Frequently Asked Questions
Why Our Screen Printing Kits are the Very Best
DIY Print Shop was founded by two screen printers, because they realized they could give more people the power of screen printing, and also make it affordable, easy, and fun to DIY.
All DIY Print Shop® kits are fully packed with premium, affordable, easy-to-use, screen printing tools - all DIY Print Shop products are designed & manufactured by screen printers, in Brooklyn New York, and Washington State - for more information about us and the DIY Print Shop® story checkout our About Page
We love Questions! Send a message via our contact page or email us at Success@ryonet.com
Instructional Step-by-Step Kits Video
To help save the planet, the physical DVD has been removed from all kits.
The video instructs you on how to use all of our kits, so you may need to fast-forward to get to the kit you purchased!
Multi-Color Screen Printing Using the 1-Color Press
We get this question a lot, "can you use a 1-color press to screen print a multi-color design?" The short answer is, yes.
It's a lot easier to print multi-color prints using the 4-Color Press/Kit. Having the ability to put more screens on a press at once, is a heck of a lot quicker, and easier. That being said, there are a variety of ways to print multi-color using the 1-color press.
You'll find most of these methods on youtube, or googling it. Overall, the screen printing process has it's fundamentals, but beyond those, you start to develop your own creative and resourceful way of doing things.
So, once you start and get familiar with screen printing, you'll soon be able to problem solve easily. In effect, figuring out the best method to make multi-color screen prints, with a 1-color press will depend on your intuition and style of doing things.
In the end, just about everything is possible. Screen printing is about having fun with the process, and in return you'll figure out ways to do all the things you want to do.
Environmentally Friendly Screen Printing Inks
For more information about our screen printing inks, checkout the video above!
In addition to water-based ink, plastisol ink is now included in the Shop Kit and our New 4-Color Kit. The video above provides more information on the difference between the two inks.
Our inks are great for printing on a variety of substrates including: t-shirts, apparel/fabrics, canvas, paper, wood, glass, plexi, metal and more! Also, feel free to experiment with screen printing on anything you can think of, just remember that if it can lay flat, then it's likely that it can be screen printed!
Tips for drying/curing inks:
T-Shirts & Fabrics:
Easy Dry method: after the top layer of the ink is dry to the touch, put your printed t-shirts and/or fabrics in a dryer for 30-45 minutes on high heat. Parchment paper (included in your kit): heat up an iron, then place the parchment paper over your screen print, then simply turn your t-shirt inside out and iron the backside of the print. Slow Dry the air dry method: hang tees using a clothesline (inside or outside) let dry for a few hours. Speed Dry hair dryer method: use a hair dryer or heat gun and rapidly move over the print to cure the ink - we also highly suggest putting your t-shirts in the dryer after 45min on high heat.
Paper or Wood:
Screen printing paper: simply print paper & let air dry, the ink should dry to the touch in minutes.
If screen printing wood, after the ink dries we recommend putting a clear sealer (polyurethane works great!) over the print, especially if it will be living outdoors.
The Film is for Ink-Jet Printers
• You must use an inkjet printer when printing on the waterproof film provided in the kit. Inkjet printers allow you to achieve a darker print which, in turn, provides more detailed, bold exposures. You can also simply draw or paint on the film - be sure it's opaque and dry before you use to expose your screen.
• You will not want to use the included films in a laser printer. This may damage your printer and will not be effective. Laser printers must only use laser specific film and the same holds true for inkjet printers/film.
• Print on the 'sticky side' of the film!
Screen Information & Highlights
Screens are totally re-usable. You can continue to put new artwork on your screen, just be sure to take good care of your screen and it will take care of you!
Mesh Counts & Their Purposes:
Mesh count is represented by a number that refers to the size of the openings in between the filaments of thread in the mesh. Lower numbers, like 156, have bigger openings & higher numbers, like 230, have very small openings.
• The DIY Print Shop® Table Top Kit & T-Shirt Kit, each include one pre-stretched, 156 Mesh Count screen(s); 156 mesh is versatile, but it works especially great on fabrics. *(4-color kit includes 4 screens)
• The DIY Print Shop® GIG Poster Kit includes one pre-stretched, 230 Mesh Count screen; 230 mesh great for screen printing paper, and perfect type of screen mesh for printing more detailed artwork.
