Screen Printing Class 101: Films

Films are another topic covered in McLogan's Academy Screen Printing 101 Classes. For great washout results you need to have a film positive that blocks out 100% UV from the exposure source. Inkjet printers are your best bet for inkjet film, since the printer will spray the ink onto your film as dense as need be for a clear image. We suggest using a dye-based ink for your printer since it tends to be impenetrable. The Epson 1430 is the most affordable printer made and they also sell all black ink cartridge system that will help your positive be even darker. Let's Talk Films Waterproof: Waterproof film is the most commonly used film in the industry. It is a 4m film that is highly absorbent, allowing the film to really absorb the ink ensuring for a dark image. Its medium weight combined with a wide color gamut makes this the perfect choice for color separations. Standard Inkjet: Inkjet film can be used for some of the older printers. This film is more affordable, but for some of the people newer to screen printing it is harder to get a dark image. Laser Film: Just for laser printers. It's thick and made to resist heat.

The cleaner, and darker your positive the easier the rest of your screen printing process will be when washing out the image. If 100% of the UV is not blocked out then you will deal with over exposure and you'll have to use a pressure washer to clean off the emulsion. Come take McLogan's Academy Screen Printing 101 and learn all the expert tricks to turn your dreams into a brand.