Start screen printing
Push ink through a fine mesh screen with one smooth pull of a squeegee, and your design lands on fabric. Start with a tote bag and a cut-paper stencil. Here's the video that hooks everyone, and everything you need for your first print.
Space neededA kitchen table
First projectA tote bag in an afternoon
Skill levelBeginner friendly
Good forTeens and adults, groups
The video that hooks everyone
How to screen print your own T-shirts
A maker shows how to screen print T-shirts at home, pulling ink across a screen with a squeegee to print a design. Press play and see why it hooks people.
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Tool list
What you need to start
Everything you need for your first project, and nothing you don't. It's a screen, a squeegee, a jar of fabric ink and a roll of contact paper.
Starter kit
01Pre-stretched screen, about 10 x 14 in.An aluminum frame with mesh already on it. About 110 mesh suits fabric.
02Squeegee, 8 to 10 in.Narrower than the inside of the frame, wider than your design.
03Water-based fabric screen inkOne jar. It cleans up with water and sets with an iron.
04Clear contact paperYour first stencils. Cut a shape, stick it on, print.
05Craft knife + cutting matCuts clean stencil edges.
06Screen tapeSeals the gaps between the stencil and the frame.
07Plain cotton tote bagsFlat, cheap and forgiving. Wash them first.
08Cardboard sheetGoes inside the bag so ink doesn't soak through.
09Rubber gloves + old ragsInk stains hands and anything it touches.
The manual tells you what to look for when you buy each one.
- 1Pressing too lightlyA light pull leaves gaps. Hold the squeegee at about 45 degrees and press firmly in one smooth pull.
- 2Letting ink dry in the screenWater-based ink dries in the mesh fast. Keep working, and wash the screen as soon as you finish.
- 3Skipping heat-settingFabric prints wash out unless they're set. Follow your ink's label, usually ironing once the print is dry.
