Blog - Screen Printing

Thermal Screens or Thermofaxes are a great alternative to exposed silkscreens. They are made using a Perspex frame stretched with RISO digital screen mesh. The design is transferred to the me...

Screen printing is a wonderful technique where ink is forced through mesh that has been stretched onto a frame. The best way to do this is using a screen and squeegee but you can also have a go using materials you might have around the house! Scroll to the bottom to watch a video or read on...

We have found Zest It Printmakers Washdown an incredibly useful addition to our studio. It’s designed to remove dried on acrylics and so far has got us out of a couple of scrapes. Here are a few ways to use it in your studio: Removing dried on water-based relief printing inks from rollers, blocks and …

Making exposed screens is a fantastic way of creating screen prints from your bespoke artwork. If you’d like to make exposed screens at home but would rather skip the digital processes then we have a great way of creating screen films with analogue methods! For detailed advice about exposing your own screens at home, head …

Using Drawing Fluid and Screen Filler can create a semi-permanent design on a screen, allowing you to print multiples of your design without stencils, over several sessions if you like. This is not a photographic technique so there’s no need for a light source, a computer or a dark space. This makes it accessible to …

Usually when you’re screen printing you have to use a different layer for each colour. By using a split fountain we can create a single layer screen print with multiple colours! It’s so easy. Scroll down to watch a video or read on. Set your screen up ready to be printed. You can use a …

Like many others over the past year, I have been working on a lot of my printmaking projects at home. However, being limited on space doesn’t stop me from trying new things. In this blog post, I will be sharing how I exposed a screen at home in my tiny bedroom! You can adapt this …

These cutout snowflakes make the perfect paper stencils for a screen printed card. Layered up with silver ink, these cards are so Christmassy, we couldn’t stop printing them! To make a snowflake, start with a small square of paper. Fold in half diagonally and then half again. Fold the left side towards the middle and …

Printmaking with metallics can add a real pop to your designs. There are a few different options to choose from when screen printing with metallics: pre-mixed metallic ink, metallic powder and textile foils. We’ve made this project using all three methods to show you the advantages of each one. We cut three paper stencils: one … Continue reading "Screen Printing Metallics: Ink, Powder or Foil?"

Mylar film is an extremely useful addition to your printmaking kit. It can be used to mask off areas when relief printing, as registration plastic for screen printing or even used to make stencils. In this project, we use mylar film to make a registration device and a mask for screen printing. Mylar film can … Continue reading "Setting up a Hinged Board for Screen Printing and Printing Using a Mylar Film Stencil"

Print maker and illustrator Tom Frost graduated from Falmouth College of Arts in 2001 returning to his hometown of Bristol to work as an illustrator for a number of years. He now divides his time between print making, restoring his tired Georgian house in rural Wales and raising a young family. In recent years he … Continue reading "Meet the Maker: Tom Frost"

We are really pleased to add rose gold to our textile foil collection. Foils add an extra shine to fabrics and work particularly well on dark coloured cloth. Read on for an easy screen printing foil project. Start by cutting a paper stencil. 80gsm copy paper works perfectly – this is a great use of … Continue reading "Rose Gold Textile Foil"

This week’s blog post has been created with Sophie, our fantastic work experience student! Over this past week, I have been doing work experience. It has been an amazing opportunity and I have leant some great new skills. Yesterday I tried screen printing, I drew out my own designs which I used in three different … Continue reading "Screen Printing onto Fabric with Translucent Colours"

Mono-screen printing is a great way of loosening up your printing style and producing a series of quick, spontaneous prints. Use as a standalone technique or in conjunction with photographic exposed screens, paper stencils and more. We are using a screen that has been exposed using photo emulsion to leave an open rectangle of mesh … Continue reading "Mono-Screen Printing"

Shirley’s star garland is a beautiful and colourful addition to your home this Christmas! Begin with several sheets of stars – print Shirley’s star template A4 page here. This long garland used 8 sheets of stars. Use whatever paper that can go through your printer – Shirley is using Kent which is thin enough to … Continue reading "Handprinted Christmas Project: Shirley’s Star Garland"

One of the great things about printmaking is that one design can be used to create a whole edition of prints. That being said, editioning is something that some printmakers can find frustrating if you just want to get on with the next design! Knowing how to edition, sign and number your prints can be … Continue reading "Editioning Prints"

There are many objects that can be gathered from around the house to add to your printmaking kit! Here are some of our favourite alternative uses for easily found objects that we use in the studio every day!  Use clips on your hinged screen for an easy squeegee rest: Securing two large clips to your …

Using a hinged board to screen print onto paper is a game changer. It allows you to register layered prints and print in identical editions. Here’s how we made our latest batch of A2 hinged boards in the studio: You will need a board at least the same width and slightly longer than your screen...

Making your own inks for screen printing onto fabric is an economical way to get a wide range of colours exactly to your specifications. The mixed inks will leave the fabric soft and washable. Here’s how to mix them: Start with Fabric Screen Printing Binder. This is a colourless screen printing medium and will form the … Continue reading "How to Mix Pigment and Binder to Screen Print onto Fabric"

Having a fabric printing pad makes a huge difference when you’re printing at home or in the studio. When screen printing or block printing onto fabrics, it helps to have slight padding underneath your printing surface to ensure you get an even print. You can also pin out fabric to the pad. We use these …