Learn How To Screen Print Tee Shirts At Home

A brand new video has been uploaded to YouTube this morning. This video is about mesh specifications, performance and factors in choosing your mesh. There are many articles on the website that complement this video. Please visit and search the Catspit website for more information about mesh and mesh performance.

I am also working on new articles for the website. The first of the new articles has already been posted to the Transfer Articles section of the website. This article covers the differences between sublimation and standard inkjet heat transfers. Stay tuned for an article that will cover screen printed plastisol heat transfers.

The new article is called, “Differences Between Sublimation & Inkjet Heat Transfers”. This is a great article to read if you were ever confused as to what dye sublimation is and how it differs from inkjet heat transfers.

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Now for the first time ever, Catspit widgets are available for The Catspit Blog and Catspit on Twitter. Follow Catspit Productions on Twitter as How2screenprint.

These widgets are able to be embedded on any website as well as many social networking profile pages like MySpace. The widgets will provide up to the minute updates for postings on The Catspit Blog and Tweets on Twitter. Get the latest news about video releases and screen printing articles!

Show your support for Catspit Productions and help spread the word. Please share these widgets with your friends by placing them on your blog, website or social networking website.

I really appreciate all of your continued support. Spreading the word about Catspit Productions on the internet by using these widgets and/or posting links to the Catspit website is GREATLY appreciated.

Check them out today!

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It’s one of those holidays where we have all of our family over for fun and food. This can mean a lot of visitors in the house who are friends and/or family. For all you home printers out there, this is you chance to show off your home print shop and printed goods. Remember,networking is the greatest tool for screen printers to grow their businesses.

Now I don’t mean sell. sell, sell to your friends and family but definitely show them what you are up to. You never know when they may know someone who would need or want your services. Let as many people know about your printing skills and services as you can, everyday.

Now go off and have some turkey and drag all your friends and relatives through your home print shop!

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Happy Thanksgiving…. See you all in December!

A new author biography has been added to the Catspit website. This section covers my experience and education. It shares some of my hopes and dreams as well as my ultimate goal for Catspit Productions.

The new biography page also contains a widget slide show of some of my fine art photography that was left after my apartment fire. This widget is able to be embedded on any website or social networking page. Please help spread the word about Catspit Productions!

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I have to say printing signs is a completely different animal than printing tee shirts. Many of the tools and techniques are similar but working with sign inks can be a challenge, especially air dry inks which are very common in sign printing.

For sign printing the steps to set up are basically the same. In fact the only thing that will differ is the size screen, mesh count, and ink. For this type of printing you would want to use a flatbed press. Many sign shops just use an oversized table with a hinging system for the screen and sometimes a squeegee bar which allows one person to use an oversized squeegee alone.

Sign printing is actually less expensive to get the equipment needed. But it is also more difficult to print because on the inks involved which are mostly air dry types, which have a tendency to dry in the screen and coagulate so as to cause numerous printing problems. Industrial sign printers will use UV ink which cures in a UV oven much like a textile oven.

Depending on the quantity you could use an air dry or a UV ink. If printing metal blanks, you will need to use an enamel so it will bond to bare metal or metals with enamel coatings. If you are doing a large print run of sign blanks, then UV will be better because it is cured in a UV oven, making stacking and packing or handling of the finished product easier. But of course that would mean you will need a UV oven. Air dry inks will require a large area to set the blanks out to dry and it must be a very clean, dust free environment otherwise dust or debris will settle on the wet printed ink on the signs. UV ink will be much easier to work with.

The sign blank itself doesn’t affect printing except in that you need to use the appropriate ink and set the press to handle the thickness of the sign blank. I have a semi automatic flatbed press which is perfect for such jobs. This is different from the rotary textile press I use to print tee shirts. I also have a UV oven.

If this is your first time ever doing any sign blanks you may want to sub it out and try to do some sign printing on your own on a small scale, and not for a customer, so you may see what it is all about and work out any issues you come across.

