So by now most of you have seen the Yudu on YouTube or even on late night television infomercials. This is a table top machine that is designed to be used in the kitchen at home to screen print a huge variety of items. It incorporates the exposure system into the base of the unit which also serves as a drying cabinet.

This is a very cool idea which in many ways reminds me of the way Kodak introduced the Brownie camera to the masses back in the 1900’s. This was Kodak’s way of providing photography for the masses. The Brownie was a complete system of photography which included processing, reloading and postage to the consumer. With the Brownie, the consumer just took the photographs and Kodak did the rest. The Yudu in many ways is screen printing for the masses as well. But in this case the entire process is done in the home by the consumer and it is the machine itself combined with a system or method that enables the completion of the technique.

I have never used a Yudu, nor have I even seen one first hand. However, I have seen many YouTube videos and blog articles related to the Yudu. And I have also watched the infomercial on television. Now keep in mind that I am a professional screen printer with a bit of experience so what I say about the Yudu is my professional opinion based on my experience.

That being said, I must say that the Yudu infomercial concerns me in that it displays so many different items you can print with it. Like a sneaker or some other oddly shaped three dimensional object. That claim to me is exaggerated. I can’t screen print the side of a sneaker with a tee shirt press. I might be able to wing it and get off a good print but no way would the results be guaranteed. Don’t get me wrong, there are ways to screen print three dimensional objects after they have been assembled. But the infomercial for the Yudu seems to make it look like you could print just about anything with ease and get professional results. I can tell you that is not the case.

I’m not saying you can’t print cool stuff with the Yudu and make nice prints. I’m just a little surprised and suspicious of the claims made by this product in the infomercial. There are many places on the internet now that are gearing up or are already dedicated to the Yudu, discussing its limitations, drawbacks and fixes as well as “hacks”. You Can Screen Print is a blog focusing on the Yudu. But you can also Google search “Yudu blogs” or something to that effect and find a load of information to help you work with your Yudu or even assist you with ideas to push the limits of your Yudu machine.

Overall I think the Yudu is probably good for some fun at home for the hobbyist and soccer mom. But it is definitely not well suited for high volume, multi color printing where time is money. For commercial screen printing the idea is to print the highest quality shirt in the least amount of time with the least effort. The faster you can do this, the more money you make per hour. That is the bottom line.

The Yudu website.

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