Start Your Screen Printing Business with a Screen Printing Startup Kit

Start Your Screen Printing Business with a Screen Printing Startup Kit

What Equipment, Tools and Supplies Are Needed to Start a Screen Printing Business?

Starting a new screen printing business is a big commitment. One of the challenges entrepreneurs face is financial risk. Funding is needed to begin a venture like screen printing and managing cashflow is vital, especially in the early stages when revenue is uncertain. Beginners can easily get overwhelmed with what equipment, tools, and supplies are required to go from concept to printed garment. Buying equipment, tools, and supplies piecemeal can lead to higher costs and the inability to earn an income until the collection is complete. Thankfully, there are screen printing startup packages available that save money and provide all of the equipment, tools, and supplies needed to start printing garments right away. The best screen printing startup packages also include free training and technical support.

What Equipment Do I Need to Start a Screen Printing Business?

For the hobbyist, the minimum required equipment is a one-color, one-station screen printing press, a screen exposure unit, and a flash curing unit. However, those starting a screen printing business will want to invest in all of the equipment needed to streamline the production process and maximize earnings. This requires a multi-color, multi-station manual or automatic press, a flash unit, a screen exposure unit, a conveyer dryer, and a wash out sink. Let's go through these items one-by-one and explain the role they play in printing finished garments.

  • Printing Press - The press is the backbone of any screen printing setup. The press holds the screens, the platens (the surface that holds your garment), and allows for ink to be transferred through the screen onto the garment. Printing presses come in various configurations from 1 or more colors and from 1 or more printing stations. Budget and desired production level determines which type of press needed. Printing with 4-6 colors will serve most small businesses and having at least two stations allows for faster printing as two operators can work on the same press.
  • Flash Unit - A flash unit is a heating element mounted on a stand that will swivel over the printed garment. Its purpose is to gel printed ink allowing the operator to print one color ink over another without ink transfer. One of the most common uses for flash units is printing white ink on dark garments. One pass will not be enough as the ink will be absorbed into the fabric and fibers will show through. Using the flash unit you can heat that ink into a gel and then print a second pass. Hobbyists can also use a flash unit to carefully cure ink after printing, though a conveyer dryer is the right tool for the job.
  • Conveyor Dryer - A conveyor dryer cures the printed ink on the garment. Printed ink is heated to a specific temperature to fully bond with the fabric which results in a durable, wash-resistant finish. The newly printed garment is placed on a conveyor belt and is passed through a chamber under one or more heating elements. Without properly curing the ink the print will crack, flake and wash off almost immediately.
  • Screen Exposure Unit - The exposure unit uses light to “burn” a design onto a coating of photosensitive emulsion that creates a stencil that the ink passes through. The best exposure units use uv lighting and hold the screen securely during the exposure process. Upgraded models include timers and the ability to burn multiple screens at once. The most popular and convenient exposure units include a vacuum table that uses a rubber lid and a vacuum to draw the screen tightly to the glass surface of the unit. This ensures that the burned image is sharp. A well exposed screen is infinitely important when washing out the unexposed emulsion.
  • Wash Out Sink - A large sink is vital to the screen making and reclaiming process. The hobbyist can use a spray hose on the backporch, but those looking to make a living need to invest in the right sink. A good wash out sink allows for waist-height work and has a translucent back panel to allow light to pass through (this is important when checking for pinholes and proper exposure). The wash out sink is used when developing screens and reclaiming them for the next job. Many shops will have a split sink so that chemicals from the reclaiming process do not transfer to the newly developed screens.

A new screen printing shop with a printing press, flash unit, exposure unit, conveyor dryer and a wash out sink is nearly ready to do business, but what about screen printing supplies?

Similar to any DIY project, not having the right tool or product will immediately halt any progress in your job. Most screen printing products are ordered and shipped, so finding that your shop is missing a key product results in waiting days to get back into full production.

What Tools and Supplies Do I Need to Start a Screen Printing Business?

How many tools does a new shop need? What chemicals and products need to be purchased? Budding entrepreneurs can find out through trial and error or invest in a screen printing starter package that includes every tool and product you need. Let’s review what supplies are required for a startup screen printing shop.

