Screen Printing Cheap



Screen Printing Cheap


make your own silk screen printing press
Screen Printing Cheap - make your own silk screen printing press

There is a big myth in the t-shirt world that you cannot do screen printing cheap.  Well from my experience that is totally FALSE!  I have manage to make do with mostly diy homemade silkscreen printing equipment, while maintaining a high quality product.

Most screen printers tend to oversell you on their products because if they were to tell you how inexpensive it can cost at times then they would quickly be out of business.  And the t-shirt printing business is a very competitive one.  Before I opened an account at a wholesale t-shirt supplier I was told by a local print shop that they could sell me t-shirts at $4 each.  That is double what I am able to procure my own shirts for.  

If I were to sell a screen printed t-shirt I would have to up the sale price by that difference and potentially price myself out of a sell.  And the screen printing shops know this so they can get rid of you as competition.
There are many ways of screen printing cheap if you take the time to learn how to construct your own screen printing equipment.  For example:

         make your own silk screen frame

         make your own silk screen printing press

         make your own squeegee

         make your own washout booth

         make your own vellum transparency paper

Screen Printing Cheap
Screen Printing Cheap - make your own silk screen frame
There are many more in addition to the items mentioned above that you can DIY.  No one said you had to accumulate $500 to $1000 in start-up money and then get started.  You can get started as easily as buying a couple of t-shirts, 4oz jar of black ink, and a single color press that you can make out of a few parts you have lying around the house.  A lot of people get into screen printing cheap this way.  They make a couple of designs and then they let everyone know that they screen print t-shirts.  

Once you take your first order then the money you receive can go into more supplies.  And with each additional order you upgrade to more profession silk screen equipment and more supplies.  Rinse and repeat until you are profitable.  In the t-shirt business that is fairly easy to achieve if you price your items correctly. 

Screen Printing Cheap
Screen Printing Cheap - make your own squeegee
I remember getting my first order for about $150 online before I even had all of shirts, ink, or silk screens I needed.  After buying a second ink color, material to make a few smaller screen printing frames, and the number of shirts for the order I still had a small profit.  I really didn't worry much about the profit I was concerned with getting more equipment out of the deal and screen printing supplies.  So when I received my next order I was already in the  It didn't cost me more than a few hundred dollars most of which came from customers.  

black and I just kept reinvesting in my t-shirt equipment until I had all of the items I needed to run efficiently and deliver a high quality product.

Screen Printing Cheap
Screen Printing Cheap
You have to learn to do more with less or do more with what you have.  There are tons of t-shirt makers who started out in their garage with a homemade silk screen press and have built 6-7 figure businesses out of it.  They didn't let the high cost of equipment keep them from being able to screen print cheap until they could afford the professional supplies.  And you shouldn't let that stop you.  Go get yourself the minimal amount of supplies and get started screen printing for cheap.



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Silk Screen Printing Process

Silk Screen Printing Process https://silkscreenprintingathome.blogspot.com
Silk Screen Printing Process


Silk screen printing at home is an awesome hobby or even business to get into.  The infographic above outlines the silk screen printing process.  It takes you through the various steps of how to do silk screen printing at home.  The process consists of 5 basic steps:

  1. Start With A Clean Silk Screen Printing Frame
    • Clean the silk screen with degreaser
    • Wash the silk screen thoroughly
    • Allow the silk screen to air dry
  2. Add Emulsion And Let It Dry
    • Squeegee emulsion onto the silk screen frame
    • Allow the silk screen frame to dry in a UV light safe place
  3.  Expose The Screen To A UV Light Source Or Use Sunlight
    • If using a UV light source place the film positive image reversed onto screen
    • Expose the image to a UV light source
    • If using the sun place image revered onto the screen
    • Place a clear piece of glass on top of the screen for pressure
    • Lay the screen outside in direct sunlight
  4.  Wash Out The Screen To Reveal Your Image
    • Remove the film positive image from the screen
    • Immediately wet the image and let the water soak the silk screen for 30 seconds
    • Rinse the image out with a pressure washer or a high pressure water hose
    • Use paper towels to remove excess water and allow the screen to air dry
  5. Add Ink To The Silk Screen And Print Your Design
    • Put the screen on your silk screen printing press
    • Add ink to the screen
    • Use a squeegee to press the ink through the screen onto your garment
    • Enjoy the fruits of all of your work