How.to.Print.T-Shirts.for.Fun.and.Profit(2012)

2

Copyright 1978, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2008, 2010, 2012 All rights reserved.

Interactive PDF Version No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any
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Limits of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: The authors and publishers of this book have used their best efforts
in preparing the materials. They make no representation or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness
of the contents of this book and specifically disclaim any implied warranties or merchantability or fitness for any
particular purpose, and shall in no event be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damage, including
but not limited to special, incidental, consequential or other damages.

Trademarks: All trademarks are acknowledged. Brand or product names are the trademarks, registered trade-
marks, or trade names of their respective holders. All shirt graphics shown are the copyright and/or trademarks of
their respective owners.

Acknowledgements: The authors have had a great deal of help over the years with research, evaluation products,
photographs and more, and would like to thank the following people for their help and support: John Davis,
Arizona Lithographers for printing this book since 1980 and being very patient on missed deadlines; Richard
Labov and Gordon Faulkner, Union Ink Co. for ink technical assistance and publishing support; to the many “Mr.
and Mrs. Hands” who over the years came running when asked to “hold this while we shoot a picture” Mishelle
Fresener, Michael Fresener, Sandy Holderbach, Bob Alabaster and Dan Axelsen, Chapparel Industries; Littia
White and Sandy Holderbach for illustrations; Pat Eddins, Hanes Printables for garment making technical informa-
tion; Sandy Holderbach, for research on the History of the T-Shirt; Mishelle Fresener, Mike Fresener, Asha Gopal
and Laura Hedger, for research and production assistance; and to everyone who has sent products and material for
use in our classes and training workshops.

The authors would like to especially thank the many friends, customers and students who have provided shirt sam-
ples and given suggestions and advice for this book over the years.

What can you legally do with this digital edition: This is a digital version and can be legally put on up to three
computers or smart phone/tablet devices in the same company, household or office. This document cannot be post-
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purchase this edition. Any unlawful use of this file will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

Photographs: Most of the photos in this book, unless a photo credit is given, are by Scott, Pat and
Michael Fresener. Some photos - especially the black and white versions are from the Fresener archives. Some
photos are from customers and suppliers.

Published in the U.S.A.

Paperback Version: ISBN: 978-0-9851068-0-5
eBook Tablet Version: ISBN: 978-0-9851068-1-2
eBook DVD Version: ISBN: 978-0-9851068-2-9

Previous ISBN: 978-0-9815816-0-6 published by How To Publishing
Previous ISBN: 0-96394741-9 published by Union Ink Company

Last digit is the print number: 10 9 8

Published by:
How-To Publishing
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Distributed by:
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www.T-BizNetwork.com

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2012 Dedication
My how time flies. Our kids grew up! The original 1978 edition was dedicated to our
young children, Mike and Mishelle Fresener who "got stuck with the dishes while mom
and dad wrote the book." Our kids have grown up in the business and it has been a joy
to watch them mature.

This edition is dedicated to our wonderful grandchildren. Cinnamon, Autumn and
Oriana. You are a joy to watch growing up.

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4 CONTENTS

Contents

INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
COMMONLY ASKED QUESTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
HISTORY OF THE T-SHIRT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
HOW A SHIRT IS PRINTED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

CHAPTER 1: ARTWORK PREPARATION AND COMPUTER GRAPHICS . . . . . . . . .13

Types of Jobs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 Output Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20

Relationship of Artwork to the Stencil . . . . .14 Software Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23

Artwork Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 Computer Clip Art . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24

Tracing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16 Color Separation Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . .25

Artwork Touchup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 Third Party Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28

Using a Copy Machine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 Creating Simple Designs . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29

Computer Graphics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 Type Manipulation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29

Computer Graphic Systems . . . . . . . . . . . .18 Outputting Images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32

Scanners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 All About Adobe Photoshop . . . . . . . . . . . .35

CHAPTER 2: PREPARING THE SCREEN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43

The Screen Frame . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44 Exposure Box Plans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54

Retensionable Aluminum Frames . . . . . . .44 Professional Exposure Units . . . . . . . . . . .55

Screen Fabric . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45 Exposure Chart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56

Fabric Selector Chart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46 Washout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57

About Fabric Tension . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47 Blockout and Touchup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57

Stretching Retensionable Screen Frames .48 Reclaiming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .58

Stencil Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49 Special Techniques . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59

Direct Emulsions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49 Screen Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60

Coating The Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50 Computer-to-Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61

Capillary Direct Film . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51 Photostencil Troubleshooting Chart No. 1 .63

Screen Exposure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52 Photostencil Troubleshooting Chart No. 2 .64

CHAPTER 3: ALL ABOUT INK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

Plastisol Ink . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65 Curing Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .72

Types of Plastisol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .66 Plastisol Additives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .73

Curing Units . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67 Mixing Colors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .73

Flash-Curing Unit Features . . . . . . . . . . . .68 Beginning Ink Colors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .74

Conveyor Dryers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69 Water-Based Inks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75

Curing Ink . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71 Other Drying Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76

Measuring Ink and Dryer Temperature . . .72 Important Rules to Follow . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76

CHAPTER 4: PRINTING TECHNIQUES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .77

Printing Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .77 Athletic Printing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .90

Build A One-Color Press . . . . . . . . . . . . . .78 Numbering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .90

Squeegees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .80 Multicolor Printing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .92

Supplies List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .81 Determine the Color Sequence . . . . . . . . .95

Setting up the Press . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .82 Multicolor Printing on Dark shirts . . . . . . . .96

Making A Print . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .82 Printing White Underbase . . . . . . . . . . . . .96

Flood Stroke . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .85 Flash-Curing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .96

Basic Printing on Dark Materials . . . . . . . .86 Four-Color Process Printing . . . . . . . . . . . .97

Flash Curing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .86 Creating the Underbase Art . . . . . . . . . . . .97

Position of the Print . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .87 Clean-up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .98

Specialty Prints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .87 Repairing Reject Prints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .99

Blends . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .88 Packaging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .99

Gang Screens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .89 Troubleshooting Chart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .102

CONTENTS 5

Contents

CHAPTER 5: HEAT TRANSFERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .103

Plastisol Transfers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .104 Three Point Registration . . . . . . . . . . . . . .110

Why Make a Heat Transfer? . . . . . . . . . .104 Vacuum Table Registration . . . . . . . . . . .110

The Paper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .105 Registration Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .111

Heat Transfer Plastisol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .106 Transfers for Caps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .112

The Artwork . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .106 Puff Ink Transfers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .112

The Screen Stencil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .107 Digital Heat Transfers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .112

Printing Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .107 Sublimation Transfers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .112

Curing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .108 Foil Transfers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .114

Build A Vacuum Table Plans . . . . . . . . . .109 Heat Transfer Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . .116

Multicolor Plastisol Transfers . . . . . . . . . .110 Application of Transfers . . . . . . . . . . . . . .117

CHAPTER 6: NYLON JACKETS, BASEBALL CAPS AND OTHER IMPRINTABLES......119

Nylon Jackets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .119 Printing Caps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .123

Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .120 High Density Images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .124

Nylon Ink Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .120 Printing on Fleecewear . . . . . . . . . . . . . .124

Printing Technique . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .121 Terry-Cloth Towels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .126

Multicolor Printing Techniques . . . . . . . . .122 What Else to Print . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .126

Applying Heat Transfers to Jackets . . . . .122

CHAPTER 7: SPECIAL EFFECTS PRINTING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .129

Printing with Puff Ink . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .129 Suede Ink . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .134

Multicolor Puff Printing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .130 Discharge Ink . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .135

Printing with Puff and Foil . . . . . . . . . . . . .131 Wearable Art . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .135

Other Foil Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .132 Shirt Treatments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .136

Metallic Ink . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .133 Glow-in-the-Dark Ink . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .136

Glitter Ink . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .133 Reflective Ink . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .136

Color Change Ink . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .134 High Density Printing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .137

Fragrance Ink . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .134 Distressed Look . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .138

Shimmer or Crystalina Ink . . . . . . . . . . . .134 Photochromatic Ink . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .138

Airbrushing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .138

CHAPTER 8: PRINTING NON-TEXTILES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .139

Poster Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .139 Press Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .140

Decals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .139 Printing and Drying . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .141

Bumper Stickers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .139 Ventilation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .142

Inks for Non-Textiles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .140 Odd Shaped Items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .142

CHAPTER 9: INKJET PRINTING ON GARMENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .143

History of Inkjet Printing on Shirts . . . . . .143 Curing the Ink . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .148

New Technology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .144 Prepare For Printing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .148

Overview of Inkjet Printers . . . . . . . . . . . .144 Print Times . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .149

Creating Artwork . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .147 About the Machines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .149

Inkjet Textile Inks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .147 Problems, Maintenance and Upkeep . . . .150

Pretreatments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .147 Environmental Conditions . . . . . . . . . . . .152

CHAPTER 10: ALL ABOUT GARMENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .151

How to Buy Garments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .151 Fabric Weight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .154

Garment Quality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .152 Fabric Finish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .155

Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .153 Garment Assembly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .155

How a Shirt Is Made . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .153 Fleecewear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .156

6 CONTENTS

Contents

CHAPTER 11: MARKETING AND SELLING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .159

Your Logo and Name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .160 Ad-Specialties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .164

Presenting the Shirts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .160 Corporate Accounts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .164

Your “Business Card” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .160 Your Website and E-mail . . . . . . . . . . . . .165

The Paperwork . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .160 Social Networking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .166

Generic Catalogs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .161 Price List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .176

Your Phone and Fax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .161 Pricing Strategies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .167

Take Credit Cards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .162 Average Markups and Printing Prices . . .169

Display at Local Trade Shows . . . . . . . . .163 Profits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .170

Where to Find Customers . . . . . . . . . . . .170

CHAPTER 12: THE BUSINESS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .171

What Type of Business Do You Want? . .171 Publications & Buyer’s Guides . . . . . . . . .179

How Much Money Will It Take? . . . . . . . .172 Trade Associations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .179

Legal Forms of Business Organization . .173 Trade Shows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .180

Business Licenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .173 General Business Practices . . . . . . . . . . .166

Accounting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .173 Art Ownership, Trade Standards &

Taxes and Other Requirements . . . . . . . .174 Copyrights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .181

Profit and Loss Statement . . . . . . . . . . . .175 Independent Artists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .181

Employee Relations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .176 How to Get a Copyright . . . . . . . . . . . . . .182

Leasing Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .176 Transfer of Artwork Ownership . . . . . . . . .183

The Bank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .176 Who Owns the Artwork & Screens? . . . . .184

Insurance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .177 Trade Terms, conditions and Standards

Getting and Giving Credit . . . . . . . . . . . . .177 of the Garment Printing Industry . . . . . .185

The Customer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .178 Trademarks & Licensing . . . . . . . . . . . . . .186

The Competition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .179 Industry Specific Software . . . . . . . . . . . .186

CHAPTER 13: SETTING UP A SHOP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .189

Equipment and Supply Needs . . . . . . . . .189 Your Health and the Environment . . . . . .195

The Starter Shop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .190 Screen Making Department . . . . . . . . . . .196

The Semi-Professional Shop . . . . . . . . . .191 Government Health and Safety

The Professional Shop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .192 Regulations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .196

The Complete Garment Printing Shop . . .193 Work Flow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .198

Where to Set Up Your Shop . . . . . . . . . . .194 Sample Floor Plans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .199

APPENDIX A: SUPPLIERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .203
APPENDIX B: FORMS AND CHARTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .223
GLOSSARY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .239
INDEX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .249
ABOUT THE AUTHORS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .255

INTRODUCTION 7

Introduction

Congratulations!
You’re entering one of the few businesses that can be started with very little capital. Interest, enthu-

siasm and self motivation is the real capital needed to build this business. Many of the big companies
started out this way, in fact many started in their garages! This book provides all the information neces-
sary to print T-shirts. Put your newfound knowledge to work and add a second income, or build up a
full-time business. It's up to you!

Of course, you don’t have to limit yourself to T-shirts. Other screened items are everywhere.
Objects you don’t think about are screen printed: bottles, cans, computer control panels, labels in cloth-
ing, graphics hanging in your home, the tiniest printed circuit in your watch, to large billboards.

How To Print T-shirts For Fun And Profit! contains a good basic knowledge on the all garment
decorating processes, including screen printing, heat applied transfers, and inkjet printing directly onto
T-Shirts.

Whether you’re a beginner or already print shirts, this book is an excellent technical guide and will
be used constantly for reference, so keep it handy! A fairly respectable printed shirt could probably be
done by just following the photos in this book - but don't do it that way! Read this book completely
before you even start to do any printing. Once you’ve read it, you’ll have a basic knowledge and under-
standing of the entire process, and many of your unanswered questions won’t even have to be asked!

Some methods in this book were developed through years of trial and error; some were developed
by observing other printers and then, if necessary, changing or improving on their techniques. All the
techniques in this book have been proven in actual daily use and are commercial methods! They work.
They make it possible for you to start a printing business and make a profit!

Throughout this book you’re urged to experiment! That’s because seeing is believing. Often, very
technical information that tends to be confusing when just read, becomes crystal clear when actually,
physically, done. Experimenting will also help you build the confidence necessary to develop your own
techniques and ideas!

There are various stages in the printing process and we have tried to take them in the order that they
actually occur. We will first teach you how to prepare the artwork, then make a screen and print the
order. After all this, you’ll learn how to buy shirts for the jobs, how to print other items, how to sell the
order and how to run your business!

Remember, this book contains everything you need to know. Putting it to use is up to you.

Welcome to the exciting world of T-shirts!

Scott and Pat Fresener

8 INTRODUCTION

Authors' Post Script:

The original How To Print T-shirts for Fun and Profit! was published in 1978 and was 160 pages. The
first revision was in 1988 and the book grew to 176 pages. The book was totally rewritten and updated in
1994 and increased in size to 260 pages. There were additional revisions to this in 1998.
In 2000, there was a major re-write of the Art Preparation Chapter 1, updating it to reflect computerization of
the art department, and hundreds of updates and changes throughout the entire book. The 2003 update
included a revised Buyer’s Guide and updated computer section along with other minor re-writes. The book
was updated again in 2005 and 2008 which included the addition of a new chapter on direct-to-garment
printing on T-Shirts. This version has gone through major re-writes and updates to keep the book as current
as possible with the state of the industry.

We had to chuckle a bit when we began to rewrite the old introduction (from the 1978 version) and dis-
covered that it didn't need rewritten! Everything we said then still holds true today and so we decided to
leave it exactly as it was written in 1978.

From our humble entry into the education arena in 1978, we had no way of knowing that this little book
would be the beginning of a lifelong career. We knew the industry needed an excellent, albeit simple book
on screen printing T-shirts, but we didn't realize how much it would be appreciated!

We had no idea that since 1978, How To Print T-shirts for Fun and Profit! would have sold over 150,000
copies and been the recipient of dozens of industry awards. We had no idea that it would be the launch pad
for our next book The Encyclopedia of Garment Printing (a 1000 page technical T-shirt extravaganza), or
for dozens of educational video tapes, DVD’s and industry specific software.

We had no idea that we would build a base of loyal followers, who, even all these years later, never fail
to come up just to say "hi" at industry trade shows. We had no idea that this little book would take us to for-
eign lands to speak about screen printing and we never thought that it would provide us with friends in
almost every city in the United States and friends in so many foreign countries. And so dear friends and
associates (you all know who you are) let us take this opportunity to give a formal, written, great big thank
you!

And to our future new friends, be assured that the report on the future of T-shirt printing is even
better than it was in 1978!

Scott and Pat Fresener
2012

Learn more at the T-Biz Network International website!

This book covers just about everything, but you can never stop learning or keeping up with the latest
trends. To keep on top of the industry, check out www.T-BizNetwork.com. There are great technical
articles, a complete calendar of trade shows, industry news, blogs, videos, and hundreds of links to other
industry sites. Plus, the T-Biz Store has dozens of DVDs, software, services, artwork and more.

COMMONLY ASKED QUESTIONS 9

Commonly Asked Questions

How much money do I need to start?

You can start your business on a shoestring or invest thousands. A very small basic screen
print shop can be put together for a few hundred dollars to a few thousands dollars if you can
build a few pieces of equipment yourself. On the high range, a $30,000 investment buys a
large, completely self-contained, professional shop. Add $20,000–$100,000 if you want to go
with giant automated printing presses. If you chose to not do screen printing and want a clean
and easy way to decorate shirts, plan to spend around $10,000 or more for an inkjet-to-gar-
ment setup including a printer, computer and heat transfer press to cure the shirts. If you are
really on a budget then purchase a heat transfer press and inkjet printer and start by printing
transfers to apply to shirts.

How much money can I make?

Of course, this is in direct relation to your original investment. However, on the smallest
level, working just weekends you could add $200–500 per week to your income. If you really
dig in and treat this as a second job, you could make an additional $30,000 per year (and
keep your day job) and if you decide to do this full-time, you can make a very nice living and
build a solid business with employees, your own building, and if you are really good, take a
few vacations and enjoy yourself. We talk to many printers on a regular basis at trade shows
and often hear the “I started with your book and now have automatic presses and a terrific
and profitable business!” Yes, very, very true! The usual ending comment is “I LOVE this
business!” In fact a comment that is made about every ten minutes at trade shows is “I just
wanted to say thanks for getting me into this business!”

What kind of things can I print? Watch a short
video about the
Although this book expounds mainly on printing T-shirts, the techniques used for shirts are Garment Printing
the same techniques used for all screen printing–from artwork to screen making to printing.
Usually, printing other items just entails finding the right ink. Items such as posters, bumper- industry.
stickers, signs, decals, vinyl binders, decorative mirrors and tiles are just a few of the other
items that are often decorated by the screen printing process. And, if you decide to make sub- Running Time 6:37
limation heat transfers then you can decorate a wide variety of items with a minimal invest-
ment.

How much space do I need?

When we first began, we printed in our very small dining room. From there, we progressed
to the garage (you would be surprised how much work can be produced in a garage!) and
progressed to industrial buildings as large as 10,000 sq ft. If you are only making heat trans-
fers then all you need is a table!