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Hey everyone! Catspit Productions is now active on Twitter! If you know what Twitter is, most likely you are already using it. If not, Google it and check it out or go to https://twitter.com/How2screenprint, which is the profile page for Catspit Productions.

If you are already using Twitter and you are interested in learning how to screen print tee shirts for fun or money, then please follow How2screenprint on Twitter. I will post news and updates regularly as it happens. I will also post video releases there.

So stay in touch with Catspit Productions and follow us as Jonathan shares his understanding and experience in commercially screen printing garments.

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Two brand new articles have been added to the Catspit Productions website. Check the Articles Archive page for the latest articles about screen printing. Learn how to screen print with Catspit Productions. New articles about screen printing are added every month. 

Check out: “Proper Mesh Tension: Getting Better Stencil Performance” and “Screens: Understanding Frame Choices And Stretching Options” for information on screen stretching and mesh tension.

There is also a new video on deck. This video will be about scoop coater tips and advice. It will cover single edge and double edged scoop coaters. This video will be uploaded on Wednesday morning. Stay tuned!

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Pricing is very competitive, especially right now and the internet is even worse. Your pricing will really depend on what type of work you are doing, the volume involved and the region you are in. Screen printers in New York get more per piece than I do in Arizona for example.

You can make a few phone calls to some screen print shops in your area and just price out the job you have. See how much they want and how they charge for their work. You can model your price based on all of your research and what type of customer you have. Make sure to remain anonymous when doing this. Don’t let them know you are a competing screen printer.

In general, businesses are likely to spend more money than individuals but that is not always the case. You just never know so you have to feel out the customer as well. Some people are looking for bargains. You have to learn to understand that or anticipate it in a way that will allow you to guide the customer into a print job that will be great for them and at the same time be profitable for you.

Basically, figuring out your pricing range will take some research and experience. You will definitely lose some jobs along the way to more experienced printers. You will also lose some jobs simply due to your inability to print them either technically or economically. Some print jobs will require equipment you do not have or involve a lot of work that makes it impossible for you to print at the going rate.

Start slow, start small. And always remember not to take on any jobs you aren’t sure you can print well. Screen printing is very much a word of mouth business. The last thing you want to do is take a job and botch it up. That customer will tell everyone they know about what happened. This can be very detrimental.

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Building a website entirely by yourself for free can be fun and time consuming. And directing traffic there can be frustrating. There is a lot to learn about how to get Google to recognize you and show you in search results. Obviously, YouTube is a great place to get traffic to a website but you need to provide videos that people will want to watch. They have to get something out of it, learn something or be informed in some way that is valuable to them. “How to” videos are good at this.

I would suggest using a visual website designer and not be so concerned with learning HTML unless you are naturally talented with computers and speak the language. Then maybe you may want to get into HTML, but for a website to get any traffic, you must understand Google. Remember Google owns YouTube and EBay owns PayPal. Understanding the dynamics of the major website companies that help drive internet commerce is a must. And since you may end up using some of their services, it helps to know what is going on.

Attracting business locally for your screen printing business is a bit different. Social networking and word of mouth is the best way to get business in your town. Many times it is about who you know more than your prices. A physical presence that is visible like a retail storefront would also help but that is a very big step to take. However, without visibility or some kind of marketing it will also be difficult to expand your business. When working from home on a very small scale, your social networking abilities will be the best and most economical marketing strategy. Join business clubs and associations and attend meetings. Use your connections at work or school to network. The more people you meet, especially business owners, the more opportunity you will have.

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Catspit Productions is looking to build link exchanges with other websites of similar content and/or “how to” style web pages. If you know of such an opportunity or if you are a webmaster yourself, please contact us.

My knowledge of HTML is limited so I am able to use JPEGS and text links. If you have HTML code for a banner or link you would like to use, I should have no problem with that. Please help Catspit Productions grow on the internet and consider a link exchange with us.

I am open to link exchanges with other types of websites as well.

catspitproductionsllc.com

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