Learn How To Screen Print Tee Shirts At Home

This contest is being run by Catspit Productions, LLC. Please visit the website for more information about our services and our mission. Your visit to the website is appreciated.

This contest is only open for a limited time: June 1^st, 2010 through June 30^st 2010. This contest is open to international entries.*

Catspit Productions, LLC. Summer 2010 Contest Rules, Regulations & Guidelines For Entries

The theme:

Pick a decade like the 90’s or whatever suits your fancy. Then design a 1 color black line art design that represents that decade. Try to exemplify the entire decade you choose by creating a line drawing. The design should be done in black on a white background. No gradients or shading. That’s the challenge, make the absolute best line art you can for 1 color printing that would represent the decade of your choice. Any decade from any time frame is acceptable.

All entries must be received between June 1^st, 2010 and June 30^st 2010. The contest winners will be announced in July, 2010. You will be notified by email. You may enter as many different designs as you wish. Please do not enter the same art more than once, this will not improve your chances as the artwork itself is being judged.

Prizes:

1^st – 12 white Fruit Of The Loom tee shirts with the winning art printed in black on the front.

2^nd – 1 pair of Speedball hinge clamps for screen printing.

3^rd – 2 Catspit Secret Society Logo tee shirts, your sizes.

Entries:

Entries must be in JPEG format ready to put on screen. Only 1 color, black line art will be accepted. You may format your art for 8.5 by 11 inch film positives. Formats larger than this will be reduced and formats smaller may be enlarged for printing.

Try to be as creative as you can. Clip art is accepted but you must modify it enough to be original and unique. It doesn’t have to be a work of art but create a great tee shirt design.

Art that is simply clip art with text will certainly not win so give it your best shot.

The judging is being done by Daniella Catton of The UK Catspit Fan Club. All entries must be sent to this email address: winshirts@aol.com

Entries must include:

Full name, shipping address(No PO boxes please), contact phone number, JPEG file of your art work. Please include the decade you are representing in the body of your email. You may include any other information about the design that you wish.

Judging and entries are being handled by Daniella and this contest would not be possible without her help. Thanks to Daniella and family for processing the contest.

Details:

Entering this contest has no dollar value nor does it guarantee you any prize. 3 winners will be picked by hand from all entries based on artwork content and originality. Only 3 prizes will be awarded and the prizes may be changed at any time at the sole discretion of Catspit Productions, LLC. By entering this contest you agree to all terms and waive all complaints and/or grievances arising from this contest and furthermore cannot hold the contest host or processor liable for absolutely anything at all in any way, shape or form. Winning art will be displayed in a YouTube video as printed shirts or positives and the creator waives all copyright ownership for this purpose. You will also give permission for your first name to be used in the aforementioned video.

*Prizes shipped to international addresses become the responsibility of the winning contestant who provides the shipping address. If the prize is subject to any taxes or duties the winner also assumes responsibility for those charges or any other charges incurred at customs. Catspit Productions is not responsible for damage to prizes during shipping and cannot replace damaged prizes. Lost prizes will be investigated to the satisfaction of Catspit Productions and a replacement prize may or may not be provided.

All entries must be sent to this email address: winshirts@aol.com

I just wanted to drop in and let you know what’s been going on around the Catspit shop. I was recently rear ended by an individual who has no insurance and I have been busy trying to get her contact information so I may proceed with getting reimbursed for the damages that were done. Unfortunately, she provided false documentation for her insurance and the officer did not care to include her phone number on the collision exchange report. So I have been preoccupied with that the past week. You can see photos of my Jeep on Facebook.

I also had some minor surgery this past week and I have been recovering well. However, it has limited my mobility leaving me with no other choice but to sit and wait. It was nothing serious and I will spare you the details but suffice it to say, I’ll be glad when this thing has completely healed.

Also, Daniella and I have been working on a contest for the Catspit audience on YouTube. This will be a tee shirt art contest in which the contestants will pick a decade in time to represent by creating a simple piece of line art for spot color printing. Artwork will be judged by Daniella and entries will also be processed by her too. So thanks to Daniella for making this possible. I will post another blog with all of the contest details, rules and entry info on Saturday. There will also be a video uploaded to YouTube which will announce this contest and also contain the information needed to participate.

More good news; It seems we have finally hit the 1000 subscribers mark on YouTube. This is really cool and I am happy to see that in the short time that I have been doing this YouTube screen printing channel, it has surpassed and far exceeded my expectations. It is also interesting to note that the Catspit YouTube channel has also out performed most other screen printing themed YouTube channels. You can determine this just by looking at view counts, subscribers, and channel views. Then compare those stats with how long my channel has been on YouTube. It is pretty impressive and I am happy to see the channel grow so fast. I just hope it keeps growing and never becomes stagnant.

Thanks for everybody’s support! I appreciate all of you who follow my project in one form or another. Thanks!

Another new screen printing video has been uploaded to YouTube. This video is about using color inks as the under base rather than making a white printer and using white ink as an under base. The video is called, “How To Screen Print: Using Color Ink As An Under Base”.

