screen printers in the bay area?
August 6, 2007 12:43 PM Subscribe
Screen Printing Question: Looking for someone to professionally burn a screen for me in the SF area.
I have a relatively simple b&w digital image that I would love to have turned into a nice clean screen print. Trouble is I have zero experience with screen printing so I would love to enlist a professional to burn the screen for me. Searching for screenprinters on google seems to turn up a lot of t-shirt companies. My image is approximately 20" by 20". Are there shops in the area that do something like this? Alternative #1, can I do something like this through the mail? Alternative #2, if I can get the image printed onto acetate I have a friend who I can hire to do the rest but that part seems tricky at these dimensional as well. Suggestions?
I have a relatively simple b&w digital image that I would love to have turned into a nice clean screen print. Trouble is I have zero experience with screen printing so I would love to enlist a professional to burn the screen for me. Searching for screenprinters on google seems to turn up a lot of t-shirt companies. My image is approximately 20" by 20". Are there shops in the area that do something like this? Alternative #1, can I do something like this through the mail? Alternative #2, if I can get the image printed onto acetate I have a friend who I can hire to do the rest but that part seems tricky at these dimensional as well. Suggestions?
Any traditional printer should be able to do this, as long as they have a plate-burner. You may need to supply the materials, so call around to some graphic supply houses. You may be able to order a small quantity, and store the rest until you need it again.
posted by The Deej at 12:51 PM on August 6, 2007
posted by The Deej at 12:51 PM on August 6, 2007
Call any t-shirt shop in the phone book. They all make a ton of screens a day, throwing another on the exposure unit isn't going to be a hassle for them.
I ran a print shop for a few years. I can still coat, expose, and wash out screens in my sleep.
posted by bradbane at 4:10 PM on August 6, 2007
I ran a print shop for a few years. I can still coat, expose, and wash out screens in my sleep.
posted by bradbane at 4:10 PM on August 6, 2007
If you have no luck with shops, you may want to try contacting local art students - many printing programs also have large exposure tables, and I doubt it would be hard to get a student to develop a screen for you [as long as you provide the design and the physical screen.]
For a fairly simple black and white design, you can actually print/draw the design on paper [coloring over it in black sharpie, just to be safe] and then soak the paper in oil. You'll need a longer exposure time, but I've made some fairly big and complicated designs with this process. Your friend would probably be able to handle this as well, as long as he/she has access to an exposure table.
posted by ubersturm at 4:22 PM on August 6, 2007
For a fairly simple black and white design, you can actually print/draw the design on paper [coloring over it in black sharpie, just to be safe] and then soak the paper in oil. You'll need a longer exposure time, but I've made some fairly big and complicated designs with this process. Your friend would probably be able to handle this as well, as long as he/she has access to an exposure table.
posted by ubersturm at 4:22 PM on August 6, 2007
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posted by The Esteemed Doctor Bunsen Honeydew at 12:49 PM on August 6, 2007