I'm one of those people. Those DIY yourself to death people. I'm sure you know one. Maybe you are one. If you are ... here is how to build a four-color screen press and make your own shirts!
Screen Printing Band T-shirts For a Dummy - Part 1, making a four-color screen printer.
Here is a benefits/risk assessment of making your own shirts:
- Is it cheaper to do so? No, I don't think so!
- Does it save you time? No, I don't think so!
- Is it fun? No, I don't think so!
- Should I make my own shirts? Yes, of course...
- Why should I make my own shirts? I don't know.. I don't even know why I said 'yes!'.
- Does it make a mess? Yes! Absolutely.
- Does the mess piss off your wife? Yes! Absolutely.
- Did you ruin her bathtub while emulsifying the screens? Hey.. this is getting too personal... but yes I did.. and the sink.
- Do the fans care that you made them yourself! No! They could care less.
Let's Get Serious — I have my reasons
Okay, now that we know there is not much benefit to making your own shirts, let's get started. Of course, I'm being silly.. but also truthful. You actually CAN make them cheaper, if you work in bulk. I'm not doing that. The price of a said-and-done shirt cost me per a unit about the same as it would if I bought a bulk 200 form a printer. My runs are closer to 50 per a run.
There is not a huge benefit for making your own T-Shirts if you're doing it that way. I make them to sell at my merch tables... But I have my reasons for doing it myself!
- I have cash flow problems. I never seem to have the bulk I need, when I need it, to order a 'batch' of shirts. But, I can scrape together a little money and make 10 shirts for a show. Being a musician, those 10 shirt sales go into my gas tank or my belly.. so I end up in the same position every few months... so the cycle continues.
- Another reason: I'm a designer at heart. I love making designs, and I care a lot about my designs. I've had a few bad experiences where I bought a 'batch' of shirts and ended up not liking how the design worked on the shirt. This way I can try out my designs before I invest too much.
Print on Demand
Maybe that works for some. I actually sell very little shirts online. I've tried, I do sell some, but not enough to make any profit from Print on Demand. My shirts sell in person.
Most POD want sometimes up to $12-$18 of the cut for God's sake. That's the cheap shirts. Then shipping etc.. and my fan ends up paying way too much for a not so good quality shirt. I'd rather not... thanks.
Good Shirts
I'd rather buy good shirts, make a good quality product, and have a happy fan. My buyers tell me all the time that the shirt they bought from me is now their favorite shirt. I can tell, I see them wearing it all the time on facebook. That's what I want.. people to wear the shirt like crazy. so I buy good fashions at a bulk t-shirt wholesale warehouses for cheap. I get sales from other people who saw a friend wearing this awesome shirt.. and asked where it came from. That's what I want.
Triangular Desing
I also do my designs in the triangle form. It's well known among t-shirt designers that the 'triangular' layout has a slimming effect on people, so they like it. Go ahead.. go look at your favorite T-shirt. I bet it is laid out in a triangular form.. meaning, it is top heavy, and the design slims down as it vertically makes it way down the chest.
The Printing machine
First, you need a blueprint. I got mine here: http://printingplans.com/
I can not remember in total what it cost to make this thing, but it was cheaper than the batch of T-shirts I was planning on ordering. Maybe around $200 total. I had the tools and a few of the supplies I needed already. I created the whole thing in one day.. In fact .. I remember the day because it was Christmas day 2014. Now, my mind has faded. I think I bought a kit of the hardware. But I can't remember. I do remember going to the Home Depot a lot a few days before.
The completed Four Color Screen Printer
If you can tell from the picture, it's spring loaded! I love that function.
So when I bring it down to the shirt, it actually stays there, locks in place—I don't have to hold it.
The 'plate'; the board that the t-shirt folds onto, can be changed. I printed a bigger shirt an XXXL for a few people that requested it. I found that the 'plate' was too small for the larger design, so I created a bigger plate very easily. Ended up not using it though. But I could conceivably create a custom plate for anything, hats, mugs, koozies.
Here is a closer look at the spring loaded arms.
http://www.ezravancil.com/wp-admin/upload.php?item=5573
Assembling the spring-loaded arms was probably the hardest part, but really was not too hard. Just take your time, get it right the first time.
The 'making of,' pictures.
This section you want to really follow instructions. You want your arms to fall in the right place, to fall easily, and without much wiggle room. Especially if you're doing this four color version. I have done multiple colors, and I always have to finagle it a little using quarters to prop up some of the arms to the exact placement. So.. do it better than me is what I'm saying.
The Mess
Oh ya buddy... I made a mess. And it was so cold that I decided to make it in my library.. bad choice. There was sawdust in everything for months to come. You think the bathtub pissed off my wife.. well it did, and so did this. She came home from the family Christmas party and was shocked at how crazy and inconsiderate her husband really was. Cutting wood, with saws, in the library... I did the cleaning, don't worry.. all is well now.
One of the first shirts
One other cool thing I did not mention is I can run off special shirts with the date on them. Here is a shirt for a very exclusive event my band did, the people loved the fact that it had the date on it.
Here is the original shirt without the second color and date.
That's about it for now — Next Time
Next time I'll go into
- Creating The Design
- Prepping the Design
- The Screen
- Burning the Screen
- Printing the shirts
- Curing the shirts
- and maybe later, creating multicolor designs
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All images from ezravancil.com