How To Screen Print: Making Film Positives At Home

[djpuppy28]

I have watched many vids from catspit and the info is priceless! Glad that such knowledge is being shared!

[CatspitProductions]

@djpuppy28 Thank you very much! It’s my pleasure to help out and share information. Check out the Catspit website for a lot more free info on screen printing. Link is on the channel page. Thanks for watching & commenting! ☠

[SuggestiveSquirrels]

Total noob here....but can you use Adobe Illustrator for this?

[CatspitProductions]

@SuggestiveSquirrels Oh totally, yes, for sure. Illustrator has excellent post script capabilities with RIP or post script printers I believe. I often output film directly from Illustrator to RIP software for printout. Thanks for watching and leaving a comment! ☠

[MotorSoundsRecords]

Hey man, thanks for the tips, vry very appreciated. Can you tell me how your getting on with the Epson 1400 ? as Im about to pull the trigger on buying one of those myself, thanks in advance, Andy.

[CatspitProductions]

@MotorSoundsRecords You’re welcome, it’s my pleasure to help out and share information. The 1400 is pretty good but if I had the money I would have gotten a 3880 or a 4880. But it's a good 13x19 printer for the money. Check out the Catspit website for a lot more free info on screen printing. Link is on the channel page. Thanks for watching & commenting! ☠

[FightingAussieLad]

if your not doing half tones, and you dont have the epson printers to use rip software (so you can load all 5 or 6 printer catridges up with black) , i found rather than use two transparancies to increase the opacity, you can just print on the same sheet several times to increase the darkness (thicker layer of ink). Just make sure you remember to load it in the correct way and have the sliders on your printer adjusted properly so the sheet feeds into the printer in the same way each time.

[CatspitProductions]

@FightingAussieLad That’s pretty amazing. You are not the first person to say they do this. But I don’t think it would be possible for me to get the darn thing to print exactly in the same position even twice. My Epson 1400 doesn’t seem to have a paper feed that would even come close to being able to do that. Plus the emulsion on the inkjet film can only hold so much ink. How do you do it? What printer and film are you using? Thanks for watching and leaving a comment! ☠

[southerncali88]

I've been screen printing for 13 years and I still learn some new tips and tricks from these videos. Thanks Catspit!

[CatspitProductions]

@southerncali88 Nice, thank you very much! I really appreciate that. It means a lot. And you’re welcome; it’s my pleasure to help out in any way. Thanks for watching & commenting! ☠

[yankees101979]

How ca you tell if the print is dark enough to burn? I have an Epson WF1100.

[CatspitProductions]

@yankees101979 Hold the film up toward a light source and see how much you can see the light through the artwork areas. The less of the light you see, the better. Thanks for watching & commenting! ☠

[yankees101979]

How ca you tell if the print is dark enough to burn?

[CatspitProductions]

@yankees101979 Hold the film up toward a light source and see how much you can see the light through the artwork areas. The less of the light you see, the better. Thanks for watching & commenting! ☠

[bettacumcorrect]

Cat Spit is the shit. I'm glad you exist My Dude

(that means "Sir", for all you nerds)!

[CatspitProductions]

@bettacumcorrect Nice, thank you! Thanks for watching & commenting! ☠

[themightychyn]

Hey Mate! Great vids, heaps of info, anyway I'm just getting started & my question is regarding the best place to buy film, I have had a good look around the Net & noticed you can buy bulk, as in100 sheets or more but for someone like myself who's just at the learning stage I can't really see the need for that much, any hints on the best place to get inkjet transparencies in smaller quantities would be much appreciated, also what types would you recommend, thanks in advance keep up the good work

[CatspitProductions]

@themightychyn Thanks, glad you like the videos. The best place I know of to get great inkjet film for screen printing in smaller quantities is the Catspit website. See the Print Supplies page to get a great deal on the same film I use in my shop. You can get 15 sheets or more delivered through the USPS. Domestic and international pricing is listed in separate drop downs. Thanks for watching & commenting! ☠

[MrBlem18]

You said that on more detailed film positives you will outsource the work. Where do you look to have that work done for you and is it cost effective? Thanks for the great videos and your time!!

