Complicated screen print techniques?

Question

When you screen print shirts, what techniques do you use for complicated designs when a stencil is just not viable? I have some more intricate designs I need to do and a stencil is just not efficient enough in any way.

Answer 1

This answer presupposes you understand the basics of screen process printing.

Each print (color) in a multicolor screen print must be done separately. You will need a screen for each impression. A commercial shop has a press with up to six printers, each with a different color. The real difficulty is in keeping the shirt from moving between prints. This can be solved by putting the shirt on a special table (called a platen) that can be no more complicated than a smooth plywood surface that allows the print to be applied. Usually a slightly sticky glue is put on the surface, to hold the shirt still.

The first color is printed, then the second screen is brought up, having been already "registered", or aligned correctly, then the second color is printed over the wet first color. This is continued until all needed colors are applied. Some home/hobby printers use a frame holder, and all their screens are exactly the same size, and the image is put on already registered. Others use a hinge system that has moveable hinges, so the colors can be aligned correctly. Commercial shops use a system that has several platens which rotate like a giant turntable, and the presses print the shirts as they rotate by. One station is for loading the shirts on, and the last for taking them off and putting them on a dryer, where the ink is cured.

It's not a totally simple task. Printing multiple colors on stretchy cloth is not a good project for a beginner. Learn to print multiple colors on flat sheets of paper first.

Answer 2

Screen printing is defined by the need for one or more stencils. One possibility is to paint different colored inks in different parts of the stencil, not just sweep ink across whole stencil.
If by complicated, you mean hand cutting, then there are photo stencils which will allow more detail and some shading.
You may need to go to something like wood block or monotype - the latter involving drawing and painting on a flat surface and getting one print per painting. Check an art book that defines various techniques.

Answer 3

instead of using a hand cut stencil you can use screen emulsion and a expose your design onto the screen with a screen exposure unit, which is basically a table with a bright light. all the supplies you need can be bought online and you can even build your own inexpensive exposure unit like i did.

the good thing about setting up a screen this way, is your design can be very intricate and there's no hand cutting.

the process for screen exposure has quite a few steps that's why i didn't go into a lot of detail here, but it's easy to learn and do with a little practice. feel free to email me if you have any questions.