Basic Screen Printing Process
01. Creating A Design
02. Printing A Design
03. Choosing A Type Of Screen
04. Degreasing A Screen
05. Applying Emulsion
06. Screen Registration
07. Exposing A Screen
08. Washing Out A Screen
09. Taping A Screen
10. Printing
11. Curing
12. Cleanup
07. Exposing your screen:
* Be sure that you are doing all parts in a light safe environment with a yellow light safe bulb and NO outside or bright light what so ever. This includes mixing your emulsion, coating your screens, drying your screens, exposing your screen, and washing out your screen.
Once your screen is registered, your screen is now ready to be exposed. Depending on the type of light source you are using to exposure your emulsion, the exposure time and instructions will vary. I am going to explain how to expose using CCI DXP Diazo-Photopolymer Dual Cure Direct Emulsion using a 500-Watt Halogen Light and Screen Exposure Stand.
Place the flat side of the screen or the t-shirt side of the screen facing up on the PVC legs of the screen exposure stand. Then place a piece of unfiltered flat glass over your film on the screen and plug the light in for exactly 12 minutes and 30 seconds. Insure that there is positive contact between your screen mesh, your positive film and the piece of glass. If the film is not pressed completely against your mesh then you will get light reflection between your positive screen film and your screen, which will result in a blurry and not clear image.
Never leave the area unattended while exposing your screen. The light on the Halogen Light gets very hot and will melt plastic or burn your hand. Also make sure to keep track of time because there is no on/off switch and will not turn off until it’s unplugged.