Do I need to have art talent?

No. If having art talent was a prerequisite, many people would not be in this business. We
will show you how to deal with artwork - from drawing, tracing, scanning and using the com-
puter. There is also plenty of stock artwork available.

Isn't screen printing messy?

Yes. However, so is cooking when certain people try to do it. The good news is that like
cooking, the mess can be cleaned up. The secret, as in cooking, is to clean as you go and put
things away as you use them! Of course, not everyone minds a little mess, however, if you're
one of those people who wear rubber gloves to dust, you should probably keep your day job.

Isn't screen printing hard to do?

The actual process of screen printing is very easy and with How To Print T-Shirts For Fun
and Profit!, everything else is easy too! Each step involved in producing the printed product is
explained in easy-to-understand step-by-step detail that incorporates professional techniques
and products, not old-fashioned artsy college-course methods.

10 HISTORY OF THE T-SHIRT

History of the T-shirt

It's hard to pinpoint exactly comfortable due to greater absorption under the
arms, was more comfortable when worn with
when the first T-shirt was pro- backpacks, and provided greater protection from
sunburn.
duced. It is documented that as
When the servicemen returned from war, the
early as 1913 the United States shirts came home with them- and the Skivvies,
jimshirt, and gob shirt were here to stay.
Navy adopted the crew-necked,
During World War II, the T-shirt was more
short-sleeved, white cotton for function than fashion. The early-issue military
shirts had a much wider neck and shorter sleeve
undershirt, to be worn under a than today's full-cut shirt and they were a much
tighter fit. This tight-fitting style remained much
jumper to cover sailor's chest the same from the early 1900's through the sixties.

hairs. The late forties saw the first printed T-shirts.
The Smithsonian Institute's oldest printed shirt
At that point, the T-shirt was reads Dew-it-with-Dewey from New York
Governor Thomas E. Dewey's 1948 presidential
definitely an undergarment. campaign.

Even then, however, the T-shirt The T-shirt got a real boost from underwear to
outerwear when Marlon Brando Showed his form
was not the undergarment for in a tight-fitting T-shirt in the 1951 movie A
Streetcar Named Desire. Thanks, Stanley
the average working man. He Kowalksi, for giving the T-shirt sex appeal!

was still wearing a sleeveless Brando again set the stage with his T-shirt-
and-jeans rebel in the 1954 movie The Wild One,
undershirt called a "singlet", or and his cultural partner James Dean continued the
look in 1955 with the classic movie Rebel without
a single-piece "union suit" a Cause. OK, Elvis just happened along then also
and showed the world how hip a T-shirt and
almost into the forties. It wasn't leather jacket could be.

until the late thirties that com- About that time, the T-shirt style also changed
a little - the neck opening became smaller. The fit
panies such as Hanes, Sears was still tight though and the sleeves were still
short enough to show off a man's physique. T-
Did it really get it’s pop- Roebuck, and Fruit of the Loom shirts were still a very male piece of clothing.
ularity from the military earnestly started to market the T-shirt. ( Fruit of
in WWII? (Photo by Earl the Loom didn't actually start to knit shirts until That's when clever marketers such as Walt
Smith and Nancy Hall 1938.) Disney and Roy Rogers saw the possibilities of
from the “T-Shirt Book” the printed T-shirt as a souvenir. Just think — it's
It is reported that the T-shirt (and union suit) a useful piece of clothing, it's inexpensive, and it
has a short life span. Perfect!
by Scott Fresener) received a major setback in 1934, when Clark
In the early 1950s such innovators as Ed Roth
Gable took off his dress shirt to reveal a bare (aka "Big Daddy Roth") and Carl Smith (aka "Big
Daddy Rat") started to screen print and airbrush
torso in the movie It Happened One Night. shirts with car designs. Back then the "ink" used
was house paint and spray paint.
Although his costar, Claudette Colbert, was not
In the fifties most college shirts and sports
impressed, American women liked the bare-chest shirts were decorated with cloth letters or with
"flocking" — a process through which thin fibers
look and men followed Gable's lead. of rayon were electrostatically embedded in an
adhesive printed on the shirt. This was a very
A 1937 Consumer's Union Report lists "cotton slow and messy process that was just waiting to
be replaced.
undershirts" and "cotton union suits" as separate
In 1959 a new ink called "plastisol" was
categories and shows undershirts with names like invented. This ink was more durable and stretch-
able- and brought about the birth of T-shirt print-
"Skivvies" and "jimshirts." They were only 1.5 to ing as we know it today.

Did the T-Shirt evolve 2 ounces back then — a far cry from today's The sixties provided the background for state-
from the famous “Union heavy- weight T-shirt that can weigh as much as 8 ment shirts, tie-dyed shirts and freedom of
Suit?” (Photo dated ounces. By 1940, the Consumer's Union Report speech. The British rock-'n’-roll invasion and
1918, courtesy Hanes had dropped the "cotton union suit" category. Vietnam were the perfect partners for a newfound
Printables, Winston-
Salem, NC.) In 1938, Sears introduced a T-shirt for only 24
cents a piece. It was called a "gob" shirt (a gob is
a sailor) and was proclaimed to be either an outer

garment or an undershirt — "It's practical, correct

either way."

While it is widely recounted that the army had

T-shirts early in the war, it was really the marines

who first issued the navy T-type shirt. It didn't

take the marines long to realize that white was an

easy target, however, so the early white navy T-

type shirts were dyed in the field with coffee

grounds! Later the men were issued sage-green

shirts.

The army didn't actually get their own navy T-

type shirts until late in the war and after. A 1944

study from the Quartermaster of Clothing and

Equipment for the Tropics shows that the army

was still field-testing T-shirts and sleeveless

undershirts to see which the men preferred. In the

field test, the men preferred the navy T-type shirt

because it had a better appearance, was more

HISTORY OF THE T-SHIRT 11

culture and the printed T-shirt was the perfect known in the industry as "preprints" or "stock 1948 ad for “Suedeknit
vehicle of choice for expression. The peace sym- designs". Newer printing methods used new inks Sport Shirt.”(Photo
bol was the most popular T-shirt image. It was — puff, glitter, glow, and change color — and courtesy Hanes
easier to wear a statement on your chest than to consumers kept coming back for more. Printables, Winston-
carry a picket sign. As free love, long hair and Salem, NC.)
drugs prevailed, tie-dyed shirts that could be cus- The nineties continued with better graphics
tom designed in your kitchen sink — with no and with major corporations buying into the busi-
investment — were the thing. The Woodstock ness. Sara Lee bought Hanes, Champion Products
generation loved T-shirts! and Stedman. In 1993 Fruit of the Loom paid
close to $150 million for Salem Sportswear, a
In the late sixties, T-shirts were sold mainly at company that two friends had started in 1980 with
state fairs, car shows and special events- but the a $450 investment!
lowly T-shirt that had been a fad in the sixties
suddenly grew up in the seventies. The iron-on The early nineties also saw the resurgence of
transfer made it easy to pick a design, pick a shirt the iron-on transfer — now called a "heat trans-
and combine the two using a household iron. fer." They were softer, puffier, more durable and
they could duplicate the quality of a direct screen
The T-shirt store as we know it didn't exist print.
until the early seventies. The iron-on transfer
made it easy to mass produce thousands of differ- Today's T-shirt business is a conglomeration
ent designs and every mall and shopping center of T-shirt mills, screen printers, embroiderers and
had its T-shirt store. Early T-shirt stores were not airbrushers. The computer has made it possible to
much more sophisticated than state fair displays do outstanding photorealistic designs in quantities
however, and it wasn't uncommon for upscale as small as one shirt.
malls to tell merchants they didn't want any T-
shirt stores. The Internet has spawned a whole new line of
concept shirts, called "Cybershirts", with your
In the late seventies a new photorealistic iron- own personal E-mail address or "cyberspeak"
on transfer called a "litho transfer" was devel- emblazoned on them. The Internet has also
oped. It revolutionized the quality of the graphic become the T-shirt mall of the future and you can
images that could now be printed on shirts. One now order any shirt imaginable including custom
of the earliest and most popular litho transfers printing-on-line!
was of Farrah Fawcett of TV's Charlie's Angels
fame. This was the most popular T-shirt of 1977, The T-shirt. An $18 billion industry. From
selling more than $8 million worth! undershirt to everyday piece of clothing. From
plain to terrific graphics. From cute to raunchy.
It all came together when entrepreneur Bill Buying T-shirts is like taking pictures: They tell
Windsor started a magazine called Impressions in the world where you have been and who you are.
1978 and followed it in 1979 with a T-shirt trade If only they lasted longer they would be an
show called The Imprinted Sportswear Shows. At anthropologist's dream.
the same time my wife Pat and I wrote what
became the bible of the industry, How to Print T- Scott Fresener
shirts for Fun and Profit! Suddenly, T-shirts had
become an industry! 1912 ad for Hanes
Underwear. (Photo
The eighties started the great graphics craze. courtesy Hanes
Artists who had shunned the T-shirt now found a Printables, Winston-
new canvas! Prices of $2,000 and higher for a Salem, NC.)
design became a reality because great graphics
sold shirts. Corporations also found a new vehicle
for their message and the era of using shirts to
advertise started. Imagine, people will actually
wear your company's name on their chest like a
walking billboard and pay for the privilege! Great
concept! Rock 'n roll and sporting event promot-
ers discovered that the bottom line could be
much, much larger with merchandise sales, and
the licensing business flourished into the billion-
dollar business it is today.

The eighties also liked free expression on a
shirt. Hand decorated shirts, tie-dyed shirts and
even a process called "spin art" were in. Shirt
sizes got bigger as everyone wanted a looser, bag-
gier look. The consumer also wanted larger and
softer designs. The rubbery and not very wash-
resistant iron-on transfer practically died in the
early eighties. As colored T-shirts became more
popular, stores started carrying preprinted shirts,

12 HOW A SHIRT IS PRINTED

How A Shirt Is Screen Printed

This book covers the process of screen printing, making and applying heat transfers, and
printing directly to a shirt with special inkjet printers. T-shirt screen printing appears hard in
the beginning but is actually fairly simple once you understand the steps. The following six
steps give a quick overview of the process. Just follow the procedures outlined in this book
and you'll be on your way!

1. Artwork

A design is drawn, traced, scanned or
created in a computer graphics
program. It is printed onto a
transparent material using a laser
printer or inkjet printer.

2. Screen

A screen frame is stretched with
polyester screen fabric called mesh.
Pre-stretched screens can be
purchased.

Watch a very short 3. Stencil Preparation
video on the
The fabric is coated with a photo-
basics of garment graphic material call emulsion
printing. and the artwork is transferred to the
emulsion with using ultra-violet light.
Running Time 2:00 The image is developed on the
screen with water.

4. Printing

The screen is placed on top of a
garment and the ink is transferred
through the stencil with a squeegee.

5. Curing or Drying

The printed shirt is run through a
dryer or placed under a special heater
to cure the ink. If the print is
waterbased ink the shirt can be
hung to dry.

6. The Finished Shirt

The shirt is ready to present to the
customer!

COMPUTER GRAPHICS AND ARTWORK PREPARATION 13

COMPUTER
GRAPHICS AND
ARTWORK
PREPARATION

This chapter deals with artwork preparation for all garment
decorating processes including Screen Printing, Heat Transfers
and Direct-to-Garment Printing.

Good artwork is the first requirement for lettering, design a little - no art talent required. If 1.1 You will be asked
a quality end product and there are the customer comes in with a bare bones idea. to print a wide variety
many ways of producing good art- Find an artist. of jobs. In the begin-
work. In this chapter we'll discuss the practical ning keep it simple and
ways of creating artwork in-house, as well as Types of Jobs learn the craft. Before
where to find and how to deal with amateur and long you will be doing
professional artists. Whether you are creating a You will get all types of jobs to print. From high-end jobs and lov-
piece of artwork that needs to be color separated simple one-color corporate logos on a polo shirt, ing it!
for screen printing or simply creating or fixing to detailed, multi-color images on black shirts -
customer supplied artwork for printing to an and everything in between (1.1). It can be 1.2 The customer will
inkjet printer for heat transfers or directly to a depressing in the beginning worrying about how bring you everything
garment, this is an area where you will often to do high-end, photorealistic prints but if you from a rough sketch, to
spend a lot of time in the beginning. talk to the average printer, in the beginning those finished art and even a
Keep in mind that if having art talent was a T-shirt to work from.
prerequisite, many people would not be in this
business. If you are a non-artist don't worry. You
WILL need a computer system with standard
graphics programs. And it won’t take long to be a
great computer artist!
You will also need a way to either output film
positives for screen making, or an inkjet printer to
print to heat transfer paper, or a direct-to-garment
printing machine.
The difference between artwork needs for dif-
ferent decorating methods is that a screen printer
might start off with full-color artwork but they
need to convert this artwork to black and white
color separations of each color. If printing heat
transfers or direct-to-shirts you don’t need to sep-
arate the colors. But, creating the original image
is often the same for all the processes. In fact,
even if you are not going to need color separa-
tions for screen printing, you should read every
section of this chapter to gain a good understand-
ing of creating, fixing, or reproducing images.
You will be surprised at the "designing" skills
you have. Take a customer supplied logo - no art
talent required. Build an image with stock clip-art
and some lettering - no art talent required. Put the
customer's race car on a shirt - scan the photo, add

14 CHAPTER 1

jobs are few and far between and the simple one- Remember, everything you do before making
color are the daily work. So for now, focus on the print is called pre-press. The customer never
learning the basics. understands or willingly wants to pay the charges
for the time it takes to do pre-press so you must
Your customers will bring you everything find ways to get it done quickly and easily.
from a business card to a napkin with a sketch on
it, to a printed shirt to work from (1.2). In fact With that in mind - let's get started on your art
they will tell you to just get their logo off the and design education!
internet or worse yet, they will bring you the
design on a disk and expect you to just push a Artwork for Screen
button and have it be ready for a garment. Printing

1.3 The artwork If you are screen printing an image, it is
needs to end up on important to understand how the art is used to
clear or frosted film or make the printing stencil. In this book, as in the
paper that can be used professional screen printing shop, we will deal
to expose a screen. mainly with photographic stencil making.

1.4 Direct emulsions In simple terms, the artwork needs to some-
are light sensitive liq- how end up on a clear or transparent material that
uid that are coated on is used to expose the screen. This final art form is
a screen. commonly called a “film positive”- although it
can be clear film, frosted acetate, frosted paper, or
1.5 Capillary direct overhead transparency material (1.3).
films are similar to
direct emulsions What is a Photostencil?
except they consist of Although Chapter 2 covers screen making in
a clear carrier sheet
with the coating detail, you must have a basic understanding of it
already on it. They are before creating screenprintable artwork. A photo-
adhered or “applied” stencil is a stencil created by exposing an image
to the screen with onto a screen that has a photosensitive coating.
water.
Photostencil materials come in two forms:
The problem with all of this is that what starts direct emulsions and capillary direct films. Direct
out as a logo on a business card needs to end up emulsion is a liquid form of photostencil material
12" or bigger on a shirt and you may lose some- (1.4), while capillary film is a clear "plastic"
thing in the translation. Even when they bring you backing sheet that is coated with photosensitized
the disk, your customer does not know about T- emulsion (1.5). To use direct emulsion, you coat
shirt graphics and the design will generally be it directly onto the screen fabric. Capillary film is
very low resolution and when enlarged for a shirt adhered to the fabric.
will become soft and lack detail. Your job will be
to quickly and easily determine what is the best Exposing or “Burning” a Screen
way to make that artwork into a great image on a Photographic emulsions are sensitive to light
shirt.
sources containing ultraviolet (UV) rays. These
Don't let any of this get you down. You will UV rays "expose" or harden the emulsion where
find that it isn't all that hard and if you can master the light hits it. This is often called “burning a
the fundamentals of good screen making, proper screen.”
art preparation and color separations, correct use
of the inks, good technique at the printing press - What Light Sources Contain UV Rays?
anyone can print a shirt. It's easy! Sunlight contains an abundance of UV light

compared to some plant "grow-lights" and back-
yard quartz and work lights that produce much
smaller amounts of UV output. Professional
screen-exposing units contain light sources that
are high in UV output.

How Does the Artwork Create the
Stencil?

The artwork, providing it is on a clear or
transparent carrier, is placed directly onto the
emulsion-coated screen that has been dried in a
dark room or box. The screen and artwork are
then exposed to a light source that contains UV
rays. Wherever the emulsion receives light it

COMPUTER GRAPHICS AND ARTWORK PREPARATION 15

becomes exposed. Exposed emulsion becomes 1.6 A screen can be
water resistant; areas that were shielded from the exposed from anything
light are not exposed and remain water soluble. that will keep UV light
from hitting the photo-
To simplify this, let's consider an example. If stencil material. You
you were to place your hand over the emulsion on can even use sunlight
a screen, and go into the sunlight for 20 seconds, to expose a screen.
the light would hit (and expose) all of the emul-
sion around your hand, but your hand would pre-
vent the emulsion underneath it from receiving
light. The emulsion under your hand would not be
exposed and would therefore be water soluble and
wash away when rinsed with water. The emulsion
that received light however, would remain on the
fabric because it had been exposed and became
water resistant. This would create an open stencil
in the shape of a hand that ink could now pass
through.

This is how you are going to expose screens
(1.6). You will need a screen for each color of ink
you are going to print.

Screen Printing Artwork 1.7 Designs with a
Overview hard edge and solid or
gradient tints of a
There are generally two different types of color are generally
printing jobs if you are screen printing. called spot color.

Spot Color 1.8 Images that look
The most common is what we will refer to as like a photograph are
called photorealistic.
"hard edge" graphics. This is typically a corporate
logo or cartoon - coloring book - type of image
(1.7). When printed with more than one color the
colors generally are printed within a black outline.
This outline is often called the "keyline" or "black
and white" art. Designs like this are commonly
called “Spot Color.”

