®

Screen Printing Instructions

Instrucciones de serigrafía

Instructions de sérigraphie

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 Screen Printing Instructions
for Jacquard Screen Ink Printing Kit and Versatex Screen Printing Kit

Silk screen printing is a form of stenciling. It has a long history and has been traditionally used by the textile industry
and commercially for poster reproduction. The process involves a piece of fabric mesh tightly stretched over a wood or metal
frame. The fabric originally was silk, but more durable polyester is commonly used today. A stencil is applied to the screen
by various methods. One of the easiest and most versatile methods to create the image in the screen is with photo emulsion.
After making the screen, the inks are pulled over the stencil image with the squeegee, leaving your image deposited on fabric
or other surface. This kit provides what you need to create your own screened prints with this traditional technique.
KIT CONTENTS:
10” x 14” screen
ADDITIONAL SUPPLIES NEEDED AND/OR HELPFUL:
inkjet or laser printer or copier (for printing on acetate)
®
9” squeegee glass or plexiglas (to lay over image while exposing screen)
3 colors of screen inks incandescent, photoflood, or fluorescent light bulb set in a
3 sheets of acetate/imaging film reflector shop light (or sunlight to expose screen)
photo emulsion rags or towels (for clean up)
diazo sensitizer water hose with spray nozzle (to spray out screen)
instruction booklet water resistant masking or duct tape (to mask edges of screen)
stir stick

1. Prepare your image.

There are many ways of preparing an image for making a screen. We have provided the easiest and fastest way in this kit
along with other options. Printing on the acetate is as easy as printing on paper.
A. Print a positive of your image.
a. A positive is an opaque image on a transparent acetate or film. The positive is the image that prints. It is usually pre-
pared as a black and white image on paper. When printed on the acetate, the black image is printed and the white
areas remain transparent. Your image can be a line drawing, photograph, or block design. Any gray areas in your
image will not be exposed properly in the screen. Adjust the contrast so that there is only black against white. The
black areas of your design will be the open areas in your screen and will result in what is printed on your surface.
The size of the image must fit on an 8 ½” x 11” sheet.
b. Print a test copy of your image out on a piece of paper first.
Set printer or copier for best quality print. If your printer
has a setting for transparencies, you might get better results
with that. Make a positive of your image by copying or
printing it onto the provided acetate. Be sure to use the ap-
propriate side for inkjet or laser printers or copiers. Check
to make sure that your image is completely opaque. You
should not be able to see any light through the black areas
of the image. Cut the white strip off of the acetate after
printing.
B. Draw or paint directly onto the acetate.
a. Use a marker, ink or paint to directly apply your design to the acetate. Experiment in a corner to see which side of
the acetate works best.
b. Make sure that the medium you use is opaque on the acetate. Let dry completely before exposing screen.
C. Paper stencil.
a. With scissors or exacto knife, cut out a design in the paper. Use a heavier opaque paper like construction paper or
cardstock.
b. You will not need the provided acetate for this method.

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 D. Collage.
a. With this method, you will lay objects directly onto the sensitized screen to create a design.
b. The objects you use should be opaque and you will not need the provided acetate for this method.

2. Mix emulsion and apply to screen.

a. Fill the diazo bottle with water and shake until the powder is mixed. Pour all of the diazo sensitizer into the emulsion
and stir to mix thoroughly. Let the emulsion mixture stand for 1 to 2 hours before coating the screen. Once the sensi-
tizer is mixed into the emulsion it will have a limited shelf life of up to 6 months dependent on conditions. Keep it in
the black container and store in a dark cool place. Refrigeration will help to extend the shelf life.
b. With a screen that is clean and dry, pour a line of the sensitized emul-
sion along the bottom outside of the screen. Squeegee the emulsion
on evenly.You may have to work on both sides of the screen. You want
to have a thin, even coat of emulsion. Do not leave any drips and re-
turn any excess emulsion to the bottle. Lay the screen flat to dry in a
dark place away from any light and heat. A fan in the drying area will
greatly speed up the drying time. Screen should remain away from
light and heat until it is ready to be exposed. Coated screen should be
exposed within 48 hours.

3. Expose the screen.

a. Set up everything you need to expose your screen before you take your
screen out of the dark. You’ll need your image on the acetate, a light
source, and a piece of glass or plexiglas. For a light source you can use an incandescent, fluorescent or photoflood bulb
set in a reflector shop light or bright sunlight. Using sunlight can be a bit more unpredictable depending on location,
time of year and weather. If you do choose to try exposing the screen with sunlight, it is best to do so at mid-day when
the sun is most directly overhead.
b. Take the coated screen out of the dark. Lay the acetate image onto the screen. Cen-
ter the image on the screen. Be sure that if you have text or an image that is direc-
tional it will read correctly from the inside of the screen. A piece of clear and clean
plexiglas or glass laid on top of the acetate will help keep the image flat and in
close contact with the screen. Place screen directly under light source on top of a
non-reflective surface. Exact exposure time will depend on how thickly coated the
screen is (a thinner emulsion will expose faster than a thicker one), the distance
of the light source from the screen, and the strength of the light source. When the
screen is properly exposed the areas where your image is will appear lighter in the
screen than the other areas.
Here are some general guidelines for various light sources. These bulbs and
the reflector shop light are readily available at any hardware store.

