# Exposure setup help



## chachen (Apr 29, 2015)

Hi, I needed to print a few shirts by next week so I bought a Jacquard screen printing kit. I did screenprinting awhile back but always had horrible luck with exposing the screen. 

I also purchased an Eiko Supreme Photoflood bulb (250 watts, 120 volts) and a simple task light to hook it up to. It is a HDX 10.5 inch heavy duty heat lamp with 300 watt maximum. When the kit arrived, I read the guide and it gave guides on duration and length from screen for different light sources but the highest wattage it gave guides for was 200 watts and it was for incandescent light. It also said to use a light holder that was reflective, which the task light I bought is not. 

Is anyone able to give me advice on if my task light + bulb will work? It is metal and somewhat shiny but not reflective. If it works, any ideas on distance/duration to expose? I live in a sunny area, so if sun is a better option I can go with that, I just have had bad results in the past with using the sun for exposure...

Also one last question--I bought a yellow bug light and I just wanted to make absolutely sure that would be safe to use in my makeshift darkroom while coating my screen!

Thank you in advance!!


----------



## ScreenPrinty (Apr 15, 2015)

Hey Chachen,

It sounds to me like your light bulb/fixture should work. As for your exposure setup, I'd put the light somewhere 12-16 inches away; far away enough so that the light is spread evenly over the entire screen (make sure the edges are just as bright as the middle), but close enough so your exposure times aren't ridiculous. I'd say put a screen without emulsion down and adjust the distance until it looks to you like the whole screen is lit evenly and keep it there. 

For the exposure time, you should probably do an exposure test on a screen before you do your real screen. What I do is print out the numbers 5-45 on a vellum sheet (or transparency, whatever you use) and cover all but the #45 with a black sheet of paper, and put it on your screen. Then, during exposure, every five minutes move the paper so the next highest number is revealed. You'll end up with a good ballpark exposure time you can use for your actual screen (the number that looks the best after washout!)

And yes, the bug light should work in the darkroom!

Good luck! Let me know if you have any more questions. 

-Nicole


----------



## chachen (Apr 29, 2015)

Thanks for all your help! I did 15 minutes and it ended up looking really nice--next time I might cut back exposure time a bit since the emulsion was really stubborn in coming off of the thin areas, but I'm happy with the end result. Thank you again!


----------