Photorealistic
When you see a true photograph on a shirt, the

image is called photorealistic (1.8). Images like
this may also have hard edge - spot color portions
(1.9) but are generally made up of tiny little dots
of color - called “halftones.” When viewed at a
distance the dots blend together and the image
appears to have continuous tones of color (1.10).

With both spot color and photorealistic
images, when printed in multi-color, a film posi-
tive is needed for each print color. This set of pos-
itives is called color separations (1.11) and each
positive is individually exposed on a separate
screen.

Don't Neglect the Basics 1.9 Many designs
have a photographic
Although the modern art department consists portion combined with
of "point-and-click" computer graphics worksta- text or borders that
tions, in many cases original artwork still needs to are spot color.
be generated outside the computer.

You can scan the customers business card,
bring the scan into a graphics program, add color

16 CHAPTER 1

1.10 Photorealistic way to provide customers with the artwork they
images are made of want. If they only have a shirt or rough idea, or if
small dots called they want a photograph converted to a cartoon
halftones that when image (often done with race car shirts) - somehow
viewed from a distance the artwork needs to end up as a solid dark color
appear to be a contin- on a light surface so you can scan the image.
uous tone. Although we generally refer to this as "black and
white" artwork (called “camera ready artwork” in
1.11 Multi-color and print out color separations on translucent the old days), the realities are that it could be dark
images need a sepa- paper - commonly called Vellum Paper - using a blue on a white background and it would work.
rate film for each laser printer or an inkjet printer - all with just a
color. These are called few clicks of the mouse. The image also needs to be clean. This means
color separations. that when the customer tells you "they already
But, how was the customer's logo created in have the art" it generally means that they have the
the first place? It could have been done using tra- "sketch." The only real way to convert their art to
ditional pen-and-ink. What if the logo was of poor what you need is to trace it or have an outside
quality? It might need to be touched up or cleaned artist recreate it (1.12).
up.
A common misconception about the type of
Also, the computer won't have a clue what to original artwork is that if it is going on the shirt in
do with that napkin sketch. Yes, you could scan it, color, the original art needs to be in color. While
but you would have a scan of a napkin sketch. this is true of photorealistic images, for spot color
Yes, you could re-create the image in the comput- it is easier to add the color later in the computer.
er, but sometimes there is nothing like doing it the
old way. Sometimes tracing is the only way to get the
artwork supplied by the customer back to it's orig-
With that in mind, we want to start off with inal state. If they give you a shirt to work from
the basics of working with artwork before it ever you may have to actually re-create the artwork by
ends up in the computer. These techniques apply manually tracing it. Tracing is also a great way to
regardless of the printing method you use. create an image from a reference piece like a pho-
tograph.
Tracing or Recreating
Customer Supplied Art Keep in mind that in today’s computer age the
“art” of using physical tools like drawing pens
For many beginners - figuring out how to take seems to be disappearing and it is all done on the
the customer supplied ideas or “artwork” is the computer. If you have good computer graphic
hardest part. Pulling a squeegee across a screen or skills you might scan the customers T-Shirt, nap-
saying “print” when printing to a direct-to-gar- kin sketch or rough drawing and then vectorize it
ment printer is easy. But what do you do when the (convert to computer images) using your mouse
customer brings you existing artwork that needs or a graphics tablet. And, there are now compa-
to be recreated so you can use it? nies who will “vectorize” artwork for less than
$20 that then can be used in the computer to add
Whether or not you have art talent, you can color or print out films (1.13). Simply do a web
produce artwork through the wonderful world of search of “vector art services” and you will find
tracing. Tracing is perfectly acceptable and lots of sources - many offering 24 hour turn-
should not be thought of as anything less! There around!
are certain jobs where tracing may be the only
But, if your computer skills are weak, there is
often no better way than to use traditional and
older art techniques and tools.

How To Trace The Old Fashion Way

The easiest way to trace something is to use
either vellum paper or frosted acetate. Place the
article or artwork to be traced on a drawing board
or table and tape it in place. Lay a sheet of tracing
vellum or acetate over it and tape it securely in
place. If you are tracing from a shirt, tape the shirt
to a drawing board (1.14).

Trace around the image with a black marking
pen. If you are going to actually burn a screen
from this tracing, make sure the black ink is uni-
form and dark when you hold the final tracing up
to the light. If you are going to scan from the
image this is less critical.

COMPUTER GRAPHICS AND ARTWORK PREPARATION 17

1.12 What we call a
“sketch” the customer
calls art. Some sketch-
es are so rough that
the only way to make
them into a solid piece
of line art is to trace it
using markers or trac-
ing it in the computer.

1.12 1.13 1.13 It is almost just
as easy to send the
Again, if you are good at computer graphics screens. Companies like www.T-BizNetwork.com rough artwork to one
you can scan the image and simply trace over the offer this type of service. of the many “vector”
scan using the drawing tools in your favorite vec- art services that will
tor program. More on this later in the chapter. For a small fee of $10 to $15 per film it makes convert your rough
sense to not worry about making your own films image into a final
Artwork Touch-up in the beginning. piece of artwork for
only a few dollars and
Sometimes all it takes is to touch-up the art- do it within 24 hours!
work a little. It could have rough edges or just
need some lines straightened. In the old days, Computer Graphics
every art department had a drawing board and
drawing tools. This is rare today, but if you have Computers have certainly changed the face of
space a small drawing board is helpful when the art department. While some artists still per-
touching up artwork (1.15). Even items as simple form much of their work at drawing boards,
as typing correction fluid and a razor knife for artists in modern art departments hold a mouse in
cutting items apart are essential. one hand while looking at the computer screen!
This section will briefly discuss the advantages of
Using a Copy Machine For Screen computer graphics with a quick overview of hard-
Printing Film Positives
ware and software needs.
If you don't have a computer, another solution
is to create a positive of the image for screen 1.14 If you receive a
burning using your copier. You can either pur- T-shirt print as the
chase vellum paper, laser acetate material from an “art” it will be neces-
industry supplier or use standard overhead trans- sary to re-create the
parency material (much more on this later in the image by tracing it.
chapter). Since overhead transparency material is
clear, a good copy machine will render a dense 1.15 A simple draw-
black image that will expose a respectable screen. ing board and art
Most copiers can also enlarge and reduce artwork, setup is helpful when
and the cost for this kind of film is less than $1. If cleaning up images,
the image on the copy isn't dark enough you can tracing and just touch-
run two copies together and stack them on top of ing up customer art.
each other during screen exposure!

You will get a heavier and more uniform
deposit of toner (the darker the better so it blocks
more of the UV light during screen exposure) on
special vellum paper or laser acetate. If you don't
have a copier, there are local copy services in
most towns. In fact, their larger copiers can make
bigger enlargements than most business copiers.

Sending Out For Films
In the beginning you can actually have indus-

try suppliers provide film positives for you. In
fact many of these companies will do the color
separations and provide films ready to put on

18 CHAPTER 1

1.16 A typical com-
puter graphic setup
includes a Mac or
PC/Windows comput-
er, scanner, software
such as Adobe
Illustrator, Adobe
Photoshop and Corel
Draw, an inkjet print-
er for film output (if
you are a screen print-
er). Plenty of clip art
is also a must!

Windows/PC or Macintosh? sharp images for printing directly onto shirts or
This question has become less important as heat transfers or printing color separations for
screen printing in just a few minutes.
many software programs are now available for
both platforms. Many trained artists use Apple Hardware
Macintosh computers, while many business peo-
ple use Windows based PC’s because they have Things have really changed in computer costs
been exposed to them in the workplace. over the years. You can now get a very powerful
PC based computer for less than $500! In fact,
Frankly, both systems will create excellent contrary to popular belief, you can get a powerful
graphics and the choice is more an issue of per- laptop that can be used to run the latest graphic
sonal preference. Obviously, Windows based programs. This entire book was designed in a pro-
PC’s are a more "open system" and less expensive gram called Quark Express on a laptop computer.
than a Macintosh. Scott Fresener, co-author, does high-end color
separations on a laptop computer. Don’t let any-
Graphics Systems one tell you you can’t use a laptop! In fact, there
are now artists doing graphics on their iPad or
Computer systems are now very inexpensive. tablet device.
You can purchase a complete system including a
computer, a basic graphics software package, Over the years we have recommended getting
scanner and small inkjet printer designed for a fast computer. The truth is all computers today
screen printing for less than $1,500. In fact, if you are fast. But, the latest version of Photoshop
eliminate the inkjet printer you can do it for under (more later) require a LOT of ram to work effi-
$1,000! Yes, you could also use a laser printer ciently. Your system should have a fast micro-
(for film positive output for screen prinking) but processor with at least 4gb of RAM (temporary
for the small difference in dollars there is a huge memory) and 300 to 500 or more gigabytes of
difference in quality with an inkjet printer with a hard disk storage. Even a Mac computer can be
Postscript driver called a RIP. had for just a little more money.

Computer graphics make the job of creating Most computers come with a built-in
artwork painless and allow you to create more CD/DVD burner for file backup and all now have
designs in less time.If you are an owner/artist, you DVD drives which is great when viewing DVD
will find your art skills greatly enhanced with a training programs.
computer. And computer graphics systems are
very easy to use.You can be doing simple designs Scanner
the minute you get your system set up! There are
excellent video training tapes that teach the non- A scanner is somewhat like a copy machine.
artist how to use the programs in a step-by-step You can scan customer supplied artwork into
manner. your drawing or paint program, add text, or
manipulate the image and output a screen ready
Designs that once took hours to do now can be vellum in just a matter of minutes.
done in minutes!
Scanning and Image Adjustment
Computer graphics systems consist of a main
computer (called a CPU), a mouse, a scanner and Scanners are one of the most misunderstood
and “output device” like a laser printer (1.16) or and poorly used parts of the computer. Everyone
inkjet printer. Many artists feel more comfortable thinks that you just plug it in, put in the artwork
replacing the mouse with a graphics tablet and and do a scan. If the quality of the scan doesn't
stylus so they feel more at home and can easily look good you think it is the fault of the scanner
draw or trace images. With a computer graphics or the software when it is really operator error.
program you can easily type text on the screen,
arch or modify it, add color and then print out

COMPUTER GRAPHICS AND ARTWORK PREPARATION 19

Types of Scanners 1.17 When purchas-
Although you think you paid top dollar for ing a scanner, look for
one that is 36-bit or
your $300 scanner, the reality is that the profes- higher. Desktop scan-
sional separators use scanners that cost thousands ners sell for less than
of dollars. $200.

Oversize scanners that will scan 11” x 17” or 1.18 It is fairly easy
12” x 18” material can cost over $1,000 but there to scan oversize art-
are less expensive ones for under $300 (1.17). If work in stages on the
the customer brings you oversize artwork you can scanner bed. The
simply scan it in sections and piece it together image can then be
using your computer graphic software (1.18). taken to a program
like Adobe Photoshop®
There is also a new breed of very low cost and pieced together
scanners called contact image sensor (CIS) scan- seamlessly. This
ners. CIS scanners use a single row of sensors that image was pieced
pass very close to the artwork. These are the one's together from four
you see for under $75. separate scans using
the Photomerge fea-
Dynamic Range ture. (Artwork by Julie
Wider dynamic range is the key to great scans. Jorgensen.)

Dynamic range is also called pixel depth and is a color for the colors of RGB - red, green, blue.)
measurement of how much highlight and shadow Most scanners are now 32 bit or 36 bit. While 24-
detail a scanner can capture. Dynamic range is bit scanners will "see" millions of colors, 36-bit
measured from one to four with 4.0 being 100%. scanners "see" billions of colors. Yes, a difference
The dynamic range of a good drum scanner is of a few colors, but most software packages work
around 3.5 and a flatbed scanner 2.0 to 3.0. When with the image as 24-bit. Even though Photoshop
shopping for a scanner you will rarely see the supports up to 48-bit RGB images, the file sizes
dynamic range listed on inexpensive scanners. are astronomical and for the needs of a small
image T-shirt printer (these are not poster size
The lack of dynamic range is the most evident images), this is overkill.
in the shadow areas. A more expensive scanner
will see a number of gray levels in deep shadow Film Output Devices For
areas while a flat-bed CCD scanner will see less Screen Printing Positives
gray levels and the CIS scanner may see this vari-
ation in grays as 100% black. The problem with In the old days, a picture of the “black and
CIS scanners is the box doesn't always state what white” artwork was taken using a very large cam-
type of scanner it is and you may need to check era called a process camera. The film in the cam-
the company's website for more detailed informa- era was clear and the image area became black.
tion. This was the method used to create a film positive
for years and of course is now obsolete.
Scanner Resolution
There are a number of ways to refer to scan There are a number of ways to create film
positives that range from using overhead trans-
resolution. Some manufacturers call it dots-per- parencies made by a local copy shop, to inkjet
inch. This is confusing because we refer to our printers printing on clear film, to laser printers
laser printer's resolution in dots-per-inch (DPI). printing on frosted paper, to high-resolution
Other manufacturers refer to scan resolution in devices called Imagesetters. A printer or device
pixels-per-inch (PPI). This is almost correct. The for printing the image on film or paper is called
real way to refer to scan resolution is samples- an output device.
per-inch (SPI). Although correct, this is the least
popular name. I refer to scan resolution as DPI.

Scanner resolution is measured two ways -
true resolution (also called optical resolution) and
interpolated resolution. Most flatbed scanners
scan at 300 x 600 dpi true resolution. To get a
higher resolution they use interpolation software
to fill in missing information by sampling sur-
rounding pixels. Although interpolation is not as
good as actual resolution, it is a means to keep the
scanner price affordable, yet reproduce an accept-
able scan. If shopping for a scanner you should
purchase one that has the highest true resolution
as possible.

Color Bit Depth

This is another confusing area. For years the
standard was 24-bit images (8 bits of data per

20 CHAPTER 1

Do You Really Need a Film? Types of Output Devices
for Screen Printing
Even though we are talking about making a
film positive to expose screens, over the last few There are a number of types of output devices
years larger shops - tired of paying huge amounts and your budget will often dictate what you buy.
of money every year for films - have gone to the BUT, there are also lingering misconceptions or
newer “direct-to-screen” or “computer-to-screen” mis-information about what is best. Old methods
systems. These machines bypass the need for film are hard to kill and for many printers who only do
because they inkjet images directly on an emul- simple one and two color images - almost any
sion coated screen - ready for exposure. Before method works.
you get too excited about this - most of these
machines start at around $40,000! More on this It is when you move up to higher-end work
Chapter 2 - Preparing the Screen. that needs halftone dots to create shading and a
photorealistic effect that some output devices
Understanding PostScript don’t do a good job.
The problem with using standard laser print-
Laser Printer
ers, inkjet printers or other output devices for For many years, the laser printer was the main
graphics applications is that standard desktop
office devices are not capable of outputting output device for screen printers because you
halftone dots or do special separation techniques could go directly from the computer to output in a
called trapping and overprinting (covered later in matter of minutes. It literally replaced the camera
this chapter). in the art room.

The world-wide standard software for doing Laser printers are still being used but are
this is called PostScript from Adobe Systems. being rapidly replaced by inkjet output because of
PostScript is called a page description language the low price of inkjet printers and the fact that
that allows a graphics program to send data to a inkjets will print on clear film with perfect regis-
printer as a series of tiny pixels. PostScript tration on multi-color jobs. Plus, there are now
enables the printer to print halftone dots, trap col- low priced RIP’s that allow inkjets to do halftone
ors and do color matching for colored inkjet out- dots.
put.
Since 80% of your work will be simple to
PostScript RIP intermediate quality spot color work, you can
Typically, larger format (bigger than desktop print the image from a laser printer to special
frosted paper called vellum. Remember, if you
printers) imagesetters and laser printers have soft- want to do color separations and halftone dots, the
ware called a RIP (raster image processor) that laser printer must have PostScript. Most large for-
basically converts the file to a PostScript file mat graphics laser printers have PostScript.
before sending the data to the printer. A standard
office laser printer does not have PostScript. The main drawback to a laser printer is the
page output size and paper/vellum shrinkage.
Inkjet printers often come with PostScript but Most desktop lasers only print up to 8-1/2 x 14 in.
since inkjet printer manufacturers ONLY think of paper. This means that you may have to output
their device as being a color printer (why the heck the image in more than one piece and tape them
would you only need black and white from a together (1.19). This is called “tiling.” Over the
color printer.....and what the heck is a halftone last few years, oversize laser printers have
dot?), inkjets DO NOT include a RIP that will do become more affordable. Your office supply may
halftone dots. Just because a RIP claims to be carry standard tabloid size printers (11” x 17”) but
Postscript compatible does NOT mean it creates you are better off considering an oversize printer
halftone dots. Typical inkjet RIP’s only do color that will handle 13” x 18” (1.20) - if a laser print-
management so what you see on the monitor er is the way you want to create output.
should be what you get when you print a color
proof. Vellum Paper
For your basic bread-and-butter jobs this is the
1.19 If your image is
larger than the laser output material you will use if you have a laser
printer, tell your printer. The reason is very simple - it is cheap!
graphics program to Vellum runs around 30 cents per sheet.
print the image as
“tiles” that can be Remember, the customer doesn’t really like
taped together. paying $15.00 per film for a simple job when 30
cents will do!

Vellum paper is like a tracing paper and came
from the blueprint industry. Yes, you can out-
source it yourself, but it is important to know the
grain, the cotton content, the weight and other
things that help it hold toner better in your laser
printer without jamming. For this reason we
HIGHLY recommend purchasing it from industry
suppliers.