Sometimes making a white under base printer is unnecessary. Especially on smaller print runs. This video explains how to use the same color you are printing on a dark shirt as its own under base. This technique can save a lot of time in set ups and screen making but can also cost time on the press if it is not done on a full rotary press. If you do it on a full rotary press where you have rotating pallets, then it is just the same as using a white under base and it will save time and set up materials.

If you are on a fixed station, 1 pallet press, then it will cost time on the press just as any white under base printing would because you do not have the ability to rotate the pallets allowing for flashing and cooling down. To better understand what I am referring to, please see this article, “Manual Rotary Screen Printing: How To Use A Tee Shirt Press”.

In the end it is always best to do what works well for you. Make sure you are happy with the quality of your printing if you intend on selling to customers. I happen to prefer the look of flash cured printing as opposed to printing wet. To me the print is much crisper and has a much more consistent ink surface. But I tend to be a perfectionist and sometimes that is not to good for production times…LOL.

Thanks for reading!

I thought I would take a moment to comment on what is commonly referred to as mesh opening but is often overlooked when purchasing screen printing fabrics. I am currently writing an article about mesh count conversions, nomenclature, terminology and I though it was timely to talk about this just a little bit.

Many people don’t realize that choosing your mesh based solely on the mesh count is illogical and may cause great heartache in the end that could have been easily avoided. An important factor in mesh performance is the mesh opening itself. This is determined by the mesh count and the actual diameter of the thread used to weave the mesh. It is often referred to as a percentage but for simplicity we will just say that a smaller diameter thread will allow for greater ink flow.

Therefore a mesh count of 110 with a 70 micron thread diameter has basically the same ink flow qualities as a 125 with a 40 micron thread diameter. The difference is the 125/40 will be able to achieve a higher detail stencil without sacrificing ink flow. And a 135/40 would restrict ink flow a bit more than that but have a much greater ability to reproduce details. It will hold a thinner stencil and a more detailed stencil. It is also important to note that the thinner the thread used to weave the mesh, the more fragile the mesh will be. That is to say it will be harder to stretch and it will tear or become damaged much easier than a mesh with a thicker thread diameter.

So you can see where taking thread diameter into consideration would be advantageous. It will give you more power and a greater command of the screen printing process. Make sure to check out the articles “Detail And Halftones Using Higher Mesh Counts” and “Mesh Count And Thread Diameter Nomenclature”. And stay tuned to How2screenprint on Twitter and The Catspit Blog for the latest announcements of the newest articles added to the website. The new mesh conversion article will be added later this week.

Thanks for reading!

A new video was uploaded to YouTube late Monday night. This video is another production run showing stickers being screen printed with an air dry vinyl ink. In the video we use a semi automatic flatbed press to print up several sheets of stickers which are ganged up on one screen.

The video is called, “Screen Printing Stickers On Semi Automatic Flatbed Press.”  

Later these sheets of ganged up printed stickers were taken to a die cutter and cut into bumper stickers. This is a very cost effective way of printing large volumes of stickers. Many times we end up with a few extras and include them as freebies for the customer. This always makes them smile!

Make sure to stop by the website or YouTube and check out this video! Thanks for reading!

Interview by Jonathan Monaco of Catspit Productions, LLC, http://catspitproductionsllc.com, for Michelle Licudine at: http://www.flightsofancy.biz. Questions by Michelle Licudine.

How long have you been screen printing?

Screen printing has been in my family ever since I was born. My father has been involved in the sales of equipment and supplies for a very long time. As a result the act of screen printing has been a part of that as well, especially with the people around him. When they hear what he does for a living, they often ask how they can get started printing. I printed my first tee shirts with my uncle in the basement of my home when I was only 11 years old. He built a wooden table top press and printed his own line drawings of animals in black ink on lighter colored shirts. I helped my brother while I was in high school to build a screen printing shop. He still runs his shop today in upstate New York. He taught me much of what I know about screen printing. The bottom line is I have been involved with screen printing for about 28 years. And textile screen printing is my forte.

Tell us about your business and educational videos.

I am a commercial, textile screen printer in Chandler, Arizona. I mostly print tee shirts and other garments for small organizations or businesses. Catspit Productions sells equipment and supplies as well but to a lesser extent. I am also available for training and/or shop set ups. I really love to teach and that is why I started the YouTube channel doing “how to” videos about screen printing. The response was pretty strong and I realized there was a demand for a website like the one I am currently building and creating. So, the website actually came about 2 or 3 months after the YouTube channel and I am building the entire website and its content by myself. It is a very simple, no thrills website but it contains some great information. There has been such a positive response to the educational videos and the website that I hope to create a facility and teach a screen printing class here in the Phoenix area some day.

What do you enjoy about screen printing?

