Create an Account for up to 50% off*

Merchology delivers custom logo apparel & custom logo corporate gifts. Free logo & free shipping on decorated orders; up to 50% off your order. Find the coolest corporate gifts & custom company merch including sustainable custom merchandise & custom branded merchandise to show employee appreciation. Shop Merchology!
4

How to Screen Print Shirts in 10 Easy Steps

If you want to customize your own t-shirts with your custom screen printed company logo or design the first thing you probably think is, "wait, how do you screen print?" The good news is it's not as hard as you might think! Follow along for 10 simple steps to silk screen printing.

How to Screen Print a tshirt
  1. Gather your supplies –  you'll need a computer, printer, ink, film, screens, emulsion, drying racks, exposure unit, squeegees, and of course, a screen press.
  2. Design your image or logo – use a solid image without thin lines if possible.
  3. Print your image on film – print your image on a transparent film using an inkjet printer.
  4. Coat your screen – cover your screen in an evenly spread layer of photosensitive emulsion.
  5. Burn your screen – place the film with your design on the screen where the emulsion is and place it in an exposure unit. If you’re doing this yourself use a 250 watt light bulb for about 10 -15 minutes.
  6. Rinse out your image – spray down your screen with cold water. You should notice the section of the screen with your design on it is starting to flake off, keep spraying until you can clearly see your image. Once your image is clear let the screen dry.
  7. Tape up your screen – use masking tape to go around the inside of the screen to prevent ink from running into edges of the screen and spot check for any emulsion that was missed.
  8. Set up your screen – connect your screen to the press and line it up with your substrates then screw it into place.
  9. Print your screen – pick your ink color and spread it across the top of your screen with your squeegee in smooth up & down motions. For commercial screen printing, this is typically done by a machine.
  10. Cure your ink – carefully remove your product from the surface and set to dry or heat cure. If you’re using plastisol ink it will take about 30 seconds at around 320 degrees Fahrenheit, but follow the instructions provided on your ink bottles. Once dry your custom printed shirts are ready to be worn!

For a more in-depth explanation of the screen printing process, materials, and equipment, check out our complete guide to custom screen printing!