AboveCreations

Screen Print - What Vinyl details

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Hey folks.  I am new at all of this and I am considering moving into screen printing.  I've researched a bit and watched a few youtube videos, but none of them really give any details of what vinyl they use.  I am planning to do the shirt screen print.  I have some 631 vinyl.  Would that be ok for screen printing, or do you recommend something heavier or thicker?

Also, do you ever mix-match screen printed garments with something like Siser Easyweed?  That may look funky, I am not sure.  I ask that because if I am doing a bunch of screen print of say 2 color, but the customer wanted a person's name on the garment... kind of a hassle to setup a screen print for each name.  Just wondering how anyone handles something like that?  Thanks.

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Lots of shops do screen and then vinyl for names or other one off custom. 

I almost exclusively use Siser easy weed or the Stretch version. I would probably use stretch all the time but the color selection is more limited with the stretch. I have tried out any other types of HTV and found that the Siser is my favorite. The main reasons include the sticky backing which helps keep it aligned once I get it into position, the ability to hot peel which really speeds up production and the lighter feel than a lot of the other HTV out there. The stretch is really good for sports jerseys and stretch shirts since it will move with the shirt better than the regular. I also use the stretch on polo's if the color is available because the feel (called hand) is almost non existent and on hoodies because the stretch is tougher and will hold up a little longer. That's not saying that the regular doesn't last a long time but the stretch lasts even longer. 

 

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14 hours ago, AboveCreations said:

Hey folks.  I am new at all of this and I am considering moving into screen printing.  I've researched a bit and watched a few youtube videos, but none of them really give any details of what vinyl they use.  I am planning to do the shirt screen print.  I have some 631 vinyl.  Would that be ok for screen printing, or do you recommend something heavier or thicker?

Also, do you ever mix-match screen printed garments with something like Siser Easyweed?  That may look funky, I am not sure.  I ask that because if I am doing a bunch of screen print of say 2 color, but the customer wanted a person's name on the garment... kind of a hassle to setup a screen print for each name.  Just wondering how anyone handles something like that?  Thanks.

631 is repositional vinyl so you dont want that. use 651 or higher. using vinyl is good for block letters but not for that really detailed print. I use to use vinyl but stopped using it. I just use emulsion.

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Ok, 651.  As far as screen printing, I wasn't thinking anything too graphic and detailed.  And it would only be large orders.  I don't have any orders right now, I was just trying to research a bit in case... but I did want to screen print a few just to get my hands dirty.  Especially something like 2 color.

The emulsion looks like a big PITA.  Definitely too much work for large orders.  I was considering sublimation and their technology is getting pretty good, such as the Chrome HD for cotton.  But the expense is a bit too high for me for just practicing or making templates for a customer portfolio.  Thanks for your reply.

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It may be less hassle (and faster) to have someone else do the screen printing part and

you do the heat press customizing.

Sue2

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On ‎11‎/‎5‎/‎2016 at 9:09 AM, Sue2 said:

It may be less hassle (and faster) to have someone else do the screen printing part and

you do the heat press customizing.

Sue2

Not sure I follow what you mean.  Why would I pay someone else to do something I can do myself?

I've built a screen print work center with speedball screen print hinge clamps, a 16x17 plywood and a 2x4.  I got a couple of 110 speedball screens and ordered some speedball garment ink, however, I have read that the speedball garment ink is not commercial quality ink.  Can some one give me some ideas of quality commercial ink for fabrics for screen printing?

Just a note.  We normally do Siser Easyweed for most small jobs.  But the weeding can be a hassle if there are more than a few.  We don't do multi-color too much.  So a screen print setup would benefit us for large orders such as clubs, schools, etc.

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1 hour ago, AboveCreations said:

Not sure I follow what you mean.  Why would I pay someone else to do something I can do myself?

I've built a screen print work center with speedball screen print hinge clamps, a 16x17 plywood and a 2x4.  I got a couple of 110 speedball screens and ordered some speedball garment ink, however, I have read that the speedball garment ink is not commercial quality ink.  Can some one give me some ideas of quality commercial ink for fabrics for screen printing?

Just a note.  We normally do Siser Easyweed for most small jobs.  But the weeding can be a hassle if there are more than a few.  We don't do multi-color too much.  So a screen print setup would benefit us for large orders such as clubs, schools, etc.

I considered a screen print station but work from my house with lots of kids so decided against the potential mess. What I have turned to for screen print orders is F&M Expressions. For single color jobs they have a $0.15 & $0.20 program that would be hard to beat doing it yourself. My worry about cobbling something together was quality. Screen isn't known for being as tough as some other processes but a BAD job could ruin my reputation and I didn't want to take that chance. The biggest up-side now that I am a regular user is that it basically increases my output potential. I get the artwork built and sent off to them and usually get the product back in about a week; meanwhile I am cranking out HTV and embroidery work the whole time. When the transfers come they go on super fast at a 7 second dwell time and the result is I have drastically increased my years production. I end up making more money with less effort, zero mess and a quality product that I can rely on. 

