How To Screenprint: 1 Color Bench Press & Do It Yourself Stand

Posted on July 9, 2011 by Catspit Productions

So I have been ultra busy the last week as my niece and brother have been in town from New York. I have done more things in Arizona this week than I have in my entire stay here in the desert. Some of our activities included Salt River Tubing, Wet & Wild Phoenix, Goldfield Ghost Town, Scottsdale Fashion Mall, and various other museums, recreational activities and day trips. I have to admit I am tired and keeping up with the Catspit project online has been challenging.

Despite all of those adversities I was able to edit and upload another brand new screen printing video. This video is fun because it gives you a sneak peek into the RANAR factory where they made the bench press featured in the video. In the video called, “How To Screen Print: 1 Color Bench Press & DIY Stand” you get to see the bench press being assembled and then I show you how I set it up in my own shop with a home made stand. I love this little press. It is made so well and works even better. The construction is very heavy duty and it will last a lifetime. In the video I show you how I got a saw horse from Home Depot and turned it into a “pony” stand for the bench press. Don’t laugh at my carpentry skills! I don’t have any…LOL. I just used some scrap wood I had in he shop to build up the height of the stand. I didn’t even make any cuts to do this. Probably because I really do not have any wood working tools…. 😦

So make sure to stop by the YouTube channel and have a look at the latest educational screen printing video from Catspit Productions. Please remember to visit the website at http://catspitproductionsllc.com for great articles and even screenprinting supplies discounts.

Thanks for reading! Learn how to screen print with Catspit Productions, LLC!

Posted in Screen Printing, Screen Printing Videos, Website Information, YouTube | Tagged , | Leave a comment

New Screen Printing Video: Affordable Equipment By RANAR

Posted on July 3, 2011 by Catspit Productions

This week I posted the first video from my visit to the RANAR factory in El Segundo California. This was my first time at the factory meeting with everyone from the owners to the people who build the equipment everyday. By the way that is one of the great things I learned about RANAR; even the owners know the equipment inside and out. They help build them everyday. This is a very hands on company. I really am growing to love the nice relationship I have with them as I feel they are a perfect fit for the Catspit project.

So this new video was shot in beautiful El Segundo. I was at the factory in the morning making videos and talking with the owners. I learned many things that I am happy about. The video is called, “Affordable Screenprinting Equipment By RANAR”. The video shows the mini showroom they have with a few pieces of equipment. Here I get to show you the Elite series screen printing press. This is the step up from the Vista series. It is made a little different than the Vista in that the print head parts are a full cast which is heavy duty. I also get to show you an exposure unit with drying box. It’s a complete unit that stands alone. Cool stuff! There is also a forced air dryer that is great for discharge and water based printing. I thought this would be a cool video to start out with. Next week I think we will get a peek inside the factory as I feature a single color bench press.

Please stay tuned for the complete series of videos I made at the factory. I had such a great time there in California. I was even able to walk barefoot on Manhattan Beach. I made some video of that too. I might just make a cool ocean video to share with you all. I love the ocean very much and I can’t wait to get back to the area. Thanks for reading! Learn how to screen print with Catspit Productions, LLC!

Posted in Screen Printing, Screen Printing Videos, YouTube | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Catspit Productions Screen Printing News & Updates

Posted on June 30, 2011 by Catspit Productions

Hello everyone. I have been a little quiet online for the past few days because I was on the road at RANAR. I went to visit the factory and make some cool videos for the YouTube channel. I had a great time there and I really learned a lot about their company. RANAR is a very tight knit “family” operation. I was impressed to see that the assembly of equipment is very hands on and many of the people working there have been there for 15 years or more. And they started as a tee shirt printing company too! Very cool and a perfect fit for the Catspit project. I’ll keep you all posted on the new videos I made there.

The second piece of good news is that Catspit Productions, LLC is now an accredited member of the Arizona Better Business Bureau. I am proud to be a member of an organization that promotes great business ethics and practices. 100% satisfaction guaranteed, how could I not be a better business? LOL… you can check out our rating by visiting the home page and clicking on the BBB logo link at the bottom of the page. This is an exciting event for me as I move forward with the Catspit educational screenprinting project.

Another very cool new development is in the works for the NBM Show in Long Beach, August 11- 13, 2011. RANAR has invited me to be at the show with them in their booth. I will be there as Catspit Productions, banner and all doing a print demo and giving away tee shirts as well as Saati chemical samples. If you want to meet up with me there and get some free goodies, register for the show now and make your travel arrangements early to save money. We are also thinking of doing a screen printing 101 class after the show for a nominal fee. The cool thing is if you buy some equipment, RANAR will put the cost of the class toward your purchase. Nice! This is still all in development so I will keep you updated as things get finalized.

