The state of artwork we receive from the client affects whether it needs adjusting in quality to produce a negative and therefore obtain a clear/sharp picture/design.

If needed we can adjust the artwork, otherwise it is handed over to a company we use to professionally make films. Certain images can be produced and printed onto acetate straight from Photoshop or Illustrator, others however are sent away to be made into films, that way we can guarantee the very best quality.

Once the film is returned or produced, we can expose it onto a screen. For images being printed on t-shirts, we use a 60cm x 90cm screen.

The clean screen is coated dry, with a light sensitive emulsion.

This is done using what is called a trough, and covering the screen with a thin layer of the emulsion, front and back. If the screen has any residue on it or is slightly grainy, this can affect the coating, making it bumpy and it therefore provides problems when the image has been exposed on, as it can peel away. Thus the screen must be coated smoothly, with precision.

Once coated the screen is left to dry in a dark environment, as it must not be exposed to light for long, prior to being exposed. Generally it is best to speed up the drying process by directing blowers onto it.

When dry, the screen is ready to have the image exposed onto it.

To expose the image onto the screen, it is placed on a table with an ultra violet light above. Exposing the screen works by projecting ultra violet rays onto the film, which burn away any part of the image that is not dense/completely blacked out. The time for exposure is dependant on the density/opaqueness of the film, also the nature of the design. For example if the design is made up of fine lines, exposure to the light does not have to be as great as that of a solid nature, otherwise the rays might begin to bleed through the fine lines. Maximum time of exposure for a dense professional quality image is about 12 minutes.

Once this process is complete the film is removed (which is usually stuck on with adhesive to ensure it does not move). The screen is then taken to a wash out area to gently wash away the exposed emulsion (this can take a good few minutes, aided with a bit of gentle scrubbing with soap).

Once washed out the screen is placed on a light box to check the quality of the image, and then placed under heaters to dry.

When dry, the screen will have to be taped round the edges, to ensure no print-ink leaks through any gaps between the hardened emulsion and the frame. Any small holes can be spotted out with tipp-ex, and hardened bits of emulsion can be blasted out with a small power washer

The screen is now ready for printing. Usually what is called a strike out is done, to check the quality of the image on fabric. First the screen must be registered, in other words positioned correctly on the garment.

Hand printed t-shirts are best printed on a carousel. This comprises of a number of boards that circulate on a wheel in which the garments are stretched over. The screen is attached to a separate wheel that rotates above, enabling you to pull down the screen, hand print onto the garment, lift it up and then move on to the next prepared board

The pigment that is used to print with is solvent based. When printing on garments a fixing agent called cross linker is added to the colour mixing, this is used as an extra curing agent to fix the colour to the garment. Most fabric is simply baked after being printed; baking is the usual way in which printed fabric is made colour fast. It involves exposing the fabric to very high temperatures, usually through a machine on a conveyor belt.