Tee DIY

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iamthesunset
Posts: 178
Joined: July 15th, 2011, 3:43 pm
Location: Coventry, United Kingdom

Tee DIY

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I've been thinking about this for a while now, and it occured to me to ask on here if anyone knows the best way of getting some kind of set-up so i could print some t-shirts at home. I've got some designs done, and i think it goes without saying that i don't really want to go down the route of just buying a shit-load of blank t-shirts and print off some iron-on transfers. I've done a bit of research and there are plenty of places that would do it for me if i send over the graphics, but i kinda wanted to walk the road alone if you get me.

I'm not exaclty looking to start a business venture here, i just wanted to begin by doing it for myself and a few friends. Maybe even stick a few on here if people are into the designs. But yeah, the cheaper the better really, but without resorting to a £2 shirt from primark and a biro pen. ;)

Thanks.
teacake
Posts: 187
Joined: July 24th, 2011, 4:08 am
Location: Seattle, WA.

Re: Tee DIY

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Iron ons can sometimes look really odd, especially on dark tees.

Have you considered silkscreen printing them? Making a DIY rig isn't that hard these days, not too expensive either.
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iamthesunset
Posts: 178
Joined: July 15th, 2011, 3:43 pm
Location: Coventry, United Kingdom

Re: Tee DIY

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teacake wrote:Iron ons can sometimes look really odd, especially on dark tees.

Have you considered silkscreen printing them? Making a DIY rig isn't that hard these days, not too expensive either.
To be honest, that's exactly what i've been considering. I was wondering if anyone had any pointers for getting that kind of thing set up. I'm not google-tarded (at least i don't think i am!), but so far on my search i have come up empty.
teacake
Posts: 187
Joined: July 24th, 2011, 4:08 am
Location: Seattle, WA.

Re: Tee DIY

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I'll look around. I remember sitting on a tutorial for a while...
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∆AIMON
Posts: 127
Joined: February 1st, 2011, 6:15 am

Re: Tee DIY

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I do DIY screen-printing. Let me know if you have any specific questions, otherwise I recommend tracking down a local shop that sells screens and ink. Art stores generally sell Speedball brand equipment but I personally feel it's unnecessarily expensive. A local shop that stretches mesh will have a larger amount of options for cheaper as well as be able to offer expertise on whatever project you have in mind. In brief: I highly recommend starting out with one color (either black ink on a white shirt or vice versa), get the smallest size screen that will work for the image you want to do, depending on the image you will get better results for t-shirts but slightly less detail with a larger mesh weight (i.e. 110-160 tpi), I suggest a pre-mixed direct emulsion, apply the emulsion to the screen in a dark room and leave it to dry flat for 24 hrs in darkness (a closet shelf will usually work but put some newspaper under and elevate the screen with something in the corners).
You'll have to google how to prep the image on a transparency and go about exposing the emulsion on the screen but major tips are to buy a floodlight and socket set that you can hover over the screen while it's exposing and use a piece of glass from a frame that covers the entire image to hold the transparency down rather than just tape (it may take practice and a few failed exposures before getting good at this part). The unexposed parts of the emulsion get washed off in a bathtub or whatever (start with cold water and gradually change to hot once the image has washed out) and then you just need to practice running the ink through the screen with a squeegee. That will definitely take a few tries so start off with cheap shirts.
Hope that helps and isn't too overly explanatory. Let me know if you run into any specific problems, but I genuinely love doing screen art and think it's an amazing skill to have. Good luck!
teacake
Posts: 187
Joined: July 24th, 2011, 4:08 am
Location: Seattle, WA.

Re: Tee DIY

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There's also the super easy freezer paper stencil method that allows you to bypass the light-sensative emulsion business. But it all depends on how complex your design is.
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∆AIMON
Posts: 127
Joined: February 1st, 2011, 6:15 am

Re: Tee DIY

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teacake wrote:There's also the super easy freezer paper stencil method that allows you to bypass the light-sensative emulsion business. But it all depends on how complex your design is.
yes, very true. it's definitely simpler and easier to do. keep in mind it does have a lot of limitations though, but if you're looking to stencil some art onto a shirt, the freezer paper method is a really great suggestion to keep in mind!
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zin
ɅDM†N
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Joined: May 13th, 2010, 1:24 pm

Re: Tee DIY

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∆A - can we see some of your tees ?
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∆AIMON
Posts: 127
Joined: February 1st, 2011, 6:15 am

Re: Tee DIY

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Right now the only ∆AIMON related shirts are the logo tees available at our BigCartel page:
http://aaimon.bigcartel.com/product/aimon-logo-t-shirt

I'll try to take some pictures soon of the general art related shirts I've done...
I will post them here when I get a chance.
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iamthesunset
Posts: 178
Joined: July 15th, 2011, 3:43 pm
Location: Coventry, United Kingdom

Re: Tee DIY

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@∆AIMON - Thanks man. No, it wasn't over-explanatory at all. The more detail the better and that's definitely provided me with some questions to ask some places once i find some that are local. I'm not exactly well-off right now as far as my finances go, so i've got time to get some research done whilst i save up. Thanks again.

@teacake - Thanks to you too, squire. Any pointers on the freezer paper stencil method? That went straight over my head, and i'll betray my ignorance and say that i have never heard of that before in my life. Haha. If it's cheaper though, i'm game to try it out.

Thanks again people.
teacake
Posts: 187
Joined: July 24th, 2011, 4:08 am
Location: Seattle, WA.

Re: Tee DIY

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I'm having trouble finding the tut I was using a while back, but the method I prefer (when using adhesive freezer paper anyway) is to cut the design out of the freezer paper, and to stick it on the side of my screen that has contact with the shirt. Then I just print like normal with screen printing acrylic and a squeegee. When I'm done I just peel off the freezer paper and wash out the screen.

I use this method when I don't have access to photo emulsion, a light safe area, and/or an exposure table. But it's a very limiting substitute. The stencil can't withstand larger runs (mine tend to start falling apart after I've printed them about 20 times) and while you can still get away with large "islands" (shapes that are floating in space) in your designs, smaller ones can be problematic and in general I tend to stick with designs that don't go outside the limitations of normal spray-paint stencils; ei. no islands.

I also have a friend who uses a type of photo emulsion that cures in the sun, but I've never gotten around to trying it out myself.
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