# how to print these types of screen printings



## nebula83 (Jun 5, 2015)

hi. i'm new to screen printing. well..
these are some merchandises from around 70s or 80s, i guess..
i wonder how to print these types of screen printings?
as you can see, it's not typical halftone. these unequable dots seem handcrafted or made of some different technology. am i right? but that's a lot of dots to handcrafting..
if so, how did they make sheets for the screen and print like that in the old days..? does anybody know anything about it? thank you.

http://cfile3.uf.tistory.com/original/225D2F3E558578F5140E75


http://cfile2.uf.tistory.com/original/26695C4055857A3F1AC6EB


http://cfile10.uf.tistory.com/original/235F934455857A522D6DB6


http://cfile21.uf.tistory.com/original/2621763455857AEB0ACF6C


http://cfile6.uf.tistory.com/original/2560AB3955857AFA1D31BE


----------



## artlife (Jan 15, 2010)

nebula83 said:


> hi. i'm new to screen printing. well..
> these are some merchandises from around 70s or 80s, i guess..
> i wonder how to print these types of screen printings?
> as you can see, it's not typical halftone. these unequable dots seem handcrafted or made of some different technology. am i right? but that's a lot of dots to handcrafting..
> if so, how did they make sheets for the screen and print like that in the old days..? does anybody know anything about it? thank you.


Okay you have to understand the difference between how art and film are generated today, and how it was done before computers. To create a film positive to burn the screen you worked directly on film - cut ruby/amberlith, used mezzotints and other halftone effects etc peel and stick film from companies like Letraset or drawing on film with special ink pens like Rapidograph. OR you would draw on paper (or layout and paste-up on paper) and then shoot the art with a stat camera to make your film, or combine the processes. People creating art for shirts were quite often more artists and less "graphic designers". You could also do different exposures of the same photo negative to produce layered effects, and then add hand drawn touches. 
The KISS image looks like photography with hand done additions. Also, in developing photos effects can be added. Some of the first computer plugins mimicked photo processes. The Warlock image looks hand done, and does the knight for Black Sabbath. Those of us who drew for screen print did a lot of hand stippling and hand crosshatching. There are tricks too, such as using a toothbrush to create splatter dots lol
You can recreate this type of art, generally you'd need to draw, but it could be done on the computer (or on paper and scanned). 
Here's an old-timey anecdote- I used to set type with a reel-to-reel typesetter. You would advance to the letter you wanted and position on the film, then expose it, then move the film to position for the next letter, advance the reel to the letter, then expose it, etc etc. Was easier to layout the type with reusable little film letters and shoot the whole thing to film.


----------



## nebula83 (Jun 5, 2015)

artlife said:


> Okay you have to understand the difference between how art and film are generated today, and how it was done before computers. To create a film positive to burn the screen you worked directly on film - cut ruby/amberlith, used mezzotints and other halftone effects etc peel and stick film from companies like Letraset or drawing on film with special ink pens like Rapidograph. OR you would draw on paper (or layout and paste-up on paper) and then shoot the art with a stat camera to make your film, or combine the processes. People creating art for shirts were quite often more artists and less "graphic designers". You could also do different exposures of the same photo negative to produce layered effects, and then add hand drawn touches.
> The KISS image looks like photography with hand done additions. Also, in developing photos effects can be added. Some of the first computer plugins mimicked photo processes. The Warlock image looks hand done, and does the knight for Black Sabbath. Those of us who drew for screen print did a lot of hand stippling and hand crosshatching. There are tricks too, such as using a toothbrush to create splatter dots lol
> You can recreate this type of art, generally you'd need to draw, but it could be done on the computer (or on paper and scanned).
> Here's an old-timey anecdote- I used to set type with a reel-to-reel typesetter. You would advance to the letter you wanted and position on the film, then expose it, then move the film to position for the next letter, advance the reel to the letter, then expose it, etc etc. Was easier to layout the type with reusable little film letters and shoot the whole thing to film.


that sounds cool. oh yeah. as you said, the dots look like hand done with some hard brushes, but i'm not sure..
if so, what type of film or ink pens did they use at that time and what film or ink pens will be good for this work?
i'm going to try to print like this type printing soon, but i think it will be hard for me to set type with a reel-to-reel typesetter that your anecdote.. thanks for your help.


----------



## artlife (Jan 15, 2010)

nebula83 said:


> that sounds cool. oh yeah. as you said, the dots look like hand done with some hard brushes, but i'm not sure..
> if so, what type of film or ink pens did they use at that time and what film or ink pens will be good for this work?
> i'm going to try to print like this type printing soon, but i think it will be hard for me to set type with a reel-to-reel typesetter that your anecdote.. thanks for your help.


LOL nobody sets type like that anymore. You can combine the best of both worlds. There are several types of opaque pens, what they used to call india ink, the rapidograph pen, I had a metallic silver pen. But you don't have to draw on film, you can draw on paper, scan and vectorize.


----------



## nebula83 (Jun 5, 2015)

artlife said:


> LOL nobody sets type like that anymore. You can combine the best of both worlds. There are several types of opaque pens, what they used to call india ink, the rapidograph pen, I had a metallic silver pen. But you don't have to draw on film, you can draw on paper, scan and vectorize.


oh.. you're right.. i was in the old days for a minute.. lol thanks a lot!


----------