[CatspitProductions]

@MrBlem18 You’re welcome, it’s my pleasure to help out and share information. I get my film positives from a local source or I have my brother do them. He has a shop in NY. You have to find someone with an image setter or a thermal printer. The cost effectiveness all depends on what price you can command for the job. Thanks for watching & commenting! ☠

[icethugrustygunz]

That's awesome!! Do you think you could have staples or any printer shop print out files you have saved to a flash drive to a film?

[CatspitProductions]

@icethugrustygunz Probably, yes. Just check it out. But they will only have laser transparencies I think. You might be able to bring some film in and have them print it too. Thanks for watching and commenting! ☠

[Drakn812]

You can avoid needing rip software, by using photoshop. Convert each channel into a grayscale then a bitmap, when converting to bitmap you can specify the dpi , lpi and dot type, ellipse or round, then simply print the bitmap to any inkjet on clear film, It works great and the inkjet has no idea it has became an imagesetter

[CatspitProductions]

@Drakn812 Sounds interesting and useful for Photoshop; I use Illustrator and Corel mostly to create screen creating artwork. And I do a lot of spot colors too. But that is a cool trick to know. I’ll have to try it some time. Thanks for watching and commenting! ☠

[xmas0c1c1k1korea]

I just got an epson stylus photo r1800 ink jet printer and would like to find the best way to print my designs. From what i see Inkjet film positives will be the best "paper" is this correct? As I have looked at screen print suppliers alot of them sell different types of ink for printers is this necessary or will the ink that came with the printer work? Finally i cant find the rip software you mentioned do you have a link or something? Thanks so much for the videos!!!!

[CatspitProductions]

@xmas0c1c1k1korea Welcome! For inkjet printers, I believe inkjet film is best. If you want to use RIP software properly, then most will require you to change to all black film inks. If you use a dual cure emulsion, you may be able to just print it without any RIP or black inks and make screens. Dual cures have a wider exposure lattitude and work well with crappy films. The QTR RIP mentioned in this video is best for photographs, not screen printing. That's what I learned. Thanks for watching!

[c0kar7]

catspit: have u ever screen print onto aluminum using enamel? whats your advice on the type of inks to use on aluminum?

[CatspitProductions]

@c0kar7 You will need an ink that is an air dry enamel that will bond with the aluminum. I don’t have too much advice to offer on this as I am a textile printer. I have done some metal printing but not really enough to say much more. I have always used enamels that bond to an enamel coating on the part being printed. Thanks for watching & commenting!

[herro530]

hey. so i made a design on photoshop. can i just print it out or put it on a flashdrive and give it to the t-shirt printer place and they can do the rest?

[CatspitProductions]

@herro530 Most likely they will need a digital file to work with. Put it on your flash drive and bring it to your printer. Thanks for watching and commenting!

[hivedrone83]

Excellent and important point about vellum warpage. When i first began about 5 years ago, i couldn't figure out why an 8 color sep wouldn't register, and a 2 color would, then i realized how hot the film was when it came out of the printer. At that point we switched over to an inkjet, while the inkjet film is less durable, i know i can re-print plate #7 in a 14 color design and it will register perfectly.

[CatspitProductions]

@hivedrone83 Very true. I do not use vellum at all. I have an old box I use as packing stuffing...LOL. Inkjet film is cheap and pretty easy to use. Much better than vellum. Thanks for watching & commenting!

[bamzki831]

Thank much for all your feedback! You're probably the only person on youtube that replies to their viewers and i'd like to thank you again for that! I recently began getting hands on screen printing, i began trying heat transfers but they are just not the same as screen printing. I have been watching many related videos but no one has replied with such great advise that you have thanks!

[CatspitProductions]

@bamzki831 Thanks so much! I try very hard to answer all questions and respond to all comments. Make sure to check out the website for more great free info about screen printing. The link is on the channel page. It is my pleasure to help out. Thanks for watching & commenting!