Distance from
Light source Exposure time
screen
200 watt incandescent 24 inches 22-25 minutes
150 watt incandescent 24 inches 30-33 minutes
100 watt indoor flood 18 inches 50-55 minutes
60 watt indoor fluorescent 18 inches 45-48 minutes
sunlight 10-15 seconds

c. After exposing the screen, remove glass and acetate. Quickly spray the screen using cool water, gently at first, then be-
coming more forceful. After a little while, the light areas where your positive image was should wash out leaving your
image in the screen.
d. After screen has dried, hold it up to the light to see if there are any areas that need be filled in. If there are areas that need

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 to be filled in, paint a little of the sensitized emulsion onto the screen, let dry in the dark as before, and then expose to
light. Let the screen cure for a bit in the sun or under a light until it dries.

4. Masking sides of screen.

a. Taping will help prevent ink from leaking through the areas where
the screen fabric and the wood frame meet while printing. This will
help to keep the edges of your print clean. On the inside of the screen,
fold the tape in half lengthwise and place half of the tape on the screen
and half on the wood frame. Continue all along the inside of the
frame.
b. On the outside of the frame, match up the tape edges from the in-
side and lay tape half over the screen and half over the frame. Burnish
the tape with spoon for the best adhesion.
c. If you are only doing a few prints, instead of taping the screen, you
may want to lay strips of paper under the edges of your screen.

5. Screen print.
a. The Versatex Screen kit is primarily formulated for use on fabric or paper. Jac-
quard Screen Inks work on paper, fabric, vinyl, leather and other non-porous
materials. For paper, you will want the paper to be on a hard work surface. For
fabric, a slightly cushioned surface works better.
b. Place screen on top of the paper or fabric. Pour or spoon the ink in a line across
the top of your screen. Do not put ink onto the open area of your screen where
your image is.

c. Holding the squeegee at a

45 degree angle, pull the line
of ink across the image. It may
take a little experimenting to
find the correct amount of
pressure when screening the
ink. You may want to have
someone else hold the screen down while you are squeegeeing so that
the screen does not slip or move. You can also make another pass, now
going in the other direction.

6. Clean up.
a. After you are done screen-printing, remove any ink that is left over in the screen. This ink can be saved.
b. Don’t let the screen dry with any ink left in it. Immediately wash out with water using a spray nozzle.
c. Wash squeegee and all other utensils with water.

7. Heat set.
a. For screen prints on fabric, inks must be heat set. After the print has dried thoroughly, iron on reverse side for 1 minute
at appropriate fabric setting. Keep the iron moving.
b. For screen prints on other surfaces that are not to be washed, no heat setting is required. Let dry completely. Inks will
continually get harder over the next couple of days.

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8. Reclaiming the screen.
To reuse your screen, you can remove the photo emulsion from the screen after it has been exposed.
a. With the screen lying horizontally in a sink, lay paper towels on both sides.
b. Pour a mixture of half bleach and half water solution over the paper towels. Let soak for a while to let the photo
emulsion soften. Scrub the screen gently with a brush or scrubber sponge to remove all emulsion. Rinse and dry
thoroughly before reapplying emulsion.

9. Tips and Troubleshooting.

a. Pre-wash any fabrics that you will be printing on to remove any sizings.
b. For t-shirts, put foam board or papers inside the shirt so that the ink does not bleed to the other side of the shirt.
c. If the photo emulsion won’t adhere to the screen, wash the screen with warm water and a little dishwasher powder. Let
dry completely and try again.
d. If too much emulsion washes out, possible causes:
• the screen was not exposed long enough.
• the water pressure was too forceful or too hot in the wash out.
• the screen was not completely dry before exposing.
e. If the emulsion won’t wash out of the image areas:
• artwork was not opaque on the acetate.
• the screen was exposed too long.
• image was not completely flat against the screen.
• the screen was placed on a reflective surface while exposing.
• the screen was exposed to too much light and/or heat before exposure with artwork.
• wash out was incomplete.

Jacquard Screen Inks and Versatex Screen Inks are available in a 4 oz. and 16 oz. size and in the following colors:
Jacquard Screen Inks Versatex Screen Inks
JSI 100 Clear Extender JSI 117 Black VPI 300 Clear Extender VPI 324 Ultra Blue
JSI 101 Yellow JSI 118 White VPI 301 Yellow VPI 326 Navy Blue
JSI 102 Golden Yellow JSI 119 Sup. Op. White VPI 302 Gold Yellow VPI 327 Violet
JSI 103 Orange JSI 120 Gold VPI 303 Orange VPI 328 Black
JSI 104 Red JSI 121 Solar Gold VPI 304 Scarlet VPI 330 Silver Lace
JSI 105 Bright Red JSI 122 Silver VPI 305 Red VPI 331 Gold
JSI 106 Scarlet JSI 123 Copper VPI 306 Bright Red VPI 332 Bronze
JSI 107 Magenta VPI 308 Rubine VPI 333 Copper
JSI 108 Violet VPI 309 Magenta VPI 338 Flourescent Yellow
JSI 109 Sky Blue VPI 311 Ochre VPI 339 Flourescent Blue
JSI 110 Royal Blue VPI 313 Umber VPI 343 Hot Pink
JSI 111 Blue VPI 314 Brown VPI 345 Opaque White
JSI 112 Navy VPI 315 Yellow Green VPI 346 Super Opaque White
JSI 113 Turquoise VPI 316 Green VPI 347 Pearl
JSI 114 Yellow Green VPI 319 Turquoise
JSI 115 Green VPI 320 Sky Blue
JSI 116 Brown VPI 321 Blue
VPI 322 Royal Blue

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