COMPUTER GRAPHICS AND ARTWORK PREPARATION 21

1.20 1.21 1.20 Large format
laser printers are used
The problem with vellum is that it is not very burn through the image areas and not block to print on inexpensive
stable. It will shrink as it goes through the hot fus- enough light for a clean exposure. vellum paper. But, the
ing rollers of your laser printer. This can mean Dry Film Thermal Imagesetters market has changed
that multi-color separations may not lineup as and inkjet printers
accurately when you are the printing press. In years past the term “imagesetter” meant a with a RIP are the
film based device using chemicals and traditional standard today.
If you experience this problem, try pre-shrink- film technology to output high quality film posi- (Photo courtesy Xante
ing the vellum paper by printing it out of the laser tives. Corp., Mobile, AL.)
as a blank page BEFORE you output the job on it.
You can also run it through your conveyor dryer As chemical/silver based film systems are 1.21 To make the
or put it under the flash heater for a few seconds. dying off - the term “imagesetter” now also refers toner darker, spray
to newer thermal printers that use heat to turn down the imaged vel-
The other problem with vellum (and laser images on clear film dark enough to burn screens. lum (or laser acetate)
acetate) is that they are both frosted and not total- These systems are called “dry film” because there with an artist’s fixa-
ly clear. This may mean a slightly longer expo- are no chemicals and they are often referred to as tive. Make sure it
sure time when making screens. In fact, this is the imagesetters. DOES NOT have any
reason that some purist screen makers resist using UV block in it!
vellum. If you are changing from clear film to If you are looking for a film with excellent
vellum, it may take a little experimentation to get registration (multi-color prints) and like the idea 1.22 Laser acetate is
the proper exposure times. of clear rather than frosted media, then a thermal frosted like vellum but
film system may be the answer. These units start is much more stable. It
Another problem with vellum is that the toner around $5,000 for small table-top printers and can can also be sprayed
deposit may not be dense enough - depending on go over $30,000 for large units that handle 36” with a fixative to dark-
the age and quality of your laser printer (or copi- wide output. en the image and on
er). If the toner isn’t dark enough the exposure critical jobs you can
light may actually go through the toner and the Even though dry film systems use heat to pre-shrink this material
screen will not be exposed properly. darken areas of the film, the film itself is much just like vellum.
heavier and more stable than laser acetate or vel-
To darken the toner, spray the vellum down lum - but the film is fairly expensive.
after it has been imaged with an artist’s fixative
sold at most art supply and hardware stores The extra expense of the film is offset by the
(1.21). This method is so popular that many time savings of screens that expose and washout
screen print suppliers carry their own toner dark- easily and images that setup quicker and in better
ening sprays. registration at the press.

Laser Acetate
Laser acetate is the next step up from vellum.

It looks frosted like vellum but is more stable and
not as prone to shrinking (1.22). Yes, it is more
money - about $1.00 per large sheet for an over-
size laser, but this is a small price to pay for better
color registration at the printing press.

Again, purchase this from industry suppliers
because they have done all the testing for you.

Overhead Transparency 1.23 Dry film thermal
Overhead transparency material is commonly printers are popular
because the registration
used for presentations with an overhead projector. is accurate and the densi-
While it is clear, it does not take the toner as well ty of the image on the film
as the rougher surface of vellum and laser acetate. is excellent. These units
Don’t be fooled by the image looking black on are often called “image-
this material. The true test is to look at the imaged setters.” (Photo courtesy
material up against a light or on a light table. You OYO Instruments,
will see that the toner deposit is very weak and Houston, TX.)
when exposing a screen, the exposure light will

22 CHAPTER 1

1.24 Oversize inkjet Inkjet Printers for Film Output format inkjet printer is the image size. Printers
printers such as the The standard output device is now an inexpen- like the Epson 3880, 4880 and 4900 print up to
Epson 1400 and 1430 17” x 22” while the Epson 7880 prints 24” wide
are the most popular sive inkjet printer with a software RIP for images from any length on a roll.
for film positives if halftones. The reason is simple. Inkjet printers
you use a special RIP that will print up to 13” x 19” images are now less The other major advantage is registration.
like T-RIP and the than $300. They print in perfect registration. With Laser printers have heated fuzing rollers. Inkjet
proper film and ink. A a software RIP to create halftone dots AND to printers don’t use heat. This means that films are
printed in perfect registration from film to film
complete system like improve the density of the ink deposit on inkjet because they don’t shrink.

this sells for less than clear film - you can have a complete high-end The other major advantage is in screen mak-
ing. Inkjet printers print on specially coated clear
$700! (Photo courtesy film output solution for less than $700. film and with the proper RIP, the density of the
T-Biz Network Remember - inkjet printers do NOT come ink deposit is the same as from an imagesetter.
International, Screens expose and washout easier and jobs line
Scottsdale, AZ) with Postscript or a RIP that will print halftone up easier at the press.
dots and most inkjet printers do not lay down
Even with a small “consumer” printer like the
enough ink to make a dark image on a film posi- Epson 1430 you can do excellent work with
halftone dots, dense images and clean edges.
tive.
Film for Inkjet Printers
And, a computer store clerk is the last person There are two basic types of film for inkjet

1.25 A number of you want to ask “will this printer print halftone printers. Waterproof and non-waterproof. These
films have special inkjet receptive coatings on
industry suppliers offer dots?” They do not understand our needs. Or if them. They are similar but better than overhead
both waterproof and you ask them “will this printer print on clear transparency material you can buy from office
non-waterproof inkjet transparency?” their answer will be YES. They be supply stores.
film. Inkjet ink is very
expensive when pur- right but the image on the film will be weak - we The most popular film is waterproof. It is
chased in small car- need a much darker black image which is a func- more expensive than non-waterproof but the
tridges. To save money tion of a RIP. inkjet ink dries immediately. Waterproof films are
not 100% clear. They have a slightly milky
purchase bulk black A popular RIP is called T-RIP from T-Biz appearance but they expose a great screen.

ink and a refillable Network International. It works with specific Images printed on waterproof film will not
always be dry when the film leaves the printer
bulk ink system or a models of the Epson printer. With T-RIP and an and if you are not careful the films can stick
together - especially in a humid climate.
closed bag system for Epson printer you can now get imagesetter quality
Expect to pay around $1.25 for a 13” x 18”
your printer. (Photo for 1/4 the price of a laser printer! (1.24). sheet of waterproof film. Film is sold in boxes of
courtesy Independent Download a 15-day Free Trial of T-RIP from 100 sheets by almost every industry supplier
Print Supplies, www.T-BizNetwork.com. (1.25).
Leitchfield, KY.)
One of the major advantages to using a large- Ink for Inkjet Printers
Over the years, inkjet printer manufacturers

like Epson have used pigment based ink for their
inkjet printers. Pigment ink has a much longer
print life which is important to photographers -
the main customer base for inkjet printers.

The problem with pigment ink is that it does
not adhere to inkjet film as well as dye based ink.
In recent years companies like Epson have start-
ed to offer dye based ink on new model printers
like the 1400 series.

If you have a pigment based printer you can
purchase third party dye ink from almost all
industry suppliers and you can use this with a
bulk ink system or buy third party cartridges -
without any worry of having head clogs or war-
ranty issues.

www.IndependentPrintSupplies.com Quality Differences

For the most part, the quality of all of the out-
put devices listed is acceptable for garment screen
printing.

COMPUTER GRAPHICS AND ARTWORK PREPARATION 23

1.26 Each of the four
output devices have
halftone dot and edge
quality that is very
acceptable for T-Shirt
screen printing.

Chemical Imagesetter Thermal Dry Film Laser Printer Inkjet With RIP

Laser printer halftone dots can be a little soft 1.27 The photo on the
around the edges and not as dense in the middle, left shows halftone dots
but with proper exposure they work fine for gen- exposed on a very high
eral and non-critical work. mesh count. The figure
on the right shows the
Dry film systems may not be as high a resolu- same dot size on a low
tion as a laser printer but again, the halftone dot mesh count.
quality is good for garments. The cost of the units
can be prohibitive. 1.28 The most popular
programs are Corel
Inkjet output is really the best for the money Draw®, Adobe
because of clean halftone dots, clear film, dense Illustrator® and Adobe
black images, perfect registration and low cost of Photoshop®. They are
the system. available from most
computer stores and
Figure 1.26 shows a magnified view of output via mail order from
from various devices. Notice that halftone dots sources in Appendix A.
tend to chain together. Also, notice that the dots
are more ragged on lower priced units. The ques- Watch a video
tion is always one of “does it matter.” about T-RIP.

Figure 1.27 shows a magnified view of 1.29 You can never get
halftone dots on screen mesh. You decide. enough clip art and you
either love it or hate it.
Computer Graphics Customers love it
Software because it is inexpen-
sive. Some of the art is
The software programs you need depend on very basic, but this
the type of work you plan to print. If all you want makes it easy to use.
to do is simple corporate logos and one or two Clip art is an excellent
color images, then a vector based program is it. If sales tool. Show the
you plan to do high-end, photorealistic work on customer the binder
light and dark shirts, then you will need a pixel and let them see all of
based program. Most shops have both. the images to choose
from. (Photos courtesy
Vector Based Programs Digital Art Solutions -
Vector programs are normally used for a wide Smart Designs, Tempe,
AZ., and Action
variety of work - from spot color separations for Illustrated, Scottsdale,
screen printing, to working with customer artwork AZ.
for inkjet transfer and directly printing on gar-
ments.

Vector programs know the math coordinates
or "vectors" between point A and point B. Vector
based programs love to work with typefaces, hard
edge graphics, and clip art. Without getting into a
Mac vs PC debate, the most popular vector pro-
gram on the Windows/PC platform is CorelDraw
(1.28). On the Mac platform it is Adobe
Illustrator.

These programs generally come with hun-
dreds of different typefaces and in the case of
CorelDraw, thousands of clip art images (stock
art). Programs like this range from $300 to $700.

24 CHAPTER 1

1.30 You can also get Which is the Best Program?
Template plugins for
Corel Draw that have There is no correct answer. Most computer
predone artwork or graphic departments have both vector based pro-
stock border frames grams for their text, cartoons, logos and hard edge
that you simply change graphics and pixel based programs for their pho-
the lettering, drop in a torealistic images. Don't forget, you can create
different photo or mas- part of the image in one program and take it into
cot and have instant another to add additional elements.
design. (Photos cour-
tesy Action Illustrated, Computer Clip Art and
Mesa AZ.) Predone Templates

1.31 Don’t be too The real value to the computer is clip art.
impressed by the large Most programs have literally thousands of built-in
number of “cuts” in the stock clip art designs. In fact, many of the designs
consumer clipart col- are in full color! Clip art can be called up and
lections that contain modified, colored and merged with text to create
dozens of DVDs of art- quick designs.
work. For the price,
you can always find Clip art is normally sold royalty free with a
something to use and do-what-you-want-with-it agreement. Some of
these DVDs pay for these agreements forbid you to use a person’s
themselves with just one likeness unless you have permission and others
or two jobs! actually exclude using the images on T-Shirts!

Adobe is one of the lead players in this area and The easiest clip art to use is industry specific -
they offer ALL of their programs for a monthly meaning it is designed for use on garments. There
subscription fee of only $49.9 USD at are a number of companies offering this type of
www.CreativeCloud.com. This price is VERY artwork on CD. Images include everything from
attractive and allows you to get all of the great school mascots and sports images, to corporate
Adobe products without spending thousands of logos and general business themes (1.29).
dollars.
The corporate logo collections do not neces-
Pixel/Raster Programs sarily give you a license to use the image. This
Raster or pixel based programs treat images as you must obtain on your own.

small pixels of color. These programs work with Some collections offer templates that are pre-
photorealistic images and can be used to lighten, done designs where all you have to do is change
sharpen and enhance photos. The most popular the wording, use a different mascot, or include
pixel based program on both platforms is Adobe additional clip art and it is an instant design (1.30).
Photoshop®. It is not only an extremely powerful
program, but also one that has been embraced by You can also get hundreds of thousands of clip
the industry as the defacto standard. For screen art images online. Some of the artwork is free and
printers there are also a number of automated others by monthly subscription. Favorite sites
color separation programs designed specifically include: www.clipart.com, www.shutterstock.com,
for Photoshop like the popular T-Seps at www.actionartclub.com, and T-Biz ART from
www.T-Seps.com. Download a 20-day Free Trial. www.T-BizNetwork.com.

1.32 You can create Off-The-Shelf Clip Art
some pretty amazing
jobs and impress your- You can go in to any computer store and buy
self AND your customer collections of 250,000 cuts (or more) for less than
using stock photo- $100 (1.31). It would seem that this is the best
graphic images. (Photo buy. Although there is certainly some art you can
courtesy T-Biz Network use, much of the art is not designed for T-Shirt
International, printing. In fact, it is easier to work with artwork
Scottsdale, AZ.) that is black-and-white so you can add the colors
you want. Much of the art in these huge collec-
tions needs to be colored for it to work as spot
color images on shirts.

Most of the artwork in these collections is
vector based so if you enlarge the image you
don’t lose resolution. Any photographic images,
though, are very low resolution and not accept-
able for enlarging to garment image size.

These are still good investments because they
are so inexpensive.

COMPUTER GRAPHICS AND ARTWORK PREPARATION 25

Photorealistic Images

If you want to do photorealistic images on
shirts, there are also excellent collections of royal-
ty free photographic designs available on CD or
for individual download at prices as low as 99
cents per image (1.32).

Most sites also have components such as
backgrounds where you can mix and match. Use a
background from one image and place a car or
animal in front of it - instant design!

Color Separation Methods 1.33 Spot color images
For Screen Printing can be solid colors or
have gradations and
One of the most often asked questions is to halftone dots. They gen-
explain the difference between the various print- erally have a hard edge
ing and separation methods and the type of soft- “coloring book” look to
ware used for each. Questions like, "is Corel them and are easy to do
Draw better than Adobe Photoshop?" and "when in vector based pro-
should I use Simulated Process Color over Index grams like CorelDraw.
Color separations?" are the norm.
1.34 & 1.35 Process
Before we get into doing one-color and multi- color images are made
color separations we would like to give you a up of the three “sub-
quick overview of the types of jobs you will be tractive primary col-
doing and cover some important terms that you ors” of cyan (blue),
will hear over and over. magenta and yellow.
Black is also printed on
Spot Color - Screen Print most process jobs. This
type of printing is com-
This is the bread and butter of the industry. monly called CMYK.
Spot color images generally have specific solid
colors that can also be made of halftones. As 1.36 Most CMYK
mentioned before, spot color separations/prints process color separa-
are generally used for logos, school designs, clip tions are done in Adobe
art, hard edge graphics, cartoons or other images Photoshop® because it
that have a black or dark outline. allows you to use indus-
try standard ink values
A spot color image can be as simple as one- and you can easily
color and as complex as ten colors, and can adjust for dot gain and
include lots of shading, gradations and detail. other screen printing
They still generally have a flat, cartoon like look specific requirements.
and are not photorealistic (1.33).

Process Color - Screen Print

Process Color images are made up of the col-
ors of cyan, magenta, yellow and black (1.34).
Process color prints are generally referred to as
CMYK (the "K" is for the "key" color of black).
All of the color photos in this book are made of
these four colors. If you took a magnifier to these
images you would see that they are made up of
small halftone dots that when printed create a full-
color photograph appearance (1.35).

If process color will print all these colors then
why not use it for all your designs? If a T-shirt
image were not photorealistic why would you
want to print four colors when for a simple "spot
color" image would do? Also, for most of your
spot color images you need a more vibrant, solid
image rather than a soft halftone dot print.

The most popular program for Process Color
separations is, again, Adobe Photoshop® (1.36).
Although you could use other pixel based pro-
grams, Photoshop® is the only one that allows you
to use industry specific ink values for your

26 CHAPTER 1 favorite plastisol manufacturers special process
ink colors. This is a must for good separations!
1.37 Simulated process These ink values are free and downloadable from
color prints look photo- most ink companies web sites.
realistic and work on
light and dark shirts. Process color prints on T-shirts generally only
work well on light-colored shirts. The inks used
1.38 Simulated process are very transparent and do not work on black,
color separations are and when printed on an underbase of white ink
generally created in will become very pastel.
Adobe Photoshop®
using what is called The problem with printing process is that if
channels. Each print you are not a good printer or don't know how to
color is actually do the separations, the images will be muddy
halftoned spot color when printed. Although process color separations
images. are generally done by pixel based programs like
Adobe Photoshop, these programs were designed
1.39 Simulated process for paper/offset printing and the program settings
color image showing don't allow for the fact that halftone dots grow in
the white underbase. size when printed on a soft object like a T-shirt
This image is only six (dot gain). Process color separations are generally
colors and was printed NOT done with vector based programs like Corel
on a manual press. Draw.
(Artwork by Russ Cera
from T-Biz ART.) For this reason, process color is not for every-
one. It generally needs better control like properly
tensioned, high mesh-count screens and the abili-
ty to hold fine halftone dots and print them in reg-
ister with minimal dot gain. The secret to good
process prints is in proper separations and good
printing. Yes, you can do it, but plan to experi-
ment a little. If you are just starting out, learn to
do good spot color first and then give process
color a shot.

If you don't know how to do the separations
you should consider using an industry specific
color separation program like T-Seps or follow
directions from how-to-do-it articles from
www.T-BizNetwork.com/Articles page.

Simulated Process Color
- Screen Print

This is also known as "fake" process color.
Simulated Process color images have a photoreal-
istic look but are not printed with the process col-
ors of CMYK (1.37). They look like process, feel
like process but aren't process. The color separa-
tions for simulated process color are made up of
halftone images of spot colors like red, yellow,
blue, etc. They are often called "tonal" or "chan-
nel" separations. Simulated process separations
can be printed on light and dark shirts and are
generally done in Adobe Photoshop (1.38).

Because the inks for simulated process color
are generally all-purpose, semi-transparent plasti-
sol they give you a bright print even when printed
on an underbase of white ink. In fact, most good
simulated process prints have an underbase white
and a highlight white that goes on top of the col-
ors to boost the lighter areas (1.39).

When done correctly, simulated process prints
can be very photorealistic with smooth gradations
and bright colors. There are articles on the web on
how to do these separations. Because of the steep
learning curve in doing Simulated Process color
separations, most shops use automated separation
programs like T-Seps. You can download a 20-
day Free Trial of T-Seps from www.T-Seps.com.

