORK AND SEPARATION

Client-submitted concept artwork is everywhere, but that does not mean it is press-ready. Always ask for the original design file from whoever created it. If the client delivers a low-resolution pixelated raster image, use vectorizing software or an artwork cleanup service to get sharp lines before burning film positives.

Once the art is solid, engineer it properly for printing. Put registration marks and center lines on your film separations so burning and aligning on press is straightforward. Before touching a screen or opening a bucket of ink, create a digital art proof showing exact print placement and relative sizing on the garment. Send it to your client and get explicit written approval. Having signed proof protects both you and the customer if questions arise later about placement or spelling.

RELATED: Screen Printing Sizing Strategies for Large Shirt Runs

STAGE YOUR SUPPLIES AND ORDER EXTRA GARMENTS

Before mixing ink, make sure your blank garments and shop paperwork are lined up. If you do not have a resale tax license yet, online blank wholesalers like ShirtSpace work well for purchasing blank tees. Once you establish your business and get your resale license, setting up a wholesale account with distributors like SanMar or AlphaBroder gets you better pricing.

Industry average spoilage runs around 2%, meaning on a 100-shirt order, you should expect to misprint a couple. On your very first job, bump that buffer higher. Order three or four extra blanks per size. Having extra shirts on hand saves you from stopping production, breaking down a press setup, and waiting on shipping just to replace a single misprinted Small.

PREP YOUR SCREENS AND DARKROOM SETUP

Your screen preparation directly dictates your final print quality. Choosing the correct mesh count ensures the right volume of ink reaches the shirt without smearing or bleeding.

For standard white inks or thicker plastisol ink, lower mesh counts like 110 or 156 allow ink to flow through easily. For finer detailed artwork, water-based inks, or dark inks on light shirts, higher mesh counts like 230 keep the print sharp and prevent flooding. Starting off with fresh, high-tension Baselayr aluminum screens makes the printing process infinitely smoother than fighting with old, warped wooden frames.

Cleanliness is essential in the darkroom. Degrease your mesh thoroughly using a dedicated screen cleaner like Sgreen Degreaser to remove oils and dust that cause pinholes or emulsion breakdown. When coating  your emulsion, use a clean dual-edge scoop coater to lay down an even, smooth layer. Allow your screens to dry completely in a dark, climate-controlled space before exposing. Always use an exposure calculator during test burns on your Baselayr LED exposure unit to land the precise exposure time for your chosen emulsion.

RELATED: Darkroom Optimization 101: How Many Screens Does Your Shop Really Need?

ALIGN YOUR PRESS AND SET UP REGISTRATION

Setting up your press correctly prevents ink smearing and out-of-register prints. Whether running an entry-level press like the Riley Hopkins 150 manual press or a multi-station shop setup, hone-in these press adjustments:

• Off-Contact & Leveling: Keep your screens level with an even off-contact distance (about 1/16 inch above the platen). This allows the mesh to snap off the shirt cleanly behind your squeegee pass, leaving a crisp ink deposit.
• Ink Prep: Stir your ink thoroughly before putting it on press to shear its viscosity, allowing smooth printing. Warm up flash cure units and platens to maintain consistent print temperature.
• Dry-Erase Registration Method: To register multi-color prints easily, print your base or key outline layer onto clear tape applied to your platen. Align subsequent screens directly to that printed mark, wipe the test clean with a shop rag, and double-check your alignment before running production garments.

RUN A PRESS PROOF AND ENSURE FULL INK CURE

Avoid printing the main order directly on your client's shirts without running test prints. While test pellons work for quick checks, testing directly on fabric matching your order garments yields the most accurate results. Adjust squeegee pressure, angle, and speed until the print looks sharp.

Once you dial in a print, print one of your extra production tees, snap a clear photo, or show it directly to the customer if they are local. This strike-off serves as final confirmation that print size, placement, and colors match client expectations.

Before running the rest of the order, verify that your ink cures completely. Uncured plastisol ink washes out on the first laundry cycle, destroying your customer's shirt and your reputation. Use Thermolabel temperature strips or a non-contact laser temperature gun to ensure the entire ink film hits the required curing temperature (320°F for standard plastisol). Always perform a stretch test and run a test shirt through a complete laundry wash cycle when setting up new ink and garment combinations.

RELATED: Which Screen Printing Kit is Right for Your Shop?

MANAGE PRODUCTION AND FINISH LIKE A PRO

When you start production, expect minor hiccups. If an issue pops up, step back, put down a test print, take a quick break, or call tech support. For small accidental ink spots, keep Ryonet Ink Erase and a spot cleaning gun near your station to clear small defects without scrapping the garment.

Once shirts clear your flash unit or conveyor dryer, let them cool completely before stacking or folding. Stacking warm plastisol prints directly on top of each other causes ink sticking. Finish the order based on your initial client agreement, whether that means a neat printer's fold (a standard 6-fold or 12-fold with the print facing up), individual poly-bagging, or clean flat stacks ready for pickup.