• The DIY Print Shop® 4-Color Kit includes 4 pre-stretched, 156 Mesh Count screen(s); 156 mesh is versatile, but it works especially great on fabrics.
All screens offered in DIY Print Shop kits are manufactured in-house, in Washington State, USA. Professional grade silk screens used by the pros use in the screen printing industry.
More about screen printing mesh size: Different mesh sizes are used for different applications in the screen printing process. Mesh size is measured by how many threads of mesh there are crossing per square inch. For instance, a 156 mesh screen has 156 threads crossing per square inch. The higher the mesh count, the finer the threads and holes are in the screen. The size of the mesh has a lot to do with how detailed your image is and how thick the ink you are using is. If you have an image with extremely high detail, a lower mesh screen wont hold the high detail. 200 mesh is used for finer detailed images. Great for high detail printing and fine halftone and four color process
Screen Exposure Troubleshooting Tips
Here are some tips to help you with screen exposure:
1. Emulsion is washing out all over the screen.
• The screen was not exposed for a long enough time. You may have to experiment to get the right exposure time for your equipment and screen.
• The emulsion was applied too thickly on the screen and not exposed long enough to overcome the thickness.
• The emulsion may have been applied unevenly. The thicker patches may wash out and the thinner areas may be ok. If the emulsion is applied unevenly the thicker areas take longer to expose than the thinner areas, so you won’t get a good exposure on the screen.
• Too much water pressure can cause the emulsion to wash out and you should only use cold or lukewarm water.
2. It’s hard to wash out the image on a screen you just burned.
A.) The emulsion on the screen could be old. When a screen has been coated and sits around too long, the emulsion gets harder to wash out.
B.) The screen may have been exposed to some outside light. If there’s been too much light exposure to the screen the image area could be partially exposed and hard to wash out or may wash out unevenly.
C.) Your image on the transparency may not be solid black. If the transparency lets light through the image area can become slightly exposed. It’s possible to double your transparencies, just be sure to line both copies up carefully.
• The emulsion was not cured. Make sure you allow enough time for the emulsion to dry completely and cure in the screen.
Where to Purchase Wholesale T-Shirts
We get this question a lot: 'Where can I buy wholesale T-Shirts & Apparel?' Usually you need to be a legit business which you can do easily through legalzoom.com ... but
if you're not a business, there's a great resource to get wholesale tees! - here's the link!: ShirtSpace.com
If you are a business, and have an EIN be sure to visit our partner AllMade Apparel's shop: allmade.com
Return Policies
Diyprintshop.com offer a 30 Day Limited Return Policy.This return policy applies to all of our products & equipment unless otherwise specified on a particular product or piece of equipment.
All returns made after 30 days of receiving a product are ONLY eligible for in store credit.
ALL RETURNS ARE SUBJECT TO RESTOCKING FEES
All returns must be authorized, so If your product was damaged during shipping please contact us at Success@ryonet.com
Super Fast Shipping UPS® Flat Rate
Tracking Info
Please check your email for your updated tracking numbers, you should receive an email tracking notification from UPS or Ryonet when your order ships. If you have a shipping or tracking question please use our Contact Form or email us at Success@ryonet.com
Shipping To Canada
Yup, DIYprintShop.com does ship to Canada.
The cost to ship a kit to your door in Canada is typically around $55 via UPS. There will be a Canadian tax and brokerage fee as well —
Typical cost estimates:
Tax:$30
Brokerage: $30
For more questions please use our Contact Form or email us at Success@ryonet.com
Depending on the location in Canada and border processing times, packages should arrive between 3-8 business days. Locations that are closest to our shipping centers should receive packages quickest (such as cities in the southern parts of Ontario and B.C.). A slightly longer transit time may apply if you’re located in a Midwest, East coast, or remote part of a province. As always, tracking numbers will be emailed to you.
For more info on shipping to Canada checkout our shipping info page
Wholesale In North America
We wholesale our kits to big stores, and some awesome small shops, so If you're interested in wholesaling DIY Print Shop kits, please send us a note through our Contact Form! or send us an email at Success@ryonet.com