COMPUTER GRAPHICS AND ARTWORK PREPARATION 27

Index Color - Screen Print 1.40 Index color sepa-
This is probably the most confusing of the rations are made up of
tiny square dots called
separation methods. For simulated process, real diffusion dither or sto-
CMYK process and spot colors with gradations, chastic.
any shading is done with different size halftone
dots that have a definite pattern and angle to 1.41 Index color sepa-
them. Index separations are done in Adobe rations are created in
Photoshop® and use random square dots that are Adobe Photoshop® by
all the same size. creating a color table of
the most important col-
These random dot patterns are also often ors in the image.
called diffusion dither or stochastic (1.40). Photoshop then con-
verts the entire image
Index color separations are done in Adobe using those colors.
Photoshop® by creating a color table of the most
prominent colors in your image (and the most col- 1.42 A moiré pattern
ors you are capable of printing) and then letting is an interference of
Photoshop® convert the image to just those colors two dot patterns. If
using random square dots (1.41). Photoshop® will you use the correct
make (or try to make) the image look as close to angles and screen
the original as possible with just the limited num- mesh selection you
ber of colors you selected. can almost eliminate
moiré patterns.
A Word About Moiré - Screen Print
1.43 This stunning
With traditional halftone dots there is the pos- index separation is
sibility of getting undesirable patterns called actually eight colors
moirés (pronounced “more-ey”) when the AND it has a simulated
halftones are exposed on screen mesh and printed process color (halftone)
on shirts. These moiré patterns happen because underbase and highlight
the angles of halftones are not correct and they and index color separa-
create an "interference of two patterns" and give tions (random dot) for
you little checkerboard wave effects (1.42). the colors.

In theory, index separations should not give 1.44 This image is only
you a moiré pattern because the dots are all the the four colors of bright
same size and they are random. This is one of the green, pink, black and
biggest industry lies ever told. Yes, you will not yellow. Indexing does
get a moiré pattern within the separations but if an excellent job of cre-
you use the wrong screen mesh (200 dpi index ating the browns, reds
separation on a 200 mesh) you will get the worse and shades of pink.
moiré you have ever seen. (Artwork copyright
Spider from T-Biz
Index prints can be very bright on light and ART.)
dark shirts and the separations are easy to do. The
downside to index prints is that for the image to
be photorealistic on a dark shirt you need at least
six colors (including an underbase and highlight)
and in some cases eight to ten colors. Index prints
can sometimes have a grainy and textured look to
them. When printed with a lot of colors index
prints can also be very striking (1.43)

Index separations work great for spot-color
images too (1.44). They are also easy to print
because you are placing a dot next to a dot rather
than printing halftone dots on top of halftone dots.
Just don't use indexing because someone told you
that halftones are hard. Most of the award win-
ning prints you see are still real process color and
simulated process color.

There are excellent articles on doing index
separations at www.T-BizNetwork.com/Articles
or you can use automated separations programs
like T-Seps.

If you are new to high-end color separations
and need to hit the ground running - or if you
have a need for quality separations, contact T-
BizNetwork.com for separations as low as $50.

28 CHAPTER 1

Watch a short What Method to use for Third Party Programs
video on Screen Printing
CorelDraw Front End Programs for
Separation Types. First, please don’t let the previous section con- Image Creation
fuse you. If you are new to the business all the
Running Time 3:16 terms can seem very foreign. Also, the previous There are a number of packages called front-
section was not designed to teach you how to do end programs for Corel Draw. Regardless of
the various techniques but more to open your eyes whether you are going to simply create images, or
to how things are done. As we mentioned before, do color separations for screen printing, these pro-
learn how to do basic spot color first and then grams automate many of the tasks in Corel and
move up to higher-end printing and separating. add extra features not found in it. Items such as
tails on team names, class shirts, automatic under-
OK, will all that said, when do you use what bases for dark shirts and more are available. If
method? you need to increase your productivity with Corel
check out one of the demo versions of these pro-
Spot Color grams to see if you like what it does (1.45).
Obviously spot color is used where you want a
Adobe Photoshop® Plugins for Screen
bright print or where you need to match colors. It Printing
is generally used when the image is simple or
needs a cartoon look to it. Over the last few years the customer has
demanded higher quality images on shirts. In the
Watch a video on CMYK Process Color early 90’s only a handful of screen printers did
the Basics of This is great for photorealistic images on their own process color or simulated process color
separations in-house. In fact, there were very few
Computer Graphics. white or light shirts. Do not use it on dark shirts. companies who could even print photorealistic
It requires good separations, screen making and images on black shirts and indexing was some-
Running Time 12:50 printing technique. The best process prints have thing most people hadn’t heard of.
additional spot colors. The prints may be a little
duller than a simulated or index print. As the customers became more sophisticated,
they also demanded more and wanted to pay less
Watch a video on Simulated Process Color for artwork and color separations. The larger
Corel Draw. This is great for dark shirts that need a photo- printers were sending to outside color separators
(and many still do) for high-end separations and
Part One realistic image. It works well on light shirts too. paying from $300 to $800 (and even more).
Running Time 5:48 Simulated process color requires good separa-
tions, screen making and printing technique. It The problem with all of this was that if you
can print very smooth gradations and hold excel- need to change or fix a separation, it could be
lent detail. This is the most popular method used days before the new seps came back and the cus-
by award winning printers and the prints are tomer was waiting and in many cases, the presses
bright because all purpose inks are used over an were waiting.
underbase.
All of this changed in the mid 90’s with the
Watch a video on Index Color introduction of video training tapes and courses
Corel Draw. These work well on light and dark shirts. on high-end printing by the authors of this book.
The magic was replaced by step-by-step proce-
Part Two Index separations typically require more colors dures. Unfortunately it still took solid printing
Running Time 6:37 than simulated or process color (especially if experience, a good knowledge of Photoshop® and
going on black shirts). They are very easy to print many hours of making channels, tweaking, mak-
Watch a video on because all the dots are the same size and you are ing channels, tweaking, going to press, coming
Corel Draw. printing square dots next to square dots rather back for adjustments, etc. It could be done, but
than halftone dots on top of halftone dots. there was still a steep learning curve.
Part Three Separations are easy to do in Adobe Photoshop®
Running Time 3:25 and screen making and printing can be forgiving. At the same time, automated color separation
Index prints are very production friendly and easy programs were introduced that finally made this
to print but the images can have a slightly grainy high-end procedure easy to do. Programs like
(stippled) look. This process works well for spot FastFilms™ which later became known as T-Seps
color also. allow the printer to do very high-end simulated
process color, real cmyk process color, index
Remember, don't get too caught up in using color and even spot color separations with just the
these terms with your customers. They don't know push of a button (1.46).
and really don't care if you index it or make it
simulated process color. All they want is their This allows the average and even new printer
image to look good on a shirt. to be able to print stunning images that were
never before possible in a small shop.

Programs like T-Seps even tell the correct
mesh count, what ink color to use, the print order
and halftone frequency and angle.

COMPUTER GRAPHICS AND ARTWORK PREPARATION 29

1.45 & 1.46
Automated programs
for Corel and
Photoshop® have
meant that simple and
high-end designs and
color separations are
within the reach of the
average printer with
little art talent. (Smart
Designer courtesy
Digital Art Solutions,
Tempe, AZ., T-Seps
courtesy T-Biz
Network International,
Scottsdale, AZ.)

1.45 1.46

Creating Simple Designs 1.47 A typical job in
the life of a screener.
This is it! You have the big picture of how From a rough idea out
things are done. You know most of the terms and of a catalog, to the
hopefully have a grasp on the type of computer finished image on a
programs needed. You just need to put your shirt.
thoughts into action.
Type Manipulation in
First, let’s take a typical scenario. Remember Corel Draw
the sketch on the napkin we talked about earlier?
Not every job is just point-and-click. Some All vector based drawing programs work basi-
require actual work.
cally the same. This section will show pictures
Figure 1.47 shows the end result and the
beginning of a simple design of a cowboy boot. from CorelDraw but most of the information will
You can see that the original was actually from a
western-wear catalog. also apply to Adobe Illustrator.

From there the image was enlarged on a copi- The strength of a drawing program is in it’s
er to provide a template to work from. A piece of
tracing paper (or vellum) was placed over the type manipulation. CorelDraw comes with over
template and a marking pen was used to convert
the photograph into a line drawing. 1,000 typefaces. You don’t need to install them

This was then scanned into the computer, text all but it is nice to be able to have the typeface
added, the image was filled with color and separa-
tions were output. when the customer brings you a low quality busi-

How much time did it take? About one hour ness card and you can match the type without
from start to finish. How much was the customer
charged? If the job was for 1,000 shirts, nothing. having to scan the card. You will often find your-
If the job was for six shirts, $25 to $50. How
much did the customer for six shirts want to pay self rebuilding designs from the reference materi- Watch a 10 minute
for the artwork and separations - nothing.
al they give you.
If you are proficient with your vector graphics To bring up text on the screen in Corel, simply Demo of T-Seps.
program and using a mouse or graphics tablet you
could have either scanned and vectorized the click on the A Type Tool. Move the cursor to the
image or placed the rough image on your graphics
tablet and “traced” it right to your computer middle of the page, click, and start typing. To
screen.
make the text bigger or smaller click and hold
If you didn’t want to mess with any of this
you could have sent off the rough sketch to one of down the mouse button while the pointer is on
the on-line vector conversion services and for
about $20 you would have gotten back a vector one of the corner nodes (1.48).
computer file - ready to output!
To arch the text, first make sure you have

clicked on the object. Next, click on the interac-

tive Envelope button on the Toolbar. Now simply

click on the nodes and move the mouse. To move

the top and bottom together, hold down the Watch a 2 minute
Control key on the keyboard while you do this rapid fire Tour of

(1.49). T-Seps.

30 CHAPTER 1

1.48 Programs like you must remember to always use a Spot Color
CorelDraw offer over palette. In Corel, this is called the Pantone®
a thousand typefaces Matching System palette (1.50).
and thousands of clip
art cuts. The strength The reason for this is that these programs
of these programs is weren’t designed for screen printing. Most other
text manipulation. printing methods simply use CMYK and as you
learned earlier, most of our jobs will NOT be
1.49 It is easy to arch CMYK but will be spot color. If you use a stan-
and distort text and dard (Corel calls it the Uniform) color palette,
objects in drawing your image will only print out as CMYK.
programs.
If you are NOT going to create images that
1.50 Make sure you need to be color separated, DON’T worry
are always working in about what color palette you use.
Spot Color mode or
use the Pantone® If you change to the Pantone® palette and fill a
Matching System color design with red, when you go to output the image,
palette. you will have one film for the red. If you work in
the CMYK palette and fill an image with red,
1.51 All objects in a when you go to output the image, you will get a
vector based drawing film for Magenta and one for Yellow (magenta
program are made up and yellow make red in CMYK printing). See the
of an outline that is problem?
closed (closed shape)
and a fill. To fill an object, simply click on the color on
the Color Palette, hold down the mouse button,
1.52 When you and drag the color to the object and release the
increase an outline mouse (this is called drag-and-drop). You can
thickness, the outline change the outline color the same way (1.51).
gets larger from the
center and generally is Outline/Stroke Thickness
placed “in front” of
the fill color. To change the outline thickness go to the
Outline Tool on the Toolbar and click. You can
Use Proper Color Palette use the default outline thickness settings or you
Objects in a vector based program consist of a can choose your own.

shape that has an outline and a fill. The outline When you increase the outline thickness (out-
must be a closed shape in order to fill it. lines are called a stroke by some programs), the
outline gets thicker from the center. This means
The colors you choose for the outline and fill that if you give an object a 24 point outline or
of objects come from a Color Palette. When stroke, the outline will expand from the center
working with spot color in any drawing program, and 12 points will go beyond the object and 12
points will go into the object (1.52).

Figure 1.53 gives you a reference of point
sizes. There are 72 points to each inch.

All computer programs have what are called
default settings. These are settings that the soft-
ware engineers think are how you want the pro-
gram to work. They are not always logical. In
Corel Draw, the default setting for outlines is that
they are on top of the fill. You can see in figure
1.52 that the image doesn’t look very good
because the outline is covering too much of the
fill. By going back to the Outline tool on the tool-
bar and clicking on the first Pen tool, one of the
selections is Behind Fill (1.54). Click on this and
now the image will look correct.

You have just made a simple two-color image.
If you are screen printing this image, every color
you want to print on a shirt will need a color sepa-
ration. To help line up the image at the printing
press it is common to put registration targets in
the corner of each film (1.55).

If you want to add more objects to the design,
go back to the A tool and bring up more text.
Move it around and make it the correct size. You
may not have art talent but you can probably
design the image.

COMPUTER GRAPHICS AND ARTWORK PREPARATION 31

You can even use stock shapes like circles and Point Thickness 1.53 In graphic arts
rectangles. Fill them with different colors (1.56). measurements, there
Remember, don’t use more colors than you can (72 points per inch) are 72 points to an
print! inch.
1
Trapping and creating an underbase in Corel 2 1.54 If you want a
can be hard. A program like T-RIP is actually 3 heavy outline with a
much more than a RIP and can do many of these 4 normal looking fill,
functions with the push of a button. And, in Corel 5 place the outline
when you mix clipart and text you often end up 6 “behind” the fill.
with two blacks and more colors than you want to 10
print. T-RIP does automatic trapping, underbase
creation, color reduction and more. 20

Using Tints

Our design looks OK, but it is a little flat.
Gradations and tints of color can help things look
better - whether we are screen printing or just cre-
ating an image. Our image has four spot colors
(black red, blue and yellow). You can change
these colors into a tint (percentage) of a color by
simply clicking on the object to change and going
to the Paint Bucket icon on the toolbar. Select
Tint and choose a percentage (1.57). The lower
the number the less coverage. When output, the
tint will print as tiny halftone dots.

If we are creating color separations for screen
printing - by using a tint on one of the blue
objects, we now have two shades of blue but will
only need one screen. Part of the blue will print
solid and part will be printed as dots.

Dot Gain - Screen Print 1.55 In multi-color
printing you need an
Keep in mind that when you print a halftone individual color sepa-
dot on a soft garment, the dot will get larger. This ration for each color
is called dot gain. You can generally expect dots you are going to print.
to gain 30% to 40% if you are a fairly good print-
er (tight screens, sturdy press, sharp squeegee, 1.56 Even a non-artist
etc.). If you have loose screens and are on very can jazz up images
low mesh counts, your dots could grow 50% to with shapes and back-
100%. This means that when using tints in a grounds.
design, always think light. If a 30% tint looks
good on the monitor, use a 15% instead because 1.57 Change a solid
when you print the 15% tint it will look like a color into a tint to give
30% on the shirt! your designs shades of
spot colors.
Figure 1.58 on the next page shows samples
of various frequencies (LPI), tints (%), dot shapes
and angles.

Using Clip Art

When creating an image that is not going to be
color separated for screen printing you can do
pretty much what you want. For screen printing
color separations the problem with using clipart is
that some images work and some don’t.

Generally, all the images that come with
CorelDraw and the ones in the 250,000+ collec-
tions, will only separate in CMYK mode. Industry
specific clip art is much easier to use. In fact, in
Corel, simply open the Scrapbook Docker (called
Corel Connect in newer versions) and drag the
piece you want onto the page (1.59).

32 CHAPTER 1

1.58 Halftone Frequency (LPI), Tint (%) and Angle Outputting Images
-Screen Print
All halftones shown are elliptical dots at a 25 degree angle.
This is it! You have created a simple design. If
10% 30% 50% 70% 90% you are making a heat transfer or are going to
print to an inkjet-to-garment machine, it is almost
35 LPI as simple as pressing the Print button. If you are
going to output individual color separations for
45 LPI screen printing remember, your printer must have
PostScript that can create halftone dots in order to
55 LPI output halftones and automatic color separations.

Using Gradations Halftone Frequency - Screen Print

Gradations give designs more of a three- We have been talking a lot about halftones.
dimensional look. In Corel, this is called the inter- The frequency or number of halftone-dots-per-
active fill tool and you simply click on it and drag inch (also known as lines-per-inch), determines
it across the object you want to fill with a gradi- how large the dot is. When putting images on
ent. You can change the beginning and ending lower mesh counts, a larger dot will be easier to
colors and even add colors in-between like the expose. As a general rule, when doing cartoon
text in image 1.59. type designs (like figure 1.59), use a halftone fre-
quency of 35 lpi. If your image has more detail
1.59 Clip art is easy to and a lot of gradations, use 45 lpi. If it is photore-
use. It can be filled alistic with lots of detail use 55 lpi.
with solid color, tints
of color, or gradient Dot Shape and Angle - Screen Print
fills.
The dot shape should be set for elliptical and
1.60 If using halftones, for your average designs use an angle of 25
tints or gradations in degrees on all colors to minimize moire patterns.
an image you must be
able to change the In the old days we recommended using differ-
angles, frequency and ent angles for CMYK prints but the truth is you
dot shape. can also use 25 degrees for CMYK, too!

1.61 Many programs In Corel, if the Advanced button in the Print
let you preview the Menu is gray, you don’t have PostScript and can’t
actual separations change the default settings for the frequency and
before you print them angle (1.60). These defaults are for lithography
out. paper printing and are much too high for screen
printing.

To output the color separations, check Print
Separations, change the Frequency, Angles and
Dot Shape, preview the image to see that it will
print on the page correctly and press the Print
button (1.61).

Remember, to print halftone dots you need a
RIP so you will select your RIP as the printer.
The image will be sent from Corel to the RIP and
the RIP will print to the printer.

Newer versions of Corel Draw have a pro-
gram called GhostScript that will allow you to
print halftones to your printer!

Advanced Screen Print
Techniques

Color Trapping

When you printed out the color separations in
the previous example, they were called butt regis-
ter. This means that each color butts or touches
the other colors. The problem is that if you are
using a laser printer with vellum or acetate it
might shrink slightly when going through the
heated fusing rollers, your frames might change
shape due to temperature or humidity extremes, or
your printing press just might be sloppy.

