Ever wonder how your favorite shirt was printed? TCP stopped by Jüpmode and Reddish Printing to try our hand at silk screening. We were surprised how a complex science makes for a relatively easy process. Not only was it very interesting to learn, but silk screening was also a really fun experience, especially with cool guys like John Amato and Max Reddish.
Step 1
A blank silk screen is covered in a water-soluable, photo-sensitive emulsion.
Step 2
A design is printed on a transparency or tracing paper and placed onto the silk screen. There is a transparency for every ink color. The screen is then exposed to UV light, hardening the emulsion everywhere except the parts covered by the design.
Step 3
The screen is hosed off, removing the emulsion that was covered by the design. Now ink will only filter through the design.
Step 4
The screen is attached to a press. A style of shirt along with the color of ink is selected. Amato and Reddish each use a plastisol ink which, when hardened, grips the individual strands of fabric making a more durable print. The shirt is placed under the press and ink is pulled with a squeegee-type tool to cover the entire design. Then the excess ink is wiped away, leaving a wet print on the shirt. This part of the process may be repeated according to the number of colors selected and complexity of the design.
Step 5
Now the printed shirt is placed in an industrial dryer (like a pizza oven!) to dry and harden and when it drops out, you’re ready to put it on and show off your Toledo pride!