Screen Printing Forum

Hi Guys,

Thanks for providing such an awesome forum... I just stumbled across it last week and have learned lots!
I was just reading the threads about printers and I had a bit of a different slant on the discussion... my boyfriend was thinking of buying a cheap printer for home use. Now, I was thinking to myself, "Hey, maybe if I pitch in some money, too, we can get one good enough for screenprinting."
However, I'm not sure what "good enough for screenprinting" is. I Googled (I can't believe that's a legit verb now...) some of the names of printers people mentioned in previous discussions and most are pretty pricey. Would a $200-500 printer (inkjet or laser) work at all for screenprinting purposes, or would buying something that cheap just be pointless? I don't need awesome quality or shading applications, I'm just wondering if I'll get results that are even usable for simple screenprinting, or if you can't even use cheap printers at all.
If the answer is 'yes', does anyone know what things I should be looking for when I buy?
Thanks for such an informative site,
Dawn.

Well.... A printer that attaches to your computer can be cheap and small... but you will limit what you can screen print. 1 of the printers I use is just an HP ink jet that cost like $99

NOW.... As for a SCREEN PRINTING SYSTEM.
I doubt there is anything you can do for less then $400 (not including inks and supplies)

Honestly... Screen printing is a DIRTY, STINKY, TIME CONSUMING, MESS.... But if you love it, its ART and its WONDERFUL.
If you are trying to do it to make money instead of art... Well you better invest everything you can.

Good Luck

I have used velom films from inkjet and laser printers succesfully on some greatly detailed applications.
Most of the time what my shop does is outsource our films. We can get very high quality films in the order of up to 150 Lines per inch. Most we currently use is around 80-100. I don't think in most cases you will have to many problems with normal printers. Just understand their limits. Be prepared to work around if necessary. As for a small shop set-up $1000 would be a fairly well equiped start with easy room to grow. I agree 400 would be hard pressed to beat. Good luck and remember the only thing that limits you is your imagination.

Ok, cool. Well, if cheap is viable, that's the way I'll go. Thanks for helping me out.
I just started screenprinting. I'd like to make T-shirts and sell them, but probably not in the conventional way: I don't have any start-up capital and I'm no good at set-up and machinery and computer software.
Mostly what I've been doing so far is drawing a design directly on the screen with "drawing fluid" and then putting "filler fluid" over it and washing out the drawing fluid. This nicely cuts out all the technical printer stuff and focuses on the art, which is the bit I like. I suspect this may become annoying and time-consuming in the near future, though, which I why I'm trying to figure out the whole "photo emulsion technique" thing.
Thanks for your invaluable suggestions!
-Dawn.