COMPUTER GRAPHICS AND ARTWORK PREPARATION 33

If the image prints out-of-register you will see is that you will generally be placing your line art 1.62 Images that are
scans into a tracing program such as Adobe trapped are easier to
the shirt showing through or “peeking” out Streamline or Corel Trace. If you scan at a low setup and screen print.
resolution the trace program has less dots to trace
around colors and image edges.To minimize this around. Unfortunately this makes the file size 1.63 This image not
quite large. Doubling the resolution of the scan only has white as an
problem, colors can be spread slightly so that they increases the file size by a factor of 4. outline but it has white
under the red. You
trap under the black outline color. Trapping is Quality and Size of Original Line Art can’t see the white
under the red because
commonly done on cartoon jobs or images where Although image manipulation programs let the white has been
you make images better, if you start with small choked slightly.
there is a dark outline commonly called a keyline. artwork that is of poor quality, there isn't much
the scanning software can do. We all want the 1.64 A choke makes an
Don’t trap too much. The more you trap, the computer to do everything and forget that tradi- image skinnier (not
more the print may get muddy as you do more tional methods of clean-up are often quicker than smaller). The image on
and more shirts. A normal trap is 2 to 3 points. spending hours on the computer. the left is an exagger-
Figure 1.62 shows that the colored fill is slightly ated choke of the
larger than the center of the letter. Each program Altering the image size of a scan (after the image on the right.
traps differently. They generally add an outline or scan) also changes the resolution. If you scan an
stroke to just the color areas of an image. You can image at 300 ppi and then enlarge the image 1.63 There is no hope
trap less if using perfect registration output 200% the resolution drops to 150 ppi. for some customer art.
devices like inkjet printers with a software RIP. Pieces like this can
And, programs like T-RIP do automatic trapping take hours to touch up
for you! edges before they are
taken to the scanner.
Underbase for Darks Good artists can scan
bad images and re-
For simple screen print designs that are going create them on the
on dark shirts you will need a solid white under- computer using the
base (1.63). More complex, photorealistic images scan as a template.
need a halftoned underbase that is beyond the There are now many
scope of this chapter. online services who
will vectorize images
The problem with printing solid white directly from your poor quality
under other colors is that if the top color is even artwork. Do a web
slightly off-register, you will see the white peek search of “vectorize
out around the edge. For this reason an underbase artwork.”
is made slightly skinnier. This is called a choke -
and is just the opposite of a trap (1.64).

To choke simple images, duplicate the image,
fill everything with solid black (it will be printed
with white ink), and give it a 2 or 3 point WHITE
outline. On the monitor the image will appear
skinnier because of the white outline.

Using Customer Art

As we mentioned earlier, now that everyone
has a computer on their desk, they think they are
artists. Customers either bring you computer files
that don’t work, the sketch on a napkin, or art-
work that is too small to use (1.63). In the later
case, you will have to trace it or re-create it in the
computer. If you trace it, you will then need to
scan the image.

Scanning Black and White Line Art
Scanners have replaced process cameras in the

art room. Scanners convert the black and white or
colored image into a series of small dots or pixels.
Scanner resolution is measured in pixels-per-inch

Keep in mind that programs like CorelDraw
work in vectors. If your image is a line drawing,
you will have to scan the image and then take the
scan to a program that converts the little pixels to
vectors (closed shapes that you can fill).

Scanning is where most people make a mis-
take. Even though a scanner can scan at a high
resolution, many scanners default to a very low
resolution of 72dpi. This is far too low for a line
art scan. You should scan line art at from 600 to
1000 dpi. The reason to scan at a high resolution

34 CHAPTER 1

1.64 Tracing programs Customer Approval
like Corel Trace convert
pixel based images to It is a common practice to show the customer
vectors that can be used a “proof” of what the image will look like and in
in vector programs. The many cases to print a sample shirt for larger
image on the left is the orders (1.65). Customers have a way of telling
original scan. The you they want one thing and then saying it isn't
image on the right is a exactly what they had in mind when they see the
traced version that is final product! If the job is critical or the order
ready to be placed in a large enough you should print an actual sample
drawing program. shirt for the customer to approve.

Third party programs Artists
are often better and can
convert scanned fonts to When you first set up shop, try to create as
a real font. Imagaro Z much of the artwork as possible yourself. With a
claims to be able to rec- computer graphics system, you should be able to
ognize over 40,000 dif- create respectable designs with lettering and clip-
ferent fonts. Top graph- art. Of course, the time will come when a cus-
ic from Corel Trace. tomer will ask for an original design. If you have
ImagaroZ from no real drawing talent, this could be a problem.
ImagaroAB, Skovde,
Sweden and available Believe it or not, there are a lot of artists avail-
through a global dealer able. Artists often have a hard time finding good
network. jobs where they can use their talent, so many of
them work other jobs and do art on the side.
1.65 Create a proof Tracing Programs
sheet in your favorite Try your local college or better yet, in today’s
vector program so that Tracing programs have saved the day for internet age, go online to industry forums. You
you can easily drop a artists. You can do a simple scan, take the image will find a lot of experienced screen print artists.
sample of the image on into programs like Corel Trace or Illustrator Trace
the appropriate shirt and tell them to convert the image from pixels to There are some pitfalls in dealing with artists
color with all the job vectors with the push of a button. There are also that you should be aware of. Many artists come
details. Have the cus- excellent third party programs like ImagaroZ out of school and think they know it all. Sure,
tomer sign this. (www.imagaro.com) that also convert a traced maybe they can do a nice watercolor, but when
font to a real vector font. (1.64). you ask them to create screen print separations
they draw a blank. What we are trying to say is
that schools do not always teach people what they
need to know in the real world of commercial
work! Don't assume that just because an artist has
had schooling and has a nice portfolio that he can
do layout, create seps or draw a quick cartoon!

Paying Artists

Many larger shops have their own art depart-
ment and pay artists by the hour. This is probably
the cheapest way if you have a lot of work and
can keep them busy. If not, then you should pay
them by the job on a freelance basis.

Words of caution: Artists love to be creative
and while there is definitely a place for creativity,
if the customer wants an elephant on a design,
don't let an artist tell you he needs a mouse! Tell
the artist exactly what the customer wants, give
him as much information as possible and then let
him be creative.

Always discuss money up-front! If all you
want to spend for a design is $25, tell the artist
that.

Learning More

There is obviously a lot of information online
(and some mis-information, too). As a good start
go to www.T-BizNetwork.com for articles, how-
to videos, free software downloads and more.

COMPUTER GRAPHICS AND ARTWORK PREPARATION 35

BONUS SECTION

Learn more about how to use Adobe Photoshop to manipulate and create images.

Photoshop Overview 1.66 Adobe Photoshop
is the world’s number
The previous section covered a lot of basic one image manipula-
computer graphics and artwork preparation infor- tion program. It’s
mation for image creation and color separations strength is working
for screen printing. Even though the “world” uses with photorealistic
Corel Draw and Adobe Illustrator (for vector images.
based “cartoon” type images), the most powerful
and popular program is Adobe Photoshop (1.66). 1.67 Raster/Pixel
And, because of it’s power, it can be a very con- based images are
fusing program. made up of millions of
small square pixels in
This section will deal with specifics of using various colors.
Photoshop and will explain how it works and how
to do image creation, manipulation and cleanup. Photoshop Basics Watch a
The best way to use this section is install Photoshop
Photoshop and follow along. Let's start with some basics. We will assume Training Video.
you have installed Photoshop and followed the
As for which program is better, certainly Corel steps in their excellent manual. Part One
and Illustrator are the best for hard edge graphics Running Time 14:12
with hot text. In fact, many of you will use those You will notice Photoshop has a variety of
programs most of the time. Photoshops strength is items on the right of the screen that have divider Watch a
taking pixel based images (1.67) and manipulat- tabs on top. These are called Palettes and you can Photoshop
ing them. Now that everyone has a computer, the "hide" them or "show" them (1.68). If you go to Training Video.
customer will often have an image that might the Window pull down menu you will see the
have been created in Corel or Illustrator but all Palette list. You don't need all of the Palettes open Part Two
they has is a pixel based JPG of this image. JPG for basic work. In fact, the one's we like to Running Time 13:52
files are very hard to manipulate in Corel or "show" are: Layers, Channels, History, Actions,
Illustrator. Info. The rest you can close by clicking in the Watch a
upper right X in each Palette. You can group Photoshop
In this short section it will be very hard to tell Palettes together by "docking" them. You can also Training Video.
you everything you ever wanted to know about click and drag on a Palette name and "undock" it.
Photoshop. Our goal here is to get you up to The idea here is to keep the working area clear of Part Three
speed and at least out of the box with the pro- clutter. Keep the Palettes docked and to the right Running Time 14:16
gram. Like other programs, Photoshop can be of the page.
OVERWHELMING and very intimidating. Just
keep in mind the age old 80/20 rule. As it applies The top Menu bar has lots of "Pull Down"
to Photoshop, you will use 20% of the program menus and there is a typical "Toolbar" on the
80% of the time. It is actually more like the 90/10 right.
rule.

Where to get Photoshop

Photoshop is the flagship product of Adobe
Systems at www.adobe.com. It retails for around
$699. It is also sold as a bundle called a Creative
Suite that include Illustrator and In Design. It is
always nice to have the latest and greatest ver-
sion, but frankly, you can do everything we show
here with version 5.0 or higher (over ten years
old). If you are a student, teach, or work for a
school, you may be eligible for an "educator ver-
sion" from places like
www.academicsuperstore.com.

Even if you don’t have Photoshop, you can
download a free trial from www.Adobe.com.
Better yet, sign up for their
www.CreativeCloud.com service where you get
all the Adobe products for a small monthly fee.

36 CHAPTER 1

is a popular “compression” format that will make
a large file small enough to email. When a JPG
file is made there are different qualities. A quality
of one is very low and is almost impossible to
use. The file has been compressed so much that
areas of gradations have “boxes” and averaged
areas. Areas that have hard edges now have “arti-
facts” around these edges (1.69).

One solution is to use JPG Enhancement pro-
grams. These will soften areas with excessive
compression to the file size and will help elimi-
nate artifacts. Photoshop has JPG enhancement
routines built in under their Noise Filter (1.70).
You can search the web for JPG Enhancement
Programs and find a number of them under $50.

1.68 Don’t let all the Check File Size and Resolution
clutter on the screen
get you down. The You MUST know the actual resolution - num-
palettes on the right ber of pixels-per-inch - and physical size of the
can be opened or image. Otherwise you could be working on a very
closed depending on small file and not know it. Go to Image/Image
how you like your Size. The resolution should be 200 dpi or higher
screen to look. in pixels-per-inch - at the final physical size.
Don’t be fooled when just looking at resolution
1.69 Low quality JPG only. If the resolution is 300 dpi but the physical
images have large size is only 4” wide - when you enlarge the image
“boxes” that average to 12” wide - the resolution drops to 100 dpi!
areas of color. Hard
edges have image If it say pixels per CM, change this to inches.
“artifacts” that put a Many graphics coming from customers are often
glow of random pixels very low resolution and off of a website. Stock
on images. graphic images that are downloaded from the web
are only 72 dpi and physically small in size. Even
Additional To "Open" a file. Go to the File menu and then though a file like this will work, it will not be as
Technical Articles to Open. Search your hard disk for a test file, or if sharp as an image that is higher resolution at a
at T-Biz Network needed, find the Samples folder that comes with larger physical size. You must know what you are
Photoshop. Open or load a file. If the file is an working with.
Creating Class Name EPS or AI (Adobe Illustrator) file, you will be
Shirts in Corel Draw asked what resolution you want to open the file. Figure 1.71 shows a magnified view of a file
Keep the file around 300 dpi at the final physical that is 300 dpi and one that is 72 dpi. Obviously,
Halftone Dots Made Easy size (more on resolution shortly). the 72 dpi file will be softer. And, if the physical
size of the file is small, when you enlarge the
Improving Photographic Photoshop File Types image to print full-size on a shirt, the image will
Images in Corel Draw Photoshop will let you "Open" a wide variety be softer yet.

Improving Photographic of files including, TIF, JPG, GIF, EPS, PSD, AI What if the file size and resolution is not cor-
Images in Photoshop and others. If you open a file that is vector based rect? This is where it gets hard. Let's say your file
like one from Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop will is only 5" in width and 72 dpi, AND you want it
Creating an Underbase in convert the file from mathematical vectors to to print 10" wide. In the Image Size window,
Corel Draw small pixels. This is called Rasterizing a file. under Document Size, if you uncheck Resample
Image, you will see that all three windows are
Color Separation Tips for The most common file type is called a JPG. now "locked" together. If you change the file size
Corel Draw This is typically a file that someone has made to 10" notice that the resolution changed to 36!
using their digital camera, or from a website. JPG 36 dpi is a LONG WAY from 300 dpi.
Check for New Articles at
the T-Biz Network The problem you have is the file is very low
Articles page. resolution.Your only real choice is to check
Resample Image and change the width to 10" and
the resolution to 300 dpi. Photoshop "upsampled"
the image. But, it has to guess at where to place
all the extra pixels and what color to make the
pixels. Images can get softer when upsampled -

COMPUTER GRAPHICS AND ARTWORK PREPARATION 37

1.70 Use the Noise
Filter in Photoshop to
improve low quality
JPG images.

1.70 1.71 The top image is
72dpi and the bottom
although you are better off with a “soft” image image is 300 dpi. The
than one that has jagged edges. If this is the only more dots-per-inch,
thing you have to work with then so be it. If you the higher the resolu-
can get a higher resolution file from the client, by tion and the sharper
all means do it (1.72) the image is.

Check File Mode 1.72 You can upsam-
ple an image to a
This is where beginners go wrong. You open a higher resolution and
file and don't bother to learn about the file. At this eliminate some of the
point, the file should be RGB and not CMYK. pixilation - but, the
Yes, Photoshop will do process color separations image may be softer
for screen printing called CMYK, but for file without sharp edges.
manipulation and adjustment you should work in
RGB mode. To see the Mode of the file go to 1.73 Boosting color
Image/Mode. If CMYK is check, click on RGB. saturation will often
The file should also be 8-bit. make a lifeless file
have more pop.
Check file Saturation
Most files from customers are flat and need a to the darkest "shadows." By placing your cursor
in the middle of the curve "midtones" and drag-
color boost. If you are using a third party plugin ging the mouse up or down, you can lighten and
for color separations, you will find boosting the darken the medium or midtones in an image
color saturation very helpful. Always check a file (1.74). By clicking on the very top corner and
to see if it needs a saturation boost by going to dragging the mouse in, you can make the high-
Image/Adjustments/Hue Saturation (1.73). Don’t lights lighter. Play around with the Tone Curve
be shy here. You can boost the color saturation of and see what happens. A good curve for flat
the overall file or you can select key colors to sat- images is a slight “S” where you lighten the high-
urate. Remember - when you reproduce the image light 25% area and darken the 75% shadow area
with screen printing, heat transfers or inkjet-to- (1.75).
garment printing techniques, the file will often
print flatter and less saturated.

Using the Tone Curve
Images tend to get muddy when printed which

is why boosting color saturation helps. But,
another excellent way to make images pop is to
brighten them a little. You could use the Brighten
slider, but a better method which gives you more
control over the different tonal areas is to use the
Tone Curve. If you have a file with lots of detail
in the shadow areas, this will probably be lost
when printed. Now is the time to adjust the "den-
sity levels" of the file. Go to the Image pull down
menu and then to Adjustments/Curves. The Tone
Curve is a very powerful tool. It lets you adjust
specific tonal areas from the lightest "highlights"

38 CHAPTER 1 Sharpening Images

1.74 & 1.75 The Tone Typically, an image can be made sharper.
Curve is excellent for Even if the file came from an agency or large
changing the tonal licensed job, don't assume that their artist knew
values of the image to your needs. Images that are printed, not only get
clean up muddy shad- darker but they get softer. You MUST make them
ow areas, lighten mid- as sharp as possible.
tones or the give the
image a higher con- Go to Filter/Sharpen/Unsharp Masking. Don't
trast (lighten high- let the "unsharp" term fool you. This term came
lights and darken from the old process camera days and basically
shadows). means it only sharpens areas of high contrast. It
sharpens but keeps it less apparent that you have
sharpened the image (1.76).

Set the Amount slider to 200, the Radius to 1
pixel and the Threshold to 8. How does the image
look? To compare the original to the sharpened
version, uncheck the Preview check box. Click it
on and off and compare the results. If you can't
see much difference, move the Amount slider
higher. Go all the way to 500% if you need. Don't
get the image too grainy. Remember, Photoshop
displays images a little sharper than they really
are which means you can go a little too far and be
OK.

Selecting Areas

If you want to apply a Tone Curve adjustment
or apply Unsharp Masking to select areas, you
can choose these areas with one of the Selection
Tools on the Toolbar. Click on the tool that looks
like a Lasso - yes it is called the Lasso Tool.
Now, simply hold the mouse button down and
draw around an area you want to change (1.77).
When you release the mouse, you will have little
moving dashes, commonly called "marching
ants". You have just Selected an area. Now, any-
thing you do ONLY happens to this area. Think
of this like "selecting" an object in Corel or
Illustrator. To remove the marching ants, go to the
Select pull down menu and to De-Select. If you
want to select square or round areas, the top left
tool is called the Marquee Tool. It does the same
thing as the Lasso tool only it does it to square or
round areas.

Channels and Layers

For most of your work, make sure to have the
Layers Palette and the Channels Palette showing -
and separate. People always get these confused
because they look very similar. Here are the rules.
The Channels Palette shows whether the image is
RGB or CMYK. It is often used to create color
separations that can be output (often called
Channel separations). Channels can be printed
individually for color separations. If you are print-
ing directly to a heat transfer or inkjet-to-garment
printer, the file needs to be in RGB channels.

The Layers Palette is used to create or build
the image. You use the Layers Palette to put vari-
ous components together including adding Type
1.76 to an image. Layers don't print. Simple.