  • Screen Printing Frames/Screens - Mesh screens or frames are vital to screen printing. The hobby screen printer can start with one screen, but for a small business, starting with 6-8 screens is ideal. Prestretched aluminum screens are the standard and come in many sizes and mesh counts.
  • Emulsion - Emulsion is a light-sensitive liquid that is spread across screens that, after drying, is used to create stencils for screen printing.
  • Emulsion Coater - The emulsion coater is a hand-held trough that holds liquid emulsion. The trough is passed over the screen and leaves a thin layer of emulsion behind.
  • Hand Squeegee - The squeegee is the tool used to press ink through the stencil and onto the garment. Starting with 4-8 squeegees in various lengths is typical.
  • Steel Spatulas - Moving ink to and from the screen is a big part of the job. A good set of spatulas greatly simplifies the task.
  • Flat Scrub Brushes - Used during screen reclaiming to provide a small amount of abrasion to assist the chemicals when removing emulsion from a screen.
  • Squeegee Clean-up Cards - 4” cards that are handy for removing ink from squeegees and screens when the job is done.
  • Pellons - Pellons are a disposable printing surface used to test-print before committing to an actual garment. A package of 50 white and 50 black will ensure the colors are aligned properly, all pinholes are plugged, and that the design is ready to print.
  • Blockout Tape - Tape is one of the printer’s best friends. There are many types of tape for various tasks. Full adhesive tape is for general use. Split tape has two levels of adhesive to cover the areas of the screen not coated with emulsion. Blockout tape allows multiple designs to be burned onto the same screen. The printer uses the tape to block out all but the desired design.
  • Adhesive Spray - Coating the platen with spray adhesive keeps garments in place while printing. Keeping the garment still, especially when printing multiple colors, is key to a great print. There are various sprays to meet your needs. A great startup package will include several varieties for you to choose from.
  • Clog-Buster Spray - No matter how clean the screen is, clogs are inevitable. A clog-buster spray is a quick, clean solution to remove dried ink, dust or gunk that is blocking ink from passing through the screen. Every screen printing shop needs a can of clog-buster spray.
  • Stencil Remover - This is a chemical that is spread over the emulsion stencil to remove it and “reclaim” the screen to use with a new design.
  • Press Wash - Press wash removes plastisol inks from screens during clean up and before reclaiming.
  • Degreaser - Used to remove oils and residue from screens before applying emulsion.
  • Inks - Inks are absolutly required to begin your screen printing business. Beginners will want to buy a gallon of white and black while additional other colors can be purchased as needed by the quart. A good screen printing startup package will include white, black and a variety of basic colors.
  • Ink Additives - Adding a clear Softhand Extender to ink can improve the feel of the final print and make designs easier to print. Using a Thinner/Reducer reduces an inks tackiness, viscosity and will revitalize older inks.

Where Can I Purchase a Screen Printing Startup Package?

Lawson Screen & Digital Products offers screen printing startup packages for every budget. Each package contains the equipment, tools, and supplies that are needed to begin production immediately. Lawson’s startup packages include a one-day, hands-on screen printing class where you’ll work on every step in the printing process: from producing screens, to printing garments, and even how to clean up after! Lawson also offers ongoing screen printing customer support. If you get stuck or need to improve a process, we’re just a phone call or email away. Lawson stands behind all of our products with generous warranties and service.

Check out our collection of Screen Printing Startup Packages. Which one is right for you? Contact us today and we’ll get you started!

Bonus: Additional Equipment and Products

For maximum productivity when starting your new screen printing business, the following equipment, tools and products will come in handy:

  • Film Positive Printer - The printer will apply black ink to transparencies or vellum to create a positive that will then be burned onto the screen.
  • Inkjet Film - Transparency film is designed to pass through the film positive printer. After printing, the film is affixed to an emulsion-coated screen for burning.
  • Pressure Washer - Provides additional water pressure streamlining the screen development and reclamation processes.
  • Drying Racks - Screens need time to dry after emulsion, development and reclaiming. After applying emulsion, screens need to dry horizontally. A drying rack saves space, keeps screens out of your way and orients them properly. Electric screen dryers are also available.
  • Spot Cleaning Gun - Releases a stream of cleaning fluid that removes unwanted plastisol ink from garments.
  • Dip Tank - Place your screens in the dip tank and then power-wash them. Saves hundreds on chemicals annualy. Ink and emulsion dissolve without scrubbing.
  • RIP Software - RIP software splits artwork into individual color channels (e.g., CMYK or spot colors) to create positives for each color in the design. It also converts gradients into halftone dots.

Go with Lawson Screen & Digital for the best equipment, supplies and service. We make it easy.

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