[bamzki831]

How much time do u suggest to expose your screen if your using a 500watt Halo light?

[CatspitProductions]

@bamzki831 I dunno: at 2 feet distance, maybe 5 or 6 minutes for a dual cure emulsion or around 2 minutes for a photopolymer. Thats giving that your film is dense. You just have to start somewhere and test it. Factors such as light to screen distance, emulsion thickness, emulsion age and mesh color can affect your exposure times. Thanks for watching & commenting!

[NinaBaybehBANTM]

why not just print it twice on the same transparency and save paper, my printer auto-aligns the sheet and reprints directly over the first image and you will have super opacity no need to waste transparency's by haviing double images then taping.

[CatspitProductions]

@NinaBaybehBANTM - I only double it up when using a photopolymer emulsion. Otherwise, this film kicks ass with dual cure emulsions. Besides, my printer wont do that. That is great if your printer can do that double printing and have the art line up perfectly. That is pretty amazing. What printer are you using?

[dimojoe]

Thanks for the reply , So your saying Illustrator will separate colors ? Cool ! Will it also accept plugins like FastFilm for one click color sep and distress ? I am not as worried about the technical side as I am about generating enough return . I live in Buffalo NY and I know there are many small and large printing businesses already established. Thanks again. Great videos.

[CatspitProductions]

@dimojoe Illustrator wont automatically separate colors for you; you create the art on different layers which gives you your color seps for spot colors. I dont know if it accepts those plugins, you would have to research that. Illustrator and Corel will require some learning to use them efficiently and easily. But there are programs that do separate images into color plates for screen printing. Do a Google search. You are welcome. It is my pleasure to help out. Thanks for watching & commenting!

[dimojoe]

Do you have to be an artist or good at drawing to go into business ?

Also , I was checking out Photoshops webpage . Does it really cost $900 ?

[CatspitProductions]

@dimojoe - Not at all. Most tee shirt art is clip art or modified versions of clip art. A lot of designs can be made with simple skills in Corel or Illustrator. Photoshop is not really what you want to use for creating tee shirt art. You will want to use and create vector art rather than jpegs. It will give you a lot more control over your artwork and printing. And Photoshop probably is what they say it is for cost. I remember when it used to cost thousands. Thanks for watching & commenting!

[bennco]

Is it possible to load up your CMY ink jet printer cartridges with black - so that if you print a piece of art (tell it to be 100%C, 100%M, 100%Y and 100% black) .. a "SuperBlack" if you will.. then the ink would have a density/coverage of 400%

Just to make clear, even if you printed at 100%Cyan - it would come out black.

You could also control each of the other cartridges. if it's too much ink coverage, or not enough-just by making the art say 100%K, 100%Y and 50%C = Total 'black' ink = 250%

[CatspitProductions]

Theoretically, yes. That is known as a color rich black. However, some inkjet films may not be able to take so much ink. Also dye based inks work better for film positives than pigment inks which is what is common today. Supposedly the pigment inks used with the color rich method still dont work as well as a dye based ink or inks designed to make film positives. You would have to replace all of your inks with a dye based inkjet ink in black. Then it may work well enough to be cost effective.

[CatspitProductions]

Thanks for watching and making a great comment! If you try this, let us know how it works out as many of us will not want to replace all our ink with black unless it will work well enough.

[MarioCaps1]

Hey Catman ! Just wanted to say Thanks a lot for posting all your video's they have been EXTREMELY informative and helpfull, and I like your style of narrating your videos, comfortable to watch . Wanted to add that you can expose a screen in the sun in like a minute ! for those improvising.

[CatspitProductions]

Thank you very much! I am happy to hear you are enjoying my efforts so. Yes, many people here in Arizona use the sun even in commercial applications. Some sign makers will use the sun for oversized screens. Thanks for watching and commenting!

[jessemagat]

Hey man, can you just separate the color from photoshop and print the positive? why do you need to have a rip software?