COMPUTER GRAPHICS AND ARTWORK PREPARATION 39

You will notice that your Channels Palette 1.77 Use the Lasso
shows four channels. RGB, R, G and B. If you Tool to Select specific
opened a graphic from a digital camera or web areas you want to
JPG file, it should only have one Layer called work on. You can also
Background. select areas and copy
that selection to anoth-
The picture to the right (1.78) shows a design er file. Once selected,
that is made up of lots of layers. Images on a layer all of the image adjust-
can be moved around, effects added to them, ment tools can be used
Tone Curve adjustments made, etc. When you on that selected area.
click on a Layer, you make it "active" and avail-
able for changes. You can also select areas for 1.78 Photoshop’s real
adjustment using the Marquee or Lasso tools. strength is the ability
to combine lots of var-
Removing Backgrounds ious components onto
layers to make a com-
In order to apply effects to objects on Layers plete image.
(1.79) they need to have a transparent background
(this shows up as “checks” on a Layer). The easi-
est method is to have an image with very simple
backgrounds. If you are in charge of taking the
photo, take it with very uniform backgrounds that
are of the same color. If the photo is of a car, park
it with just sky behind it and nothing else. OK, if
you can't do that, park it in front of a solid colored
building. Make sure to take the photo at as high a
resolution as possible. If your "old" digital camera
is only 2 megapixels, about the best you are going
to get is an image that is 10" wide at 150 dpi. On
the edge of being too low resolution. You should
try for full image size with a resolution of 250 to
300 dpi.

Use Magic Wand and Click and Delete
They don't call it the Magic Wand for nothing.

This tool is hot. With the Magic Wand you simply
click on the neutral areas around the image. It
works best if the background color is slightly dif-
ferent than any of the edges of your image. Just
click and watch the Magic Wand make a selection
around the image (1.80). If the "marching ants"
selection goes into the main design, change the
Tolerance on the Property Bar. The default is 32
pixels.

Making Your Selection a New Layer
You need to get your main image on a layer

with a transparent background. In Photoshop this
will show as checks all around the image. With a
transparent background you can add additional
elements to the image including type behind the
image, drop shadows, glows and more.

Using Extract
Photoshop also has a Filter called Extract

(1.81) where you draw around an image and then
fill the center with color and Photoshop removes
all the areas around the image leaving you with a
transparent background. Extract works OK but is
not the magic bullet for removing backgrounds.

1.79

40 CHAPTER 1 Figure (1.82) shows what appears to be a sim-
ple image for a dance studio. It was supplied by
1.80 Use the Magic the studio as "the only artwork we have." On the
Wand, the Lasso Tool surface it appeared pretty clean but upon closer
or even the Path Tool examination (use the zoom tool) it was very pixi-
to select around an lated. Also, by checking the image size
image and then copy (Image/Image Size) it is only 72 dpi.
this selection to a new
Layer. OK, so "they have what they have." No use
crying about it. Yes, you could take this poor
1.81 You can Extract original into Corel Trace or Adobe Streamline,
the image from the but those programs will give you poor results
background with the because they will trace "around" the large (low
Extract Tool. resolution) pixels and it will still not be smooth.

1.82 Check the resolu- Adjust Resolution
tion and upsample a You need to upsample this image to 600 to 800
black and white image
to 600dpi or higher - dpi at the final print size. If you scan the image,
at the final print size. you should be at 600 dpi or higher (scan photore-
alistic images at 200 to 300 dpi but black and
1.83 Use a drastic “Z” white images at 600 dpi or higher). To upsample
curve to make the an image in Photoshop, simply go to Image/Image
image black or white Size and change the resolution to whatever you
with no gray levels. want. Make sure the physical size is also the size
You will see a huge you want it to end up.
improvement and
sharper edges. Use a Tone Curve
Next, apply a Tone Curve to the image
Fixing Bad Line-Art in Photoshop
We often think of Adobe Photoshop as a pro- (Image/Adjustments/Curves). Yes, you could also
use Levels. Apply a very drastic Tone Curve
gram that deals with photorealistic images. After (1.83). You want to wipe out the highlights and
all, it is the program of choice for separating 4- darken the shadows. We call this a "Z" curve.
Color Process, Indexed Separations and Bring the 0% end of the curve over to 50% and
Simulated Process Color. But, it is also a very the 100% over to 50%. What a difference! Save
powerful tool for fixing low quality, low resolu- this file as a TIF or PSD file.
tion line art images.
Creating Simple Spot Color
Separations for Screen Print

Select Each Color with Color Range
Since you need color separations of each color

for screen printing, it is often easy to create the
image in any graphics program (including Corel
or Illustrator) and bring the image into Photoshop
and make simple Channel Separations. To make
this procedure easier, make sure the Channels
Palette is open (Window/Show Channels).

Go to Select and Color Range. This opens the
very powerful Color Range feature. Make sure the
Select window is set to Sampled Colors. Place the
eyedropper over one of the specific spot colors in
the image. Check Invert. You will see a black and
white positive of the selected area in the small
Color Range window (1.84). Adjust the Fuzziness
slider to pull the amount of color you want. A low
setting pulls just the color you selected. A higher
number pulls a wider range of that color. You can
see the color you selected in the Foreground
Color box on the Toolbar.

Save Your Selection
After you have a color selected and in the

Color Range box, say OK to this dialog box. You
will now see the famous "marching ants" around

COMPUTER GRAPHICS AND ARTWORK PREPARATION 41

these specific colors. You need to save this selec- 1.84 Color Range is a
tion by going to the Select pulldown menu and very powerful tool to
then to Save Selection. Approve the next dialog select a specific color
box. You will now have a 5th channel in the in an image and make
Channels Palette (1.85). this selection a chan-
nel that can be printed
In Photoshop Channels, if you check the small out.
square box to the left of the image you will get
and "eye" which makes the channel visible. By
clicking on and off you can see how the channel
looks. To see it by itself simply take the eye off
the RGB channels. Look at the channel by itself
to see if it is what you had in mind. If you click
on the channel name, you have just selected the
channel and you can now use the tools like the
Tone Curve, and Filters on this channel.

You can't print out an RGB image as a separa-
tion BUT you can print out an individual channel.
Any channel with an "eye" turned on will print. It
is that simple!

Repeat Steps Two and Three 1.85 By saving the
Repeat steps two and three for the rest of the Color Range selection,
you create a new
colors (1.86). When you are done you will have a channel. In this case,
new channel for each specific color the new channel is the
“red” separation for
Distressed Look this image.
If you have walked into a department store and
1.86 Repeat these
saw shirts that looked like they were washed and steps for each color
worn, this "look" is called distressed. Who would you want to screen
have thought that the customer would like some- print in the image.
thing that looks like you backed off on the
squeegee pressure and ran out of ink! 4. Copy this file to a new layer in the image you
want to add the distress effect (1.87). You can
But, this process is not as hard as it looks. simply click on the Distress files Background
Most of these images have the artwork distressed layer and drag it over the top of the file to be dis-
before a screen is ever made. The simplest tressed. You can use the Move tool to change the
method is to apply a special file called a location of the distressing and you can change the
Distressed Overlay, over the final artwork. You size with the Scale tool. Close the distress overlay
can download pre-done overlay files from file. You are done with it for now.
www.T-BizNetwork.com. You MUST download
the ReadME file and read it. These files work dif- 5. Select the Background Layer. Invert this layer
ferent in Photoshop, Illustrator and Corel Draw. (Image/Adjust/Invert). Select the new layer that
Here is how they work in Photoshop: has the distress effect. In the top of the Layers
Palette, select Multiply (1.88).
There are four different versions of the distress
overlay files - S,M,L, and XL. Open the dis- 6. Flatten the layers (horizontal arrows in Layers
tressed file in Photoshop and convert it to a Palette). Invert the flattened file
Grayscale (Image/Mode/Grayscale). (Image/Adjust/Invert). You now have a
Distressed Look image (1.90).
1. Create the image to distress in Corel Draw or
Illustrator. Export into Photoshop as a PSD, TIF
or EPS, or create the image in Photoshop. It can
be one-color or multi-color. Make sure the image
has no layers (it must say Background in the
Layers Palette). It can be RGB or Grayscale.

The resolution determines the amount of effect
and size of lines. Keep with 150 to 200 dpi. If the
image is multicolor you must run the effect on the
entire image before you separate it.

2. Open the original design and Show Layers
(Window/Show Layers).

3. Open the distress overlay TIF file.

42 CHAPTER 1

1.87 Convert the dis- tool will lighten areas of an image. Before you
tressed overlay to use many of these tools, you need to know what
grayscale and copy it "size" brush is applied to the tool. Think of the
to a new layer in your Brushes like this. If you want to draw a small line
image file. Make sure on a wall, you need a very small brush. If you
to read the ReadME want to paint a large two foot path of paint, you
file that is available would need a very large brush (or have to do
with the distressed LOTS of strokes with a small brush). Many of the
overlay downloads. "painting, drawing and adjustment" tools in the
Toolbar can have a Brush tips assigned to them.

To lighten a large area of an image, choose a
brush of 200 pixels. Hold down the mouse button
and move the mouse around over the image. To
darken an image, hold down the Alt key on the
PC or Option key on a MAC. This changes the
tool to the "burn" tool. Do the same movements
and watch the area get darker.

1.88 Set the distressed Airbrush Tool
layer to Multiply. If you need to paint areas of an image, you can

1.89 Flatten the image "spray" color out of the airbrush. The Toolbar has
and then invert it and two color squares near the bottom. The color "in
you have the popular front" is called the Foreground color. It is a color
distressed look. These you paint with any of the painting tools. The color
overlay files also work behind is called the Background color and is the
in Corel, Illustrator color that you "replace" in an image when you
and Freehand. erase or delete areas.

Other Adjustments and Effects If you click on the Foreground color, you get a
Dodge/Burn Tool window called the Color Picker. Simply pick the
color you want to paint and say OK. You will
If you want to lighten or darken select areas of notice that the Foreground color is now the picked
an image, select the "lollipop" looking tool. This color.

To use the Airbrush tool, pick a color, choose
a brush tip and hold the mouse button down and
start to move the Airbrush around. Fun!!

Filters
A filter is actually an effect. The name is con-

fusing. There are hundreds of filters in Photoshop.
You can apply most filters to entire images or just
to selected areas. Try this. Use the Lasso tool to
select an area of an image. Go to
Filter/Adjust/Twirl. Set the Angle to 100 and see
what happens. Neat!

Where to Learn More About Artwork
and Color Separations

This chapter is a good start. To learn more about the entire artwork creating process,
using Corel Draw, Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop - and the entire color separa-
tion process - visit the T-Biz Network website at www.T-BizNetwork.com. There are
dozens of great videos covering every aspect of the process. And, you can download
free trials of T-Seps, T-RIP and other software.

PREPARING THE SCREEN 43

PREPARING
THE SCREEN

This chapter deals with screen making for the
Screen Printing process.

Ascreen consists of a carrier frame that
holds the screen fabric and has a sten-
cil of the design imaged on it (2.1).
The process of making a screen is actually fairly
simple, and if you just follow a few rules, you
will find that it's not difficult to get professional
results.

The Screen Making Area 2.1 The screen consists
of a carrier frame with
Screen making is the one part of the process fabric and a stencil of
that has special requirements. You will need a the image on it.
sink, laundry tub, shower stall or bathtub with
running water to degrease, wash out, reclaim and 2.2 Fabric that is loose
develop screens. You will also need an area will ripple in front of
where you can reduce the light level to work with the squeegee blade as
the photographic emulsions and a dark room the print is made.
where you can dry the screens that have been
coated with a light-sensitive emulsion. Don’t you will use. It is very common to have a variety
worry. The emulsion is not extremely light sensi- of screen types and quality. Keep in mind that the
tive, and as long as it is kept from daylight (watch screen is the carrier or printing plate for the image
out for windows, skylights, etc.) you can use it in and the better the printing plate, the better the
a windowless room (or one with windows that quality of the final print. Remember, the tighter
have been covered) or even in your shop with the the screen fabric the better the final print. Loose
lights turned low. In fact, you can store the screen fabric will tend to ripple in front of the
screens in a light-tight box or storage cabinet until squeegee blade as the print is made (2.2). This
you are ready to use them. ripple effect will cause the print to be slightly
blurred.
The Screen

The screen is the heart of the process.
Unfortunately, there is some confusion in the
industry about what type of screen to make. Since
garment printing encompasses everything from
simple lettering on uniforms to very detailed mul-
ticolor prints, there are times when a simple
screen is all that is needed and times when the
“perfect” screen is important to obtain a high-
quality print.

You will need to determine what type of work
you will be doing and decide what screen type

44 CHAPTER 2

2.3 Screen frames are only way to keep the fabric tight. In fact, fabric
made from either wood, can be tensioned tighter after it is used, thereby
rigid aluminum or spe- making a better screen.
cial frames that you
can retension. What Frame to Use
This really depends on your budget and the
2.4 Pre-stretched
screens are very eco- type of work you will do. When starting out it is
nomical and are gener- easy to buy a few wood frames just to get your
ally tensioned properly feet wet .
on a large stretching
device and then glued The drawback to wood frames is that the fab-
to a wood or aluminum ric can lose some tension through use and cannot
frame. be retensioned. For most average printing, this
really isn’t a problem.
2.5 One of the most
popular methods for Wood frames can also warp and change shape
attaching the fabric is as they react to humidity, water, solvents and
with a glue called wear and tear. This can make it impossible for
"frame adhesive." them to hold perfect registration on multicolor
jobs.
The movement or shifting of the fabric may
actually distort the print. This is not a problem for Rigid aluminum frames are not prone to
one-color printing, but can cause a multicolor changing shape and they can take a higher tension
design to print out of register. (The colors will be than wood (2.4). For this reason you should really
slightly out of alignment because the fabric consider starting off with a few pre-stretched rigid
changed shape slightly.) aluminum frames. Many shops have a selection of
both wood, rigid aluminum and retensionable
If the job calls for a one-color print on 12 frames for more critical jobs.
shirts, you should spend less time and money on
the screen than for a six-color, close-registration Although it is not too difficult to make your
job on 1,000 shirts. own frame, it can be time consuming. Years ago,
we recommended making your own frames when
Watch a short The Screen Frame you are just getting started. Today, every screen
video about print supplier carries a huge selection of frame
The function of the frame is to act as a sup- sizes and types with any mesh count you want.
Frames and Mesh. porting stretcher and holder for the screen fabric
and to provide a holder for the ink. Attaching Fabric
Running Time 5:46 The truth is there is simply no reason to make
Screen frames are generally made from either
wood or aluminum (2.3). Wood frames are the your own screen but if you do high volume AND
least expensive and are ideal for general printing find yourself with used screens that have torn then
and shorter print runs. Wood has lost popularity sretching new or re-stretching torn frames is an
as the price of “rigid aluminum” frames has come option.
down to less than $25 per frame. Retensionable
aluminum frames allow you to re-tighten the fab- Suppliers also carry frames with no mesh.
ric between printing jobs. Since the fabric on the You can attach fabric to a wood or aluminum
screen loses tension with use, retensioning is the frame by using a stretcher to tighten the fabric
and a frame adhesive to glue the fabric in place
(2.5). This method may be too expensive when
you first start because of the expense of a stretch-
er. Another option is to buy one oversized reten-
sionable frame and use it as your stretcher.
Simply stretch the fabric on the retensionable
frame and then lay it over the smaller wood frame
and glue or staple the fabric in place. Take a razor
blade and cut the fabric from the retensionable to
transfer the tight fabric to the wood or aluminum
frame.

Retensionable Frames
By far, the biggest change in this industry has

been in screen frames and fabric tension.
Retensionable screen frames are now used by
both small and large shops and offer better print
quality and more control over the screen printing
process.

A number of companies offer retensionable
screen frames which are designed to be used over

PREPARING THE SCREEN 45

and over for different jobs (2.6). After a job is 2.6 Retensionable
printed, the image or stencil is reclaimed frames are by far the
(removed) from the screen fabric. If the customer best because they hold
reorders, the design is re-imaged onto the screen the fabric tight and
fabric. This helps reduce the amount of space allow you to retension
needed for screen inventory. Large shops that between jobs to main-
have switched from wood to aluminum frames tain proper tension.
have gone from storing thousands of wooden (Photo courtesy
frames to just dozens of retensionable ones. Stretch Devices,
Philadephia, PA.)

How Retensionable Frames Work 2.7 Monofilament
Most retensionable frames operate the same polyester is a single
strand of thread woven
way. They are made of a round bar that is rotated into screen mesh. It is
with a wrench to tighten the fabric. They general- very durable, easy to
ly have round bars on three sides and a flat or reclaim, can be
square tube on one end that fits into the holder of brought to very high
a standard T-shirt printing press. Learn how to tension and is sold in a
properly stretch re-tensionable screens in the next wide variety of mesh
section of this chapter. counts (threads per
inch/cm).
Frame Size
Regardless of the type of frame you use, it strand thread of silk and multi-filament polyester
(2.7). It has the advantage of a uniform mesh
will have to be large enough to hold a standard T- opening and will permit a more consistent flow of
shirt size design. Designs can vary from all-over ink. It is also very durable and can be stretched to
images to small over-the-heart prints. A general very high tensions. Due to the smoothness of the
T-shirt screen is 18 x 20 in. (inside dimension) thread, monofilament polyester can be easily
(45.72 x 50.80 cm). This frame size will hold reclaimed (remove stencil for screen re-use).
most images and still fit on a manual T-shirt
press. As you grow you will end up with a wide Mesh Count
variety of screen frame sizes and mesh counts. The mesh count of monofilament fabric is

Screen Fabric determined by the number of threads per linear
inch (or cm). A lower number such as a 60 mesh
Screen fabric is called mesh and comes in a count (24 cm) will allow more ink to pass through
wide variety of types and materials. than a higher number such as 305 (120 cm) mesh.

