another screen printing question...?

Question

how do I go about getting a design transferred to a sheet of acetate (transparencies) in order to use the photo emulsion technique?? please explain in explicit detail as possible.

Answer 1

I know this may be overly simply but just take to a screen printing shop and have then put your image in the screen for you. It will cost some money but it will be done right.

As to directly answer your question laser print it onto a transparency. The stronger the light you use to shoot the screen, cure the emulsion, the more opaque the transparency needs to be.

Answer 2

If it can be printed by a printer, you can get printable transparencies at your local Office Depot and such. If bigger than that, you'll most likely have to get it printed at a Kinko's if you don't have the necessary equipment. However, you can also just get your design xeroxed on regular printing paper (of which you can make giant xeroxes in a Kinko's as well which is much cheaper than getting a same size acetate print) and then brushed with baby oil in order to make it translucent (though this may only work if you have a professional exposing unit since I haven't tried but friends say it's worked with a homemade halogen bulb "exposing unit (ie clamped light over a table)").

If all else fails, simply trace the design on the acetate itself freehand. Just make sure you get a true black ink (Sharpies aren't as dark and tend to leave a lot of holes when exposed). Though if you don't mind the more "drawn" quality with the print, china markers work really well with acetate.

Also look into rubylithe if you're doing color separation.

Here's a site that shows you step by step as well:
http://www.fecalface.com/SF/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=118&Itemid=52

Answer 3

If you already have the image you can have it reproduced onto the acetate. Traditionally it is done through photo reproduction using a large camera (that a print shop would have). You could Xerox it, but the image may not be solid black enough to keep the emulsion under the black parts from setting. You could also transfer it by hand.