Recently I talked about the importance of safety compliance for JEANBAG™… Well, last week I set that in print!
I have now tested my silk screen with a print run of my care and safety information on the denim that will form part of the first official JEANBAGs.
In order to get the best result when screen printing, it’s important to print on a flat surface that has a little bit of ‘give’, so that when you pass the ink across your design with the squeegie, the screen has enough flex to allow the ink to penetrate the screen evenly. So, I made a screen printing bed from a piece of MDF, covered in Polar Fleece and Calico. The Polar Fleece provides a nice thick layer with a little ‘give’, while the Calico creates a tight, flat surface with a little traction to hold my denim nice and still.
The water-based ink I’m using needs to be heat set or ‘cured’. To do this, I use a hot iron on a dry/no-steam setting. This transforms the chemical structure of the ink and prevents it washing out or ‘bleeding’. A quick cold wash test has confirmed a good heat set and now I’m on my way…
I take my hat off to all the professional screen printers out there. I can’t say I got the hang of screen printing first go, but like anything, with practice we improve.
Many thanks to Gabba Screen Printing Supplies for their dedicated advice and expertise!