On another note Catspit Productions was interviewed by Chris Ruvo of Stitches Magazine. If all goes as he said it would, Catspit Productions will be featured in an article this August – September. The article is about how screen printers and embroiderers can use social media to their advantage. Obviously they are highlighting the Catspit YouTube channel. I hope this article manifests as Chris said it would but I won’t count my chickens till the eggs hatch. I just wanted to mention the possibility of such a thing and the fact that Chris did call me and interview me. So… we shall see. I’ll be sure to post a link for it if it goes through.

I have been having a lot of fun with the Catspit online screen printing tutorial videos and website. I want to assure you all as I move forward and bring more commercial services to the website that I will never change the way in which I operate. I am not a salesman. I am a screen printer who loves to teach the trade. I enjoy interacting with you all online and helping out as much as I can. And if you feel like you want to do some business with me, well that is just icing on the cake for me. I’m very happy to be able to help people with education and with their screen printing related purchases. Remember, I am very accessible. feel free to email me and ask questions anytime. Just visit the website and go the the contact us page to submit your question or anything else. I look forward to hearing from you all. Thanks again for all your continued support!

Thanks for reading! Learn how to screen print with Catspit Productions, LLC!

Posted in Screen Printing, Screen Printing Videos, Website Information, YouTube | Tagged , | Leave a comment

How To Screenprint: Screen & Shirt Press Tips

Posted on June 21, 2011 by Catspit Productions

This is another new educational screen printing video brought to you by Catspit Productions, LLC. I had several people ask for a very similar video. And even thought there are 2 older videos which address these issues, I thought I would make an updated video that would combine the 2 topics into a short video. I think it has some key tips on the matter of loading tee shirts onto the pallet and setting up a 1 color screen in the print head.

I am often asked how do you get the tee shirt onto the pallet straight so that the print is straight on the shirt? That is a difficult question to answer but YouTube and video technology makes it a bit easier. In the video called, “How To Screenprint: Screen & Shirt Press Tips” I discuss and demonstrate this as well as how to get the screen in the press straight. At least explaining how to get the screen in press correctly is pretty easy. But I think all in all this is a very good “Quick Tips” video. These are the other 2 older video that may also help with these topics:

How To Screen Print: Setting Up On The Press

How To Screen Print: Loading The Pallet With Shirts

I hope you all enjoy this new screenprinting quick tip tutorial video. I appreciate your watching my videos. If you like them, please comment and subscribe to my YouTube channel. You can easily join and create a personal profile in order to subscribe and comment on videos. Thanks for reading! Learn how to screen print with Catspit Productions, LLC!

Posted in Screen Printing, Screen Printing Videos, YouTube | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Catspit Productions Screen Printing Newsletter #3

Posted on June 17, 2011 by Catspit Productions

Hello everyone and welcome to the third Catspit Productions Screen Printing Newsletter #3,

Before we start I have to thank all of you for your continued support and thank you for visiting the Catspit Productions website! I appreciate your taking the time to watch my YouTube videos and read the great screen printing articles on the website. Thank you for your time and attention. Thank you all.

Now on to the latest and greatest news from Catspit Productions, LLC!

The Shop: Catspit Productions has moved to a new location. I no longer work in a cooperative warehouse location. I have consolidated and upgraded my shop and I now have total control of the shop environment. Since I am a dealer for RANAR screen printing equipment I teamed up with them to equip the shop. I truly love that I use the very equipment I sell. I think that is unique. I am very comfortable in my new shop and I think this will allow me to make more videos as well as making them better. You can take a shop tour here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-E8kXi5CBWw

The Website: The website has come a long way and is now almost 100 pages in total. The construction of the website has slowed down quite a bit due to the fact that I have created something bigger than myself. The website is now getting well over 10,000 visits each month and I fear that it has out grown the current platform. The time has come to seriously seek out an option to rebuild the site with a more up to date and state of the art look. But because the Catspit website is almost 100 pages in size, this is a daunting task. Most website designers would charge a fortune to rebuild such a site. Therefore I am always seeking an individual who will do it for a reasonable price and set it up so that I may continue to edit and add to the website content. I think this is something that will take a very long time to figure out and implement. Nothing will happen anytime soon. I may even produce a tutorial DVD before I get to rebuild the website but know that this is something I am exploring. Please be patient and stay tuned to the Catspit Productions website. There is only one genuine Catspit Productions website and it can only be found at the URL below:

http://catspitproductionsllc.com

The YouTube Channel: As of 6/12/11 the YouTube channel has 1,093,171 total videos views, 95,185 channel page views and an ever growing subscriber base of 3,068. The YouTube channel has exceeded any expectations I ever had for it. Now with the new shop and the more private setting, I am hoping to do more videos. I am aiming for at least 1 new video each week to start. And I hope to get to make many of the videos that I have wanted to do for some time and a few that have been requested.