[CatspitProductions]

@jessemagat - You can do some color separations in Photoshop. I think I have a Ryonet video that uses Photoshop to separate a Bart Simpson image in my favorites list. Its like 2 parts or something. Check it out. RIP software makes the printer lay down maximum ink or toner for the highest opacity film. It also enables printers to print halftone patterns. Thanks for watching and commenting!

[jessemagat]

Do you recommend or is it possible to print out the positives without rip software? Great videos dude!

[CatspitProductions]

@jessemagat - Sure, some jobs I just use my own inkjet printer with Catspits Super Inkjet Film and I make the film positives without a RIP. You may just have to adjust your screen exposure depending on the opacity you get with your printer. I dont recommend it for jobs with high detail and obviously halftones cant be done without a RIP. Most printers need software to tell them how to print true dot patterns. Thanks for watching and commenting!

[000timtimtimtam000]

A cheap alternative to films and vellum is arctics trace paper it not paper more of a poly blend it goes thru the inkjet fine and it has to a better option than veggie oil also thanks a bunch catspit we successfully made all our cub scout camp shirts this week and they look great

[CatspitProductions]

@000timtimtimtam000 - That sounds like a great option. Where is this tracing paper found? Art supply stores? The vegetable oil and laser copy method is really meant for those who just want to play without buying anything special. You dont even need a computer or printer; you can just use a copy store. Its a real garage boy method. Thanks for watching and commenting! I appreciate the input. Glad to hear you are getting good print results!

[chadilaic]

Thank you your videos you have been very helpful.

[CatspitProductions]

@chadilaic - Thank you! I am glad to hear the videos are helping out. Thanks for watching & commenting!

[dementedjuan]

ei its me ...do they a rip software for canon printers?im using canon...thanx...btw thx for bringing us gud stuff!!!

[CatspitProductions]

You are welcome and thanks for commenting! I really dont know much about RIP software for printers other than Epson. Since Epson is basically the standard in the industry, I have never explored any other printer drivers. Thanks for watching!

[TheMidnightGuy]

Could it be easier to just print out anything on normal paper and then photocopy it on film or acetate?

[CatspitProductions]

Photocopies generally lack the opacity needed to block light during exposure. But yes, you can use copier transparencies as your film. Just double them up to make them opaque. In general it is easiest to find a way of printing them out directly without having to double up or do an under exposure. Using a dual cure emulsion helps with inferior films. Thanks for watching!

[BabyBacon]

Great videos, one question thou. How do you make the ink stick? my ink tend to shrink and making it worthless to use. Dont think I can heat the plasticfilm to long either, got any tip?

[CatspitProductions]

Thank you! You just need to use the right film for your printer. When I make my own film, I use an inkjet film made for screen printers. See my websites Print Supplies page if you are interested in trying the film I use. Thanks for watching!

[CatspitProductions]

Thank you! I am not sure what type of film you are using but I can tell you that you must use a film made for printing through an inkjet printer otherwise the ink will not dry or if it does it will not be as good as film made for inkjet printers. When I make my own film, I use an inkjet film made for screen printers. See my websites Print Supplies page if you are interested in trying the film I use. Thanks for watching!

[rdloco]

man you the best explaining the screen printing! method

[CatspitProductions]

Thank you very much. Im glad you like my videos. Thanks for watching!

[thatstromguy]

Thank you so much for the tip on QTR. I really want to upgrade to an Epson/RIP setup, but the cost is more than prohibitive for my tiny operation. I am currently using a 13x19 HP inkjet. It works for most things, but I want to do more fine detail and eventually 4 color process, gotta have RIP!

[CatspitProductions]

You are welcome. Check out my blog entry in the Catspit Blog on the website. Its called; Film Output: How Big Did You Say You Wanted That?... from August 8th. You may find that an Epson printer is within your reach with the 1400. The blog is brand new since August 1st and will contain a lot of great information on my personal experiences plus updates and video releases. The Catspit Blog is definitely worth following. Thanks for the comment!

[daniellacatton]

Another Great Video, - Thanks.

[CatspitProductions]

Thanks so much! Thanks for watching!