Stencil-Cut Screenprinting

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Supplies• screenprinting station (large board, at 2’ x 2’ with hinged clamps to hold the screens

•silkscreen with wood frames covered with duct tape

•masking tape and duct tape

•white contact paper

•sharpie

•scissors and an exact-o knife

•squeegie large enough for your silkscreen (1/screen)

•manilla paper or newsprint; actetate or a large piece of lamination (large enough to go under your screen - this helps with registration)

• screenprinting ink

•palette knife or spatula

Cutting the stencil

1. Use either a light box, light table, or a window to trace your image onto a piece of contact paper. You want the white side of the contact paper touching the drawing. Retrace your drawing with a sharpie

2. Using an exact-o knife, cut out your stencil. It is best to create a design that has few or no areas that are not attached to the main contact paper. 

3. The positive part of the image is what you are removing. You want to keep the negative portion to apply to the silkscreen.

Cutting the Stencil

4. Gently remove the backing of your contact paper. 

5. Press the contact paper to the flat bottom of the silkscreen. The frame side up is the top.

6. Use duct tape to cover any gaps on the bottom you might have between the contact paper and the edge of the frame.

The Inking Station

Plywood board2 Hinges (Printmaking Hinges can be purchased or you can use regular door hinges and

clamps)

Check the Squeegie!

Make sure your squeegie is large enough to fit the image.

You want a squeegie that will allow you to make one singlepass, not multiple passes.

Acetate is for Registration

Screw your frame into the hinges of your printing station. 

Make sure your flat side is on the bottom.

In this picture, you can see a piece of acetate over a piece of paper. Just tape one side of the acetate. The taped side will work like a hinge.

It will be used to register the screen for the paper and for using multiple screens for printing more than one color.

CHARGE!Charge the screen before you print. Use a palette knife to make a well across the top of the screen near the clamps. Don't lower the screen yet. Hold it above the printing surface. You can place a roll of masking tape under the edge of the screen near the clamps to help hold it in place while you charge it.

Holding your squeegie at a 45º angle, make several passes to fill up the print area with ink. 

If it seems like your screen is clogging up, then gently massage the screen by rubbing with the squeegie in the clogged area.

Once the screen is charged, it is time to lower the screen and print with a single 45º pass of the squeegie.

Ink Consistency

Print once onto the acetate.

You want your printing ink to be the consistency of a very thick milkshake.

Too thin and it will leak around the stencil.

Use water to think it down, or you can use screen printing acrylic extender base.

Setting the Acetate

Use the printed acetate to check your stencil and to help register your paper.

Tape down the corners of the white paper with masking tape - or make an L-shape to show where to place the corners of the paper.

Almost there!

Lower the acetate to make sure the paper is in the right area for printing.

Ready to Print

Lift the acetate away and fold it down on its hinges of masking tape.

Charge your screen.

Lower the screen and print.

Yeah it works!

With every pass you want to bring the excess ink back to the well at the top.

Scoop and tap the excess into the well.

Charge and Print Again!!