The Catspit Blog: The blog continues to grow and gain traffic but it is really just a portal to the website and the YouTube channel. It contains mostly video updates, website and company news as well as promotional articles. But it also contains some very cool screen printing articles and more. Make sure to explore the blog to get in on the screen printing tips and advice there. You can also use the search function on the website to find screen printing related material on the blog. The search function on the website searches the website and the blog for you. On another note it is important to point out that there are many Catspit impersonators out there in that people are now starting to use the word Catspit as a keyword for screen printing or heat transfers. This is ultimately flattering and actually helps add value to what I have created. The down side is that I fear people truly searching for the genuine article may be detoured through a bogus webpage with embedded Catspit videos and massive Google ads or other money generating systems. You will find most of these to be in blog format with very little content. There is only one true Catspit Blog and it can only be found at the URL below:

https://howtoscreenprintshirts.com/

Discounted Print Supplies: Catspit Productions has been teaming up with screen printing vendors to offer website visitors a discount on screen printing supplies. If you haven’t seen it already, please visit the Print Supplies page of the website to learn about these great offers. You can get a 5% discount on most orders and get free shipping with Saati products from Saati Express. Many of the products used in the YouTube videos are available here. You can also buy inkjet film directly from Catspit Productions. I have added new vendors since the last Newsletter such as RhinoTech. I also added Amazon links for screen printing products for the hobbyist. You can find the ever so elusive hinge clamps there.

http://catspitproductionsllc.com/screenprintingsupplies.aspx

Vector Artwork Services: Please don’t forget we offer vector art conversions of your hand drawn or scanned artwork. This is a cool service that converts your jpeg’s, png’s, pdf’s and tiff image files into vector art files in EPS format. To learn more about the new service please visit the Artwork Services page of the website.

http://catspitproductionsllc.com/artworkservices.aspx

Equipment Sales: Catspit Productions has teamed up with RANAR to bring you great screen printing equipment at reasonable prices. This is the very same equipment I use in my shop. I really love to be able to sell the very equipment I use myself. I think that is something you don’t find often. Especially today where most people selling screen printing equipment have never screen printed tee shirts for a living. So if you are in the market for equipment, please contact me. I’d love the opportunity to help you buy what you need.

http://catspitproductionsllc.com/equipmentsales.aspx

Help spread the word about Catspit Productions; connect with us on MySpace, Facebook, and Twitter! Embed one of these widgets on your website or social networking page:

http://catspitproductionsllc.com/networkingonline.aspx

Thanks again to everyone for helping make the Catspit Productions internet project a success. I look forward to providing you with more great free information about screen printing in the future.

Posted in Screen Printing, Screen Printing Videos, Website Information, YouTube | Tagged , | Leave a comment

New Screen Printing Video: Tips On Curing Plastisol Inks

Posted on June 14, 2011 by Catspit Productions

Have you seen the latest screen printing tutorial video by Catspit Productions? I posted another brand new screenprinting video to YouTube yesterday afternoon. The first upload attempt failed and I had to do it again. I have never had so many problems uploading videos until I moved recently. I realized my “high speed” internet connection was suspect. I had to have the service provider come out and check on things. Of course it was partially my fault and partially the connection. But despite the challenges and hurdles to overcome, I am still able to upload videos, thank goodness. Things seem to be functioning very well now.

So the latest video is called, “How To Screen Print: Tips On Curing Plastisol Inks”.  In this video I talk about how to cure plastisol inks for textile screenprinting. I discuss what it really means to cure the printed ink and I even explain a little about the temperature gun. Many people seem to think they are laser temperature guns when in fact the laser is only a visual guide to where the infrared meter is pointing. This is a great video to watch especially if you just started to work with plastisol screen printing inks. I made a minor adjustment to the lighting as well. I think it is better even though the thumbnail for this video looks over exposed. Make sure to stop by the YouTube channel and have a look at this video and all the latest educational videos from Catspit Productions.