The thing I love most about screen printing is that the process is so versatile. If you use the correct ink you can screen print on almost anything. You can even use the same screen to print a variety of substrates with different inks. It is also a pretty simple stenciling method; even a paper stencil can be used with an open mesh screen. Another aspect of commercially screen printing garments is the satisfaction I get in delivering a great product. People love tee shirts and other printed garments but most don’t necessarily understand how they are made. So when they see the finished product, the response from people can be gratifying, especially when they are participants in the designing stages. Producing a high quality product with my own hands that the customer values, is very pleasing to me.

What type of ink is used most in your screen printing?

Since I screen print on tee shirts and other garments made mostly of cotton or polyester cotton blends, I use plastisol inks. Plastisol inks are versatile and easy to use. They can produce a variety of effects while giving vibrant, durable colors. The biggest drawback to plastisol inks is the need for an “oven” or “dryer” to cure the ink. Plastisol ink will never thoroughly cure or “dry” if it is not heated to about 320 degrees Fahrenheit. Plastisol inks can last a very long time if stored properly as well. Therefore, waste ink can be drastically reduced. Today, there are ecologically friendly plastisol inks available that may meet environmental regulations as well as some consumer protection laws depending on your location.

What advice do you have for people just beginning to screen print?

The best advice I can give for beginners is “eliminate all variables”. Screen printing is first a technical process and secondly an art or skill. If you use a loosely stretched screen that is flexible at the corners, you will experience a much more difficult time in achieving a satisfactory print. So, whenever possible, it is always a good idea to spend the extra money and get the proper equipment and tools for your application. And that brings us to the other piece of advice I would give to someone starting out in screen printing. Do your research about what you are attempting to accomplish. The decisions you make in purchasing tools and equipment should be directly related to your end goals. You have to consider very seriously what you want to achieve and spend your money wisely based on that. Try not to make purchase decisions based solely on financial considerations. Screen printing commercially is a numbers game. The faster you can print a high quality product, the more money you can make per hour. That also means you can be more competitive as well and get more work. Having the right tools and good working equipment will help save time, agony and money in the long run.

Another great new video about screen printing has been uploaded to YouTube yesterday morning. I had a pretty decent size production run with different designs and shirts being printed. So I did my best to get some video footage of the actual production run so you can see what it looks like when I print real work.

I have a total of 4 of these videos and I will be uploading the remaining 3 in the coming weeks. The new video is called, “How To Screen Print Tee Shirts: Sleeves & Ribbed Tank Tops.” In this video you get to see some sleeves being printed with a light grey ink on a black thermal long sleeve shirt. You can see the method used to get good coverage without having to double hit with a flash cure. The video also contains footage of printing a red metallic glitter ink onto a white ribbed tank top. For this print job the red glitter ink looked better when flash cured even though I set it up to print wet.

Sometimes when you set the job up and start printing it, the ink or even the shirt itself can determine what will look best and how you have to print it to achieve that look you want. I’ll write more on this in the future. But it is spring now and I am very busy with print work. So hang in there, I’ll be writing some more articles for the website as well as the blog.

Thanks for visiting the Catspit website and stopping by the blog too!

Hello everyone. I have been very busy with a pretty big print run the past two weeks and now the job is finally done and delivered. I made some great videos of the production run so there will be some cool YouTube uploads which feature actual production. I know everyone likes those. It seems that people on YouTube respond the most to actual screen printing videos more than informational videos which do not show actual screen printing.

I have also been busy getting all my taxes together to send out today. That has been a big job and I am glad that is over as well. I just have to make some copies and mail them out. I’m about to do that now. Don’t forget to mail off your tax returns or apply for an extension if you need it.

I will also be making an announcement very soon about the new sponsor for the Catspit Productions website and the YouTube channel. I have finally worked out an arrangement with a close friend of mine to help make screen printing supplies and equipment available for purchase online with a Catspit code. I’ll post a blog with more about that very soon.

Thanks for visiting the Catspit YouTube channel and the Catspit website. I appreciate all of your continued support!

A new video has been uploaded to YouTube. The video was loaded Tuesday and is now live for public viewing. This video is called, “Screen Printing: Ink Wash, Reclaim & Prep Chemicals By Saatichem”. This video is sort of like the second part to the last Catspit video about Saati chemicals for screen making which also included ink solvents.

The video features Greg Jensen of Saati. He gives us a quick demonstration of some Saatichem ink wash, reclaiming and prepping chemicals for textile screen printing. This is a pretty cool video that was made at the ISS show in Long Beach, 2010. The lighting is a little shaky in that the backlit washout booth caused some problems. But overall I though It was still a great video to share with you all.

Make sure to stop by YouTube and check it out. Thanks for reading!

Just dropping in to say happy Easter to everyone. Thanks again to everyone who has subscribed to the Catspit Productions YouTube channel and has visited the website. I really appreciate all the continued support I get from you all. So far, I do not get paid for the online project and I appreciate seeing everyone using the website and watching the videos. Please freely make comments on the videos and in the Catspit Guestbook on the website.

Have a great holiday. Thanks for stopping by the blog and/or website.