This tutorial deals with
printing low cost t-shirts. There are many ways to print
on shirts, silk screens etc, but this is the cheapest
and easiest way that I have found so far. The total cost
for the materials used in this guide was $10 not including
the T-shirt. You might be able to get the items required
for a cheaper price if you do some searching. Total time
needed is around 10 minutes from beginning till the end.
The Materials
The following items are needed:
- Masking tape
- Paint suitable for material printing (we will be using
red)
- Roller (preferably sponge roller if possible)
- Plastic plate
- Ruler
- Cutter
- T-shirt. (we used white but it could be any color)
- A logo (we will be using the LF Cross)
- A3 sized transparency sheet or if you cant find any,
do what I did and get a cheap A3 transparent folder which
you can cut.
The Logo
You need to print the logo onto an A4 sized sheet. The
color doesn't matter but the darker the better. We used
black. You can download the logo in different formats
from here:
EPS Format
PDF Format
JPG Format
Preparing Transparency
Since I wasn't able to find an A3 sized transparency,
I purchased an A3 transparent folder and decided to cut
it. You could use an A4 transparency but I prefer to use
the A3 size since later on when painting there is less
chance you end up painting outside the transparency.
Preparing to Cut
We will now start cutting our stencil. What is a stencil?
A stencil is a sheet made from plastic or cardboard, in
which a desired lettering or design has been cut so that
paint applied to the sheet will reproduce the pattern
on the surface beneath.
Now before we start cutting you need to tape the A4 sheet
with the logo onto your cutting surface, and then place
the transparent sheet over it and tape that also to the
cutting surface. The cutting surface could be the floor,
kitchen table, or any flat surface. Keep in mind that
you will be using the cutter which will most probably
scratch the surface.
The Cutting Begins
Now start cutting the logo out. Don't rush or you might
start cutting away from the line. Only cut around the
black. See next step for a better view.
Nearly Done Cutting..
I prefer cutting each black part separately so I can keep
track of what I have cut and what I haven't. Once you
cut a part out, remove it. You need to be gentle or else
you might mess it up.
Stencil is Done!
Once you have finished cutting, remove the tape gently.
When you lift up your transparency it should look something
like the picture above.
Ready to Roll
Put some paint into the plastic plate and work the roller
with paint until its has a generous coverage. Make sure
your roller is covered evenly by rolling it on a flat
surface.
Rolling
Lay out your T-shirt on a flat surface. Put the stencil
you made over it and tape the stencil to the T-shirt.
The thicker the T-shirt the better the results. Use an
old T-shirt first for practice. Once you are ready start
rolling over the transparency. When rolling the paint
onto the stencil, try to work with the direction of the
cuts from the outside towards the middle. The paint will
help stick the transparency down, but don't push down
too hard or apply too much paint at once. Take your time
to get a feel for the rolling, after a few shirts its
surprising how assertive you can be with the rolling.
Finishing Up
When you have finished rolling just peel the stencil off
carefully and be totally amazed at what a fantastic job
you have just done. Don't leave the transparency on for
too long though, as the paint begins to dry fast and becomes
sticky.
When the paint is totally dry you need to color-fast the
print by placing a clean piece of cloth over the painted
area and ironing over it. Repeat this a few times to really
set the print into the fabric.
Finished
Now wear your shirt with pride.
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