Thanks so much for stopping by the blog and reading my post. I hope you will also find the time to visit the website and have a good look around. There is a lot of great screen printing information there for you free of charge, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Enjoy!

Posted in Screen Printing, Screen Printing Videos, YouTube | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Catspit Productions And The Screen Printing Imposters

Posted on June 10, 2011 by Catspit Productions

There are many Catspit impersonators out there in that people are now starting to use the word Catspit as a keyword for screen printing or heat transfers. This is ultimately flattering and actually helps add value to what I have created. The down side is that I fear people truly searching for the genuine article may be detoured through a bogus webpage with embedded Catspit videos and massive Google ads or other money generating systems. You will find most of these to be in blog format with very little content. But there is only one true Catspit Productions online and you will only find my content on these URL’s:

http://catspitproductionsllc.com

http://www.youtube.com/user/CatspitProductions

https://howtoscreenprintshirts.com/

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Chandler-AZ/Catspit-Productions-LLC/73120361983

https://twitter.com/How2screenprint

http://www.myspace.com/466217828

http://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanmonaco

http://www.flickr.com/photos/catspitproductionsllc/sets/

You may also find some other video site profiles and lesser known social networking profiles for Catspit Productions. These were made by myself in the effort to build traffic to the website but you will notice they are all stagnant. There should be no recent activity on a genuine off beat Catspit internet profile. And they should all link directly to my website. Most all of them were created and left to stand on their own. Any that appear to be active very recently are most likely imposters.

YouTube has been great for exposure and traffic to the website. The down side is that the videos are in syndication and may be embedded by anyone to any website on the internet. YouTube does not police the use of it’s embed feature and therefore people can use my videos to gain traffic and perhaps earn revenue form Google ads or other pay per click programs. The use of the term Catspit as a keyword has been seen on many bogus websites. In fact if you Google Catspit you should see my website as the number one search result. But if you go 3 to 6 pages back in the search you will find the posers. There are even blogs which embed my blog entries as content. It seems I have a gift for creating great internet content which drives free traffic and there are people out there with he gifted ability to use other peoples content to their advantage without necessarily breaking any copyright laws.

And I certainly am aware of the DMCA but that is a timely process unless you pay for it to be done for you. That’s not what this is about anyway. I just wanted to address, acknowledge and point out this situation. Honestly I think it ends up creating a lot of back links to my website and the all knowing Google knows who the real deal is. In the end I think it helps me more than it hurts me but I don’t want anyone to be sidetracked by some imposter. It is a little annoying that someone could be earning money from the content I create. If anyone should earn revenue from my content it’s myself… LOL.

So let me make it clear to all the potential content borrowers: No material whatsoever from the Catspit website or blog may be reproduced anywhere or in any way without prior written consent from Catspit Productions, LLC. Embedding of blog content or videos is also prohibited for revenue generating purposes. Any embeddable or syndicated material must be accompanied by proper credits and back links to the Catspit Productions website. The downloading of any Catspit Productions educational video from YouTube to any device is strictly prohibited. YouTube does not offer a download service and videos are protected by copyright and YouTube licensing. All videos, artwork and literature owned by Catspit Productions, LLC except where otherwise stated. All rights reserved. © Copyright 2009, 2010, 2011.

If you would like to collaborate or ask me to write a guest blog, please feel free to contact me on the one and only Catspit Productions website. Thanks again for reading! Learn how to screen print with Catspit Productions, LLC!

Posted in Screen Printing, Website Information, YouTube | Tagged , | Leave a comment

My Secret Freshly Squeezed Screen Printer’s Juice

Posted on June 7, 2011 by Catspit Productions

I figured I would make a fun video about my secret morning screen printer’s juice. This is a new entertainment video in which I share my raw fruit and vegetable juice recipe for juicing. The video is called, “Freshly Squeezed Screen Printer’s Juice”. In this video you can really see how I have grown to be comfortable on camera. I have come a long way since the days of my old reserved self. Now I’m not saying I’ve turned into some king of Ray William Johnson or What The Buck but you’ll see what I mean. I had fun making this video and I hope you all enjoy it. It’s all about your health and how raw juices can help you live better.

It has been known for some time that raw vegetable and fruit juice contains high quantities of vitamins and minerals. The medicinal property of raw juice has been understated in modern diets. When we use and eat food as though it is medicine, we can change our eating habits to reflect the real need of our bodies. You can use the benefits of raw fruit and vegetable juice to ward off aging, diseases, skin conditions, fatigue, pain and even mental health. By providing your body with the nutrients it needs to function well you can avoid a slew of health problems.

