Print T-Shirts and Posters for Fun and Profit!
When I was a kid my uncle taught me the basics of how to print posters and t-shirts with silk screens. He’s an artist and would use the technique in some of his work. I, of course, immediately tried to find a way to make money off the idea. (I sold printed t-shirts to kids in the neighborhood.)
The way I learned was very labor intensive – I cut paper stencils with an exact-o knife and taped them to the silk screen. These took a long time to cut and didn’t hold up well when printing. Usually I’d get 3 or 4 prints before the stencil started to come apart. I also didn’t have the benefits of computers and Photoshop for preparing my artwork.
Times have changed. It’s much easier now to prepare artwork and silkscreens for printing. I recently came across a few websites that give step-by-step instructions for printing t-shirts and posters with silk screens. It’s a great arts and crafts project. You can approach it as a low-cost hobby or ramp it up to a full-fledged business. These links will show you the way:
- www.NoMediaKings.org – Step-by-step instructions with lots of pictures
- www.StencilInternational.com – Step-by-step instructions with attitude
- www.StencilInternational.com – Guide to making a home made printing press
- www.SilkScreeningSupplies.com – More professional business approach, check out the free instructional videos on this site. The screen preparations are the same as the other sites, but they use presses designed for high volume commercial printing. There is plenty to learn here.
Screen printed t-shirts are great for fundraisers or to give out at family gatherings. I’m planning on creating a design for a theater group I work with to sell during their next fundraiser.
Happy printing,
The Go-To Guy
