How to Screen Print with Craft Vinyl
All THE EQUIPMENT YOU WILL NEED
We love using our Vinyl printing kit, it contains all you will need to create a vinyl stencil.
- Squeegee
- Screen
- Black Waterbased Ink
- Yellow Scraper
- wooden sticks
- Craft Vinyl
- Transfer Tape
OPTIONAL
- Hinges or a hinge board kit
- Squand Squeegee Stand
- Goop scoop
- Eco Cleaning products
- Heat Gun
- A Vinyl cutter
STEP 1
CUT THE VINYL DESIGN
Design and cut your vinyl with your vinyl cutter, you can also cut this by hand with a craft knife if you don’t have a vinyl cutter.
We use a stencil that we drew in Procreate and cut around using a craft knife for this demo.
STEP 2
WEED THE DESIGN AND APPLY THE TRANSFER TAPE
Carefully weed your design then put transfer tape on top of the vinyl and remove the paper backing.
STEP 3
PUT THE DESIGN ON YOUR SCREEN
Place the frame face down on a firm surface and apply your vinyl design in the centre of the mesh screen on the back side of the frame (the side that touches the shirt). Putting the design on the back of the screen keeps the vinyl from peeling up while pulling the squeegee over the design.
STEP 4
PEEL THE TRANSFER TAPE AWAY
After you get the design smoothly applied to the screen, carefully peel the transfer tape away.
Once you get the transfer tape off the vinyl, Clear low Tack tape to cover the open areas of the screen, if you have any to prevent the ink transferring on to your garment.
This is where screen printing becomes more economical (and time saving) than iron-on vinyl (HTV). HTV can get expensive when doing a bunch of shirts. With screen printing, you can reuse the same stencil over and over.
Place the screen on to your garment.
STEP 5
SPREAD AND SQUEEGEE THE INK.
Spread a spoonful of ink across the top of the screen above the design and squeegee the ink over the design by pressing down firmly and pulling toward you.
water based inks are the key to making screen printing at home possible. You don’t have to worry about getting them on your skin and can be washed down the sink when your finished. You also don’t require any fancy equipment to cure the ink, they can be cured simply with a hot iron.
REVEAL YOUR FINISHED PRINT