It has even been known to be effective against cancers. In fact we sit around and wonder why we see such a high rate of cancer when we eat foods that contain chemicals that we were never meant to consume. Not to mention the air quality but that is a topic for another video…LOL. I think if we were to return to a more basic and raw food diet consisting mostly of fruits, vegetables and grains we would see a major reduction in illness in this country. Meats should really be a once in a while side dish. Hey I’m no vegan or vegetarian but I admit to the cons of a largely meat diet.

Anyway I think the raw juice helps boost my immune system and keep me feeling great every day in every way. Thanks for reading! Learn how to make great juice and screen print with Catspit Productions, LLC!

Posted in YouTube | Tagged , | Leave a comment

How To Screenprint: Using The Spot Cleaning Gun

Posted on June 5, 2011 by Catspit Productions

Here we are with another look back at the educational screen printing videos by Catspit Productions, LLC. When I first began making the videos I had a rough plan of which topics to cover first. I wanted to make videos that would clear up the mystery and intrigue of the process. But I also wanted to make simpler videos that covered each piece of equipment used in commercial screen printing. I did most of these types of videos right away but as we moved forward I noticed a few minor pieces of equipment were missing. That’s how the idea for this video came about. i wanted to fill in the blanks with as much as I could.


This was basically the first “Quick Tip” video because it was short and sweet at under 5 minutes. But the concept for the Quick Tip videos did not come about until much later. The video is called “How To Screen Print: The Spot Cleaning Gun”.  In the video I show and explain the usage of a spot cleaning gun. This “gun” is used to remove cured plastisol inks from fabrics. But it is not designed to remove large areas of printed ink from the shirt. Just pinholes, spots and finger prints. Small unwanted plastisol marks like those are easily removed with the spot cleaning gun and its special fluid.

I remember at the time I had not seen a YouTube video about the spot cleaning gun for screenprinting so I thought a quick video about the unit would be a really great idea. It’s funny because when I first leaned about the spot cleaning gun we called it a spiff gun. I think that was because the company that made the spot cleaning solution called it Spiff. Something like that anyway and there you have the reason why I call those things spiff guns. Yes, I’m wicked old school. I’ve been printing tee shirts for most of my natural born life.

Still to this day I have not seen a YouTube video about this particular piece of equipment. In fact if you look at most of the screen printing videos on YouTube you will find they are mostly just that. Videos of people printing but not explaining what they are doing. And of course a good lump of them are sales commercials or marketing videos. And yes, my videos do have a marketing and sales value but they will teach you something about screenprinting for sure. I promise that. My first goal is to teach you how to screen print tee shirts. Then if you want me to help you out with anything else, I’m happy to do so.

Thanks for reading! Learn how to screen print with Catspit Productions, LLC!

Posted in Screen Printing, Screen Printing Videos, YouTube | Tagged | Leave a comment

New Screen Printing Video: How To Screen Print With Puff Ink

Posted on June 1, 2011 by Catspit Productions

I was able to make a brand new screen printing video today after having tried once to do the same video. The second try came out really well. I think what happened is that between the change in time limits form YouTube to 15 minutes per video and the feeling of comfort in the new shop i felt too relaxed. I made 20 minutes of bad video because I was off my usual video making mark. Then on top of that when I tried to edit the first cut Sony Vegas gave me some trouble. But during that ordeal was when I realized I had to reshoot the video entirely.

So now you can enjoy take 2 of the new screenprinting video called, “How To Screen Print T Shirts With Puff Ink”.  This video is about using plastisol puff base and mixing it with a plastisol color to make a color puff ink. The puff ink and colored ink was provided by Antex. They sent us some sample of ink to play with and test out. Antex may be available in the States but I believe they are still looking to make the ink widely available in the US. In the video I show how to mix a “clear” plastisol puff base with a standard plastisol red ink to make a red puff. I also show the printing of a small pair of lips. It’s a great video demonstration about the puff ink base process and can get you familiar with other bases that work the same way.

I had a lot of fun making this video with the new set up and I am looking forward to making many more educational screen printing videos. I think now that the shop is completely my own with less distractions and interferences I can make better videos. Please remember to support Catspit Productions by visiting the website and checking out the Print Supplies page too. I appreciate all your continued support and patronage.

Thanks for reading! Learn how to screen print with Catspit Productions, LLC!

Posted in Screen Printing, Screen Printing Videos, YouTube | Tagged | Leave a comment