Silk Coarser or lower counts are also made of
Although the screen printing process is still thicker thread and will leave a thicker deposit of
ink. Think of the lower number as being like
sometimes referred to as “silk screening,” silk is screen-door wire and the higher number feeling
very rarely - if ever - used anymore. It was like a fine silk scarf.
replaced years ago by synthetic polyester mesh
which is much more stable and less expensive. You can convert back and forth from TPI
(threads-per-inch) to TPC (threads-per-centime-
Polyester ter) with the chart at figure (2.8).
The most popular screen fabric is polyester. It
Importance of Mesh Count
is sold in two thread types: monofilament and We cannot overemphasize the importance of
multifilament. Like silk - multifilament polyester
is rarely used and is generally sold by art or crafts using the correct mesh for the job! This is one
stores. Early additions of this book talked almost area where beginning printers often want to cut
exclusively about multi-filament polyester but we corners and where industry suppliers often give
now removed that section and it is now a part of poor advice. Most of the time poor-quality prints
history. can be attributed to incorrect mesh selection.

Monofilament polyester is almost completely The mesh count and ink thickness determine
unaffected by atmospheric humidity changes and how much ink is deposited on the garment. For
it is considered very stable although it can relax a athletic-type prints, the customer wants a very
little (lose tension) with repeated use. Most sup- heavy deposit of ink. For a detailed soft-hand
pliers carry “low elongation” monofilament print, a very thin deposit of ink is necessary for

which holds tension much better.
Monofilament polyester is woven from a sin-

gle thread, as opposed to the twisted multiple-

46 CHAPTER 2 the print to not have any noticeable feel to it. For made in both Asia and Europe, and often the
average single-color jobs, it really won’t matter if numbers are not exactly the same when converted
MESH the print has a heavy or soft feel to it. As long as from centimeters to inches. As long as you use a
CONVERSION the customer is happy with the quality, then you number that is close, you will be on the right
too should be happy. The correct mesh count is track. For example, if we recommend an 86 (34
Threads Threads more critical when trying to print on dark gar- cm) monofilament and your supplier only carries
per per ments and when trying to do multicolor prints on a 92 (36 cm), it should be close enough. A few
inch centimeter light shirts! threads will not make a difference. On the other
hand, if we recommend a 125 (49 cm) mesh and
25 . . . . .10 The chart on this page (2.9) shows the recom- all you can get is a 200 (78 cm), it is too great of a
30 . . . . .12 mended mesh counts to use for various jobs. You difference.
37 . . . . .15 will note that the chart distinguishes between
45 . . . . .18 automatic and manual printing. Although most If you look at the chart, you will see that you
54 . . . . .21 readers of this book probably print manually, can print almost any type of job with just four or
60 . . . . .24 many large shops use this book as a guide for new five mesh counts. Since we do not recommend
63 . . . . .25 employees. using multifilament meshes we have not included
74 . . . . .29 them on the chart.
76 . . . . .30 Please do not worry if your supplier does not
83 . . . . .32 have the exact mesh count we suggest. Fabric is What should be obvious from the chart is that
85 . . . . .34
92 . . . . .36 FABRIC SELECTOR CHART
96 . . . . .38
103 . . . . .40 If you ask a variety of suppliers or printers who print non-critical work - you will get a wide variety of answers about
110 . . . . .43 what mesh to use. If you ask seasoned professionals who print day-in and day-out - you will find their recommended
115 . . . . .45 mesh counts are normally very consistent. The main mesh number in this chart is based on threads-per-inch.
123 . . . . .48 The conversion chart on the left of this page shows how to convert threads-per-inch to threads-per-centimeter
131 . . . . .51 for international users.
137 . . . . .54
148 . . . . .58 Type of Work Manual Automatic
156 . . . . .61
163 . . . . .64 General Printing - No Halftones Threads-per-inch Threads-per-inch
173 . . . . .68
186 . . . . .73 Thick athletic printing 60 - 86 86
195 . . . . .77 140 - 190
206 . . . . .81 Average print on light garment 125 - 156
215 . . . . .85 86
230 . . . . .90 Broad coverage on a dark garment 60 - 86 156 - 190
240 . . . . .95
254 . . . . .100 Solid underbase on a dark garment (flash after) 125 - 156 230
280 . . . . .110 230
305 . . . . .120 General Printing - Print-Flash-Print 230
330 . . . . .130
355 . . . . .140 To get the ultimate in brightness you can print a color, flash cure 200 - 260
381 . . . . .150 it, and then print it again with the same screen. If printing colors on 190 - 230
409 . . . . .161 top you will need to again flash cure the second print before printing 280 - 305
420 . . . . .165 additional colors. This would be called a print-flash-print-flash.
457 . . . . .180 305 - 355
495 . . . . .195 Thick athletic printing 156 - 230 305 - 308
508 . . . . .200 Broad coverage on a dark garment 156 - 230
Solid underbase on a dark garment 156 - 230 86 - 125
2.8 60 - 86
Detailed Printing with Fine Lines or Halftones 86 - 110
200 - 230
Detailed underbase on dark 180 - 230 86 - 110
Multicolor print on a light garment 140 - 230
Very detailed multicolor print on 230 - 305 30 - 60
230 - 330
a light garment - halftones 280 - 305
4-color process (process-color) 280 - 305
Overprint colors on flashed underbase

Specialty Items 86 - 125
60 - 86
Hot-peel heat transfers 60 - 86
Cold-peel heat transfers 200 - 230
Puff ink 86 - 110
Suede ink 180 - 230
Metallic ink 110 - 125
Nylon Jackets - light material 30 - 60
Nylon Jackets - dark material 200 - 305
Crystallina overprint and glitter
General non-textiles (posters, etc.)

These mesh counts are based on a standard "T" (medium) thread and are given in the number

of threads per inch. Similar mesh counts may give good results also. Some manufacturers have

different numbers that are close to these. For printing on soft or coarser material like sweat-

shirts or aprons, use a 10 to 20 lower thread count. 2.9

PREPARING THE SCREEN 47

when printing on a dark background or where you 2.10 A mesh determiner
need a thicker deposit of ink, you should use a will tell you what mesh
coarser mesh count. When printing multicolor you are using. Simply
jobs (especially when printing with the wet-on- place it on the mesh and
wet technique covered in the Printing chapter), then rotate it until a
use a finer mesh count. When trying to print very "star" appears.
fine detail (halftone dots and fine lines), go to a
much finer mesh. 2.11 A tension meter is
the only accurate way
All fabric is sold by the yard and usually to test the tension of the
comes in stock widths of 42, 52, 66 and 72 in. screen fabric. They sell
(106.68, 132.08, 167.64 and 182.99 cm). Start off for $250 to $500 and
with 42 in. (106.68 cm) material. If you are going are almost a must when
to make your own screens, just buy a few yards of using retensionable
each material. Coarse mesh counts like 86 (34 screens.
cm) costs as little as $9 per yd (US) while fine
mesh counts of 305 (120 cm) can be as high as referred to as newtons. The higher the number of 2.12 Companies make
$35 per yd. If you are buying prestretched wood newtons, the tighter the screen. Suppliers of reten- special stretching
frames, just buy a few of each mesh count. sionable frames can provide charts showing the tables for roller frames.
recommended tension for different mesh counts. some companies also
Mesh Color make fabric “panels”
Screen mesh is available in either white or As a starting point (if you have a meter), you that are precut with
should try to achieve a minimum of 15-20 N/cm. locking strips designed
dyed mesh such as amber, orange and yellow. With a retensionable screen, an average mesh can to make the stretching
Dyed mesh is much better because it helps to hold go as high as 40 or 50 N/cm by retensioning of retensionable roller
finer detail when exposing the screen by absorb- between jobs! Some printers actually take the frames easier. (Photo
ing the light from the exposure unit and prevent- mesh off the screen and throw it away if the ten- courtesy Shur-Loc
ing it from burning around (undercutting) the sion drops below 5 N/cm. Many shops have 25 Fabric System, Monroe,
detail in the image. newtons as the standard mesh tension. WA.)

Mesh Counter Besides getting a sharper and more in-register
Once you accumulate a supply of fabric, it print with a tight screen, you will see a reduction
in fatigue when printing a lot of shirts. The
may be impossible to determine what mesh count squeegee has less drag on the fabric. You will
the various fabric is. It’s easy to tell the difference also have to use less pressure to drive the ink
between 86 (34 cm) and 305 (120 cm), but try to
tell 125 (49 cm) from 195 (77 cm) when they are
side-by-side! A useful aid is a plastic gauge
known as a mesh counter or mesh determiner.
You can quickly find the mesh count by placing
the mesh counter on top of the fabric and rotating
it until a “star” points to the proper count. Try it
and you’ll see what we mean (2.10).

About Fabric Tension

One of the most talked-about topics among
high-quality printers is tension. As mentioned
above, tighter fabric makes a better screen and a
better print. You can measure the tension on a
screen with a device called a tension meter.

This meter measures the deflection of the fab-
ric when it is placed on the screen (2.11). Tension
meters are not essential to an operation but do
make it easier to make consistent screens when
doing high-quality prints.

In the beginning, don’t worry if you don’t
own a tension meter. If you start to use retension-
able frames, you should put a meter on your wish
list of things to have someday. They range in
price from $250 - $500.

Fabric tension is measured in newtons per
centimeter – commonly called N/cm or just

48 CHAPTER 2

How To Stretch Retensionable Roller Frames

Retensionable screen frames allow the fabric to be retensioned 3
between jobs. For the best results, do an initial tensioning following 21
the steps here or those supplied by the frame manufacturer. Allow the
fabric to relax for 10 to 20 minutes and retension. Do a second reten- 4
sioning and then use the screen on a job.

After the screen is reclaimed retension it again. By doing this a num-
ber of times, you will work-harden the screen and get it to the highest
tension possible. Frame suppliers provide a chart to follow giving the
ideal tension levels for the first tensioning, second tensioning, etc.

1. Attach fabric to the frame using 2. Soften corners so you can 3. Turn frame over and tighten
the appropriate locking strip. Make touch the table through the fabric. side #2 at least 60° depending on
sure the fabric is parallel to the The softer they are, the tighter you the mesh count. You will not get a
frame bar. can get the screen. reading on the meter yet.

4. Tension side #3 to ½ of final 5. Tension side #4 to the proper 6. Check the tension to see if it is
first tension. Consult the tension- first tensioning level. If you feel the even. Let the fabric relax 10 - 20
ing chart supplied by the manufac- wrench stop or "stall," then you minutes and retension. Let it relax
turer. have gone far enough. again and retension. Re-soften
corners if necessary.
2.13 The screen fabric
should always be through the screen and will use less ink. If you’re
degreased before an printing a multicolor job wet-on-wet, you will
emulsion or stencil is have less ink picking up on the bottom of the
applied. Simply scrub screens and will get higher production.
the screen on both
sides and rinse thor- Degreasing
oughly.
Before the stencil material is applied, you
should wash or degrease the screen fabric. The
oil, dust and impurities on it need to be removed
so the stencil system will stick to it properly. If
the screen was used for a previous job, it may
have ink, solvent or reclaimer residues on the fab-
ric.

Although suppliers carry standard degreasers,
they are generally just concentrated cleaners and

PREPARING THE SCREEN 49

soaps that can be purchased from hardware stores for less than $20 and are a must for applying
or janitorial supply companies. Do not use house- direct emulsion!
hold products like dishwashing liquids (they con-
tain perfumes and hand softeners) or scouring There is a wide variety of direct emulsions.
powders (they contain bleach and the particles Some suppliers offer dozens of varieties, which
will embed in the fabric). can confuse the new printer.

Regardless of whether you use a standard Dual-Cure Photopolymer Emulsions
degreaser or industrial cleaner, simply spray or For years, we used standard diazo-sensitized
wipe it on both sides of a wet screen and work up
a lather. Rinse the screen off with warm or hot emulsions. Diazo emulsions have been slowly
water and let it dry (cold water is OK). Make sure replaced with dual-cure emulsions that are also
to get all of the soap out of the fabric, and do not called photopolymer or diazo-sensitized pho-
touch the screen after you have degreased it topolymer emulsions. These emulsions have less
(2.13)! water than the older diazos and do not shrink as
much when they dry. This gives a sharper edge to
Some suppliers still recommend using a grit or the screen and makes screen making faster. They
roughening agent to give the slick monofilament are also more durable when used with water-
fibers a rougher edge to them. This was the way based ink systems.
to prepare a screen in the old days of indirect
films that had a hard time adhering to the fabric. Besides dual-cure emulsions, some large
This is not necessary when using direct emulsions shops use pure photopolymer emulsions or one-
and actually weakens the fabric! pot photopolymers. Pure photopolymer emulsions
are premixed and have a very fast exposure time.
Stencil Systems They are also more expensive than dual-cure.
Don’t let all of this confuse you, though, because
Once the fabric is stretched and degreased, you can simply call your supplier and ask for a
you need to make a stencil that will mask the standard dual-cure emulsion. These are standard
open areas of the screen and allow just the ink to products carried by all screen printing supply
pass through where desired. companies.

There are various kinds of stencils including Some brands offer thicker and thinner ver-
hand-cut paper, hand-cut film, direct photo emul- sions called light deposit and heavy deposit emul-
sion and capillary film. The stencil system you sions. For average T-shirt printing, use the heavy
choose will depend on the amount of detail in the deposit because it is a little thicker.
print and the size of the printing run.
If you will be using water-based inks for
Other than paper stencils for athletic number- longer print runs (500 or more impressions), you
ing (discussed in the Printing section), direct will need a special water-resistant emulsion.
emulsion and capillary direct film are the most Standard dual-cure and pure photopolymer emul-
popular stencil systems. We will not discuss sions are fairly water resistant, but will not hold
hand-cut films because they are antiquated and up for longer print runs.
very rarely used in garment-printing shops.
Mixing the Emulsion
Photostencil Systems Dual-cure and general diazo emulsions are

Don’t let this throw you. Direct photostencil supplied unmixed in two parts (2.14). One part is
systems are used by everyone and they are very the glue base and the other part is the light-sensi-
easy to use! They are simply light-sensitive liq- tive sensitizer. You simply add warm water to the
uids or films that are coated or adhered to the little bottle to dissolve the powder and then add
screen fabric and then exposed to ultraviolet light this mixture to the base emulsion (2.15). Stir this
with a film positive of the image on top of them. mixture together, let it stand for a few hours to
The area where the light hits the emulsion allow any air bubbles to escape and then just use
becomes water resistant. The area where the it!
image on the film blocks the light, the emulsion
remains water soluble and washes away or devel- Emulsions are very heat sensitive. They
ops with water. should be kept below 95° F (35° C). If your shop
is hot, then store the emulsion in a refrigerator.
Direct Emulsions After they are mixed they will last for three to
four months before they become clay-like and do
Direct emulsions are simply glue-like liquids not work.
that are light sensitive. They are coated on the
degreased (and thoroughly dry) screen with a spe- Pure photopolymer emulsions are supplied
cial tool called a scoop coater. Scoop coaters sell premixed and have an almost unlimited shelf life.

Advantages of Direct Emulsions
Direct emulsions are extremely durable and

can be used with any kind of screen mesh. They

50 CHAPTER 2

2.14 & 2.15 The emul- 2.14 2.15 Coating the Screen
sion is supplied in two There are various ways to coat the emulsion
parts. Simply add warm are practically impervious to all inks, including
water to the powdered water-based textile dyes. Because the emulsion on the screen. While you can use a sharp
sensitizer and mix it actually embeds in the fabric, the screen will hold squeegee or stiff piece of cardboard we highly
with the emulsion base. the finest detail. recommend purchasing an inexpensive scoop
coater (2.16). Available in a variety of lengths,
Direct-emulsion screens can be cleaned and the coater should be slightly smaller than the
then stored between printing without fear of dam- inside dimension of the screen. This way, it will
aging the image. In most cases (except emulsion only touch the stretched fabric and not be held off
with hardeners), the screens can be reclaimed by the fabric by the frame. Some coaters have both a
using household bleach (diluted with water) or round and a sharp edge. Always use the sharp
reclaiming or stripping solution. edge!

Handling Direct Emulsion Working under subdued light, pour enough
Direct emulsions are fairly light sensitive. emulsion into the coater to almost fill it up (less if
only doing a few screens). If the emulsion was
This does not mean you have to work in total stored in the refrigerator you may want to let it
darkness though. You can work under subdued warm to room temperature since it will be thicker
light such as a 50 watt bulb or yellow bug light. when cold. If the coater came with a protective
Do not use emulsion near a window or in any area rubber edge, remove it before you use the coater!
where there is a lot of ultraviolet light. If you are Hold the screen in a vertical position, place the
working out of your home you may need to put a coater edge against the fabric at the bottom of the
shade or cover on the windows when using direct screen (on the outside of the screen), tilt the
emulsion. coater slightly forward so that the emulsion touch-
es the fabric and slowly pull the coater up the
2.16 Use a professional screen (2.17).
scoop coater to apply
the emulsion to the Sound hard? It really isn’t once you get the
screen fabric. Some hang of it. Now repeat this process on the inside
coaters come with both of the screen. Most manufacturers recommend
a sharp and dull edge coating two or three times on the outside and
(top photo). For best another two or three on the inside. This is actually
results use the sharp too thick a coating and can cause problems with
edge. Many coaters underexposure and loss of fine lines.
come with a rubber pro-
tective edge cover. Put any unused emulsion back in the container
Remove this before use. and then make sure to clean the coater right away
after you use it. If you don’t, the emulsion will
dry and form a skin over it just like white glue.
Take care not to nick or damage the edge of the
coater. A nick will leave a streak in the coating.

Once coated, the screen is now ready to be
dried in a dark area in front of a fan – preferably
in a horizontal position with the bottom of the
screen down. If you have high humidity, the
screen may take all day to dry all the way
through. Normally the screen will dry in 30-60
min.

The coating process may have to be repeated
again, depending on how coarse the fabric is. If
you are using a very fine mesh, one application
may be enough. With dual-cure or pure pho-
topolymer emulsions, one or two coats on both
sides should be enough. If using a normal diazo
emulsion you may need to coat again after the
screen is dry to build up the thickness and help
prevent having to spend an hour blocking out pin-
holes.

After the screen is dry you can store it in a
dark cabinet or light-tight box for up to three
months before using it. (Remember to keep the
screen from getting too hot!) This allows you to
coat a batch of screens at one time for future use.