DIY guide to building a light table for screen printing?

March 18, 2007 8:27 AM

How do I build a light table for screen printing?

I silkscreen posters and shirts and other things with my friends for fun. We would like to build a light table ourselves for better results, but we are having some trouble finding a reliable, clear how-to guide. Can you point me in the right direction please? Thanks!

posted by val5a to Media & Arts (5 answers total)

You build a box and put fluorescent lights in it and glass on the top. If you want to get fancy, you could build one that has a more powerful point light source (ie. metal halide or HPS) but then your box has to be pretty deep and will need some sort of ventilation. Point light sources are better for exposing extremely fine details like halftones, but fluorescents should be good for 98% of things.

I know that's not very specific, but if you just google images of exposure units it'll be pretty clear how to make one. Search around on the forums on gigposters.com and screenprinters.net, many people have built their own so that will give you some ideas. I know on screenprinters.net there are a bunch of guys who even rigged up vacuum blankets and all that.

I owned a giant 12'x8' Lawson exposure unit for a number of years but got rid of it when I moved into a new studio space that didn't really have room for it. I now use a $3 work light with a normal 150w bulb hanging from a pulley on the ceiling and honestly it works just as well. Actually, my exposures times are a little shorter. Exposing screens is one of the few areas of screen printing where ghetto rigging it works just as well as a real solution.
posted by bradbane at 9:25 AM on March 18, 2007

And to be clear, you can't use regular fluorescent lights, because they don't put out enough UV.

http://www.gigposters.com/forums/showthread.php?t=50906
posted by RobotHero at 9:51 AM on March 18, 2007

reddingk's repro guide has some instructions on ghetto rigging (and lots of other goodness).
posted by xueexueg at 10:06 AM on March 18, 2007 [2 favorites]

If you can find a discarded window frame you'll save a bundle on glass and framing costs. They're often available near the construction dumpsters of old houses that are being remodeled. Or you can always ask workers to set one aside for you if you see any remodeling jobs going on in your neighborhood.
posted by soviet sleepover at 11:14 AM on March 18, 2007

Sign shops have housing that just need a piece of glass over them. Ask if they have any old lighted signs they don't want. That's how I got my light table. Laminated glass over the top is a good idea if you can get it. Otherwise 1/4" glass is a must.
posted by princelyfox at 3:04 PM on March 18, 2007