Screen Printing with Stencil
Necessary Materials:
- An image that doesn’t have too much fine detail. In this case, the deck of cards with
the suit that was assigned to the group: Clubs. - Acetate sheets
- A scalpel
- A cutting board or a hard surface you don’t mind being sliced repeatedly by a scalpel
- A screen slightly bigger than the image you want to print
- Screen printing ink
- A squeegee
- A spoon
- Something to print on (A3 cardboard or thick paper)
- Tape or scotch tape
- A rag to clean
The design:
Create a design with bold shapes that you can cut out with a scalpel. We found it easiest to create designs with the goal of printing them with paper stencils rather than altering pre-existing more complex designs. We were assigned the Clubs deck of cards, so we designed all 14 cards, including the Joker.
Step 1: Draw your design onto a paper at the size you want to print it. To make sure we got the scale right for the A3 cardboard, we decided to split the 14 cards into 4 pages A4 size. This way we could have an excess to cut out and make sure the cards came out clean. We decided to create the design digitally for convenience and time.
Step 2: We made sure the size was correct, and bold enough to be able to cut, creating bridges where needed. Print the cards on the acetate sheet. If you can’t print on the acetate, print on paper and then place the paper under the acetate sheet and secure it with tape.
Step 3: Begin to carefully cut out the areas that you want the ink to pass through on a cutting mat. If you accidentally slice too far while making your cuts (it happens) worry not! These can be easily fixed with a small piece of tape. If the tape extends out into an area that you have already cut out, then you can carefully trim it off with your scalpel.
Step 4: Place your acetate stencil over screen on the outside in reverse and secure itwith tape. Then tape the cardboard onto the surface to prevent it from moving. Place the screen onto the cardboard to see the best position to print the stencil.
Step 5: With a spoon, place ink on the top part of the screen away from the holes in the stencil. Make sure the ink is thick enough so it won’t run under the stencil.
Step 6: At a 30-degree angle, carefully run the squeegee through the screen to load the stencil. Then place the screen on top of the cardboard and secure its position with the help of other group members.
Step 7: Run the squeegee with pressure twice vertically and twice horizontally. Then quickly remove the screen to avoid getting it stuck to the cardboard.
Step 8: Check the design was printed correctly. If there has been some leakage, try again. The good thing about working with acetate sheets instead of paper or cardboard is that they can be cleaned and reused as many times as you want.
Step 9: Let the prints dry overnight. Do touch ups if needed and then cut them out.
Step 10: Stack cards and get ready to play!
Create a design with bold shapes that you can cut out with a scalpel. We found it easiest to create designs with the goal of printing them with paper stencils rather than altering pre-existing more complex designs. We were assigned the Clubs deck of cards, so we designed all 14 cards, including the Joker.
Step 2: We made sure the size was correct, and bold enough to be able to cut, creating bridges where needed. Print the cards on the acetate sheet. If you can’t print on the acetate, print on paper and then place the paper under the acetate sheet and secure it with tape.
Step 3: Begin to carefully cut out the areas that you want the ink to pass through on a cutting mat. If you accidentally slice too far while making your cuts (it happens) worry not! These can be easily fixed with a small piece of tape. If the tape extends out into an area that you have already cut out, then you can carefully trim it off with your scalpel.
Step 4: Place your acetate stencil over screen on the outside in reverse and secure itwith tape. Then tape the cardboard onto the surface to prevent it from moving. Place the screen onto the cardboard to see the best position to print the stencil.
Step 5: With a spoon, place ink on the top part of the screen away from the holes in the stencil. Make sure the ink is thick enough so it won’t run under the stencil.
Step 6: At a 30-degree angle, carefully run the squeegee through the screen to load the stencil. Then place the screen on top of the cardboard and secure its position with the help of other group members.
Step 7: Run the squeegee with pressure twice vertically and twice horizontally. Then quickly remove the screen to avoid getting it stuck to the cardboard.
Step 8: Check the design was printed correctly. If there has been some leakage, try again. The good thing about working with acetate sheets instead of paper or cardboard is that they can be cleaned and reused as many times as you want.
Step 9: Let the prints dry overnight. Do touch ups if needed and then cut them out.
Step 10: Stack cards and get ready to play!
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