# Starting a home screen printing shop



## Scrap Iron Jaw (Mar 15, 2010)

I am trying to figure out a good solid plan for setting up a press in my garage. I have done some screen printing before (a couple of SP classes at the local community college) and I want to eventually get to the point that it's a nice sized personal business. I am interested in doing jobs (small ones at first of course) for local groups and businesses and printing up my own shirts to sell at various venues around the area. I would also like to be able to make stickers, art prints and small signs if possible. I have only worked with plastisol inks but I am interested in what others would suggest. I have a Mac G5 pro and the CS Adobe suite that I use for my freelance illustration work so the computer at least is set. I have only really worked with 1 to 4 color prints so I want to start out with a relatively simple setup. Some of my questions are about the disposal and rinsing of screens and the effects on pluming. If the beginner sets are worth the money and how to tell if a used press has any major problems like lack a reliable registration, etc? Most of the beginner sets have a flash dryer is that going to be enough for curing the kind of jobs I will get? I want to have high quality products over high turnaround. Little is more frustrating than to have bought a shirt that fades on the first washing. That is not going to be what I sell. I am pretty new to the process but I know I want to make it work. I'd rather spend a little more at first then to outgrow my press in 6 months. I am still looking around the forum and finding all kinds of useful information. I am sure all the info here will bring on more questions as well. I am not in a rush to be printing in a week but I really want something going sooner than later. Thanks for your time.


Edit: I forgot to add that all over printing is also something I am interested in.


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## Greatzky (Jan 28, 2009)

hello!!!
All over printing is going to cost a lot more money to achieve. I was at the ISS trade show this weekend in Atlantic City and Ryonet had a 1 color allover press for sale with platen and a free screen and it was still about $500(the one they used for displaying). On top of that I would need to buy a much larger exposure unit and also a conveyor dryer or huge flash dryer to cure an image that size.

for starting up I always recommend the Ryonet kits... This is the one I started with(except that now they include the new silver press which is 10TIMES better than the magnet press I got with mine):
Semi-Pro Complete Screen Printing Kit 
this one is about $1000 and includes the 4color/1station silver press as well as a basic exposure unit and a Flash dryer.
This next kit comes with the 4color/2station version so you can print more shirts per hour ($1500 for this kit):
http://www.silkscreeningsupplies.com/site/799934/product/1008x2

If you want to bump up further you can start adding other items into your kits like a more professional exposure unit and such. The next tabletop press kit that is available is this one and runs about $2200 :
http://www.silkscreeningsupplies.com/site/799934/product/1008PThe advantages of this kit are that it includes the 6color/2station Silver press so you can do up to 6 colors. it also includes the more professional exposure unit so you can reduce your exposure time and get much better lasting screens.

These are some good kits to start with. I know there are other companies and other kits as well as ryonet kits that come with the Riley Hopkins presses, but these are the ones I'm familiar with.

The next upgrade to add to these kits would be a blackmax system printer along with Accurip software so you can print crisp halftones and print completely opaque transparency films.

I hope this helped a little bit and please let me know if you have any other questions.

-Scott Lewis
Silk Screen Expressions
Hyzer Flip Disc Golf Apparel


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## hatmanok (Oct 26, 2009)

Where are you located in NC?


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## Scrap Iron Jaw (Mar 15, 2010)

Thanks Scott. I have been looking at the Ryonet kits. I think that's what I'll go with. Did you have any suggestions on sinks? Do you think I need a industrial sink or could I just use the extra bathtub in the guest bath?

Hey hatmanok. I am by Charlotte, NC. Are you around here?


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## hatmanok (Oct 26, 2009)

I'm in Taylorsville, close to Hickory. If there is anything I can do for you let me know.


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## Greatzky (Jan 28, 2009)

I want to live down in NC .. I'm a huge disc golfer and living in NC would put me within a few hrs of 100+ courses . 

I would think you could get away with using the bath in the guest room. I use the shower stall in the master bedroom. The only thing I worry about is larger pieces/particles washing down the drain. I usually use citrus or soy based ink cleaners which break down the ink to very small pieces that can go down the drain. I was worried that it might be illegal to do that in my area (There are many restrictions that I still am unaware of I'm sure) so I picked up some of the SAATIchem IR Ink remover. This chemical turns the ink into latex which they said can be washed right down the drain. My other concern is emulsion going down the drain. I try to set up a filter or mesh system to catch bigger pieces of emulsion because they get sticky.

These are the things that I've run into while using my cleaners/washing out screens/etc. Let me know if you have any other questions.

-Scott Lewis
Silk Screen Expressions
Hyzer Flip Disc Golf Apparel


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## BleedingThreads (Oct 1, 2009)

Depending on what you want to spend your local Craigslist might have a screen printing shop going out of business... you can probably pick up an entire manual shop for as little as 4-5 grand.

But having said that, I agree with Scott a nice kit from Ryonet will work great (and we also started with the 4/1 kit with magnet and yes, the new silver press is MUCH better!)


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## Scrap Iron Jaw (Mar 15, 2010)

Yeah, I looked on Craig's list but I am still pretty new to screen printing and I don't know if I would be able to spot any flaws in the machinery.


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