silkscreening

Ok here we go.

First you must have a positive image to make the screen mask from. You prep the screen by coating/filling it with a photo sensitive chemical and allowed to dry in the dark. You then develop it with the positive image, this bakes on the exposed portion of the screen. You then wash out the un-fixed chemicals and once the screen is dried it is ready for use. This is simply a matter of placing the screen on the surface you want to print on and using a squeegee pressing ink through the open portion of the screen to form your image. The screen can be reused dozens of times before the mask starts wearing down.

This is the simplest way I can explain it. Keep in mind that each color will require a separate screen. I only print in mono-tone because layering colors is tricky and in my case unnecessary. See my site for examples of printing on both felt and wood.

As for cost having a cloth board is significantly cheaper in my case than a card board and paper one. They are two different things all together and are hard to compare. If you’re looking to work in full color this is not an option I would recommend.