I'm not trying to sell their product on you or talk you out of doing your own just giving my own experience. 

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18 hours ago, Wildgoose said:

I'm not trying to sell their product on you or talk you out of doing your own just giving my own experience. 

Ok... I am certainly open to advice or suggestions.  When the other person simply said have someone else do it (without explanation), first thing that popped into my head was cost.

I looked at the F&M Expressions and unfortunately I don't see any kind of help pages.  Am I understanding that they only charge .15/.20 for a custom one color job.  What do you actually get?  A vinyl like easyweed which you have to weed, then apply or what.... sorry, I am not understanding.  Even when I select one of their stock heat transfer selection, it doesn't tell me what exactly I get.

I have considered the screen print setup to eliminate the weeding of large jobs.  If I have to weed a large order from them, I think I'll stick to the screen print setup.  Otherwise I am interested in knowing more.

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6 hours ago, AboveCreations said:

Ok... I am certainly open to advice or suggestions.  When the other person simply said have someone else do it (without explanation), first thing that popped into my head was cost.

I looked at the F&M Expressions and unfortunately I don't see any kind of help pages.  Am I understanding that they only charge .15/.20 for a custom one color job.  What do you actually get?  A vinyl like easyweed which you have to weed, then apply or what.... sorry, I am not understanding.  Even when I select one of their stock heat transfer selection, it doesn't tell me what exactly I get.

I have considered the screen print setup to eliminate the weeding of large jobs.  If I have to weed a large order from them, I think I'll stick to the screen print setup.  Otherwise I am interested in knowing more.

On their single color cheap program you pay a set up fee of either $22 or $25 to build your screen and then the $0.1/0.20 cents per sheet. They screen your art onto a piece of release paper (they mirror for you) and you just press them with high pressure at the appropriate temp depending on which formula you choose. Basically the same thing you see at spring events where you pic a hoodie or shirt and have them put something on for you. The results feel smooth very much like HTV but a little thicker. The athletic is what I use most and it is surprisingly resilient.

To see more pertinent info click the Upload Your Artwork button on the left and it will open up a page that you can sort through all the various options. Their website is a little different and takes some getting used to. 

If you are doing enough shirts to make the set up fee spread out effectively it is a REALLY cheap option. I offer it on most of the simple one color jobs and have used multi color varieties too. Once you step away from single colors then it switches to gang sheets and you have to crunch the numbers to see what the best price option works out to be. I just did 300 4 color shirt fronts for under $1.60/ea using their Freedom formula. Three per xl sheet on 100 sheets. 

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Yes, I placed a small order with the discounted one-color program just to try it out.  Their website is a bit hard to get use to.  I think it is a modified wordpress tho.  Anyway, I decided to check out a 2 color 9x6 graph and after uploading the .jpeg, the screen was kinda stuck and gave no options to move on.  Then I finally figured out to highlight the picture and a little window appeared bottom-right... you had to order 8 or more and each was about $11 a pc.  Whew!  a bit high for me.  Hopefully the one-color works out... but 2 or more color, guess I'll revert to Siser or screen print.  Thanks again for the assistance and advice.

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Oh!  I have one more question.   You mention about the temperature and formula, but I searched their website and can not find any reference for that.  Can you give me some idea for a heat press setting (temp & time) for their transfers?  For Siser, I follow what is recommended from the manufacturer of 305 degrees for 15 seconds.  Depending on the material, I usually add a few seconds of a second press.  Then peel.  If I see anything not bonding, I usually re-position the item and press again for a few seconds.

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4 hours ago, AboveCreations said:

Yes, I placed a small order with the discounted one-color program just to try it out.  Their website is a bit hard to get use to.  I think it is a modified wordpress tho.  Anyway, I decided to check out a 2 color 9x6 graph and after uploading the .jpeg, the screen was kinda stuck and gave no options to move on.  Then I finally figured out to highlight the picture and a little window appeared bottom-right... you had to order 8 or more and each was about $11 a pc.  Whew!  a bit high for me.  Hopefully the one-color works out... but 2 or more color, guess I'll revert to Siser or screen print.  Thanks again for the assistance and advice.

That service isn't made to be very profitable when you're only doing a few shirts.   HTV is the way to go there.  BUT

If you have 50 shirts then its a great way to go.  With 50 shirts I can be completely done start to finish with only investing 2 hours into it. That's like a 5+ hour job with HTV.  

Not as much cash in you pocket but you're also not spending tons of hours doing the order either.  

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On 2/19/2017 at 6:29 PM, SeeJaysPlace said:

you do not use vinyl for screen printing.. 

 

You can seejay use vinyl to screenprint. I do it all the time for small orders. Mainly with slogans.. I use 651 and cut out the image then weed the letters out leaving the negative and use the Oracle as tape instead of wasting other tape.

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5 hours ago, djque said:

You can seejay use vinyl to screenprint. I do it all the time for small orders. Mainly with slogans.. I use 651 and cut out the image then weed the letters out leaving the negative and use the Oracle as tape instead of wasting other tape.

you can but it sucks.. i would never do it 

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