# Can you make a pre-registration board for screenprinting?



## DogPound71 (Jul 7, 2009)

My question is this: Is there an easy an enexpensive way to pre-register my art work so one can expose it on a simple light exposer unit w. stand from Ryonnet. I have a vision of what I think I will do. I am more of a visual explanner, so here is a mock drawing I did in CorelDraw. 

You would first have to make a copy of the original platen with a wooden platen that you would make. 

But make the wooden platen a little smaller than the original platen so that that the wooden platen can fit inside the printing frame (Sorry I do not know the correct terminology of the screen printing frame) will fit inside the platen. 


The print side of the screen frame would be up to attach the transparnecy. So you would have to make sure that the center of both platens are true as can be.

You would line up your ar work and measure the sides and center the the art work on the original platen, and then do the same with homemade wooden platen. and then use the transparency to line up your registrations with your your screen frame/s of two or more colors. 

I hope I explained good enough to understand what I am trying to talk about.

Some helpful advice will be appreciated.

Thanks to all who helps


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## Teamwear (Mar 12, 2007)

ironically my new hire (more experience than me) made one today.

He took a piece of coroplast that we use for yard signs-cut it to fit INSIDE the screen. He made center lines and a place for left chest alignment with a sharpie.

He then put this on a platen-placed the screen ink side down over it and you could see his lines perfectly.

When printing multi color-then you would tape down the postive and then mark the registration marks on each screen.

The plastic piece cost about $1. I was about to order one for $100.

I think I made a good hire!


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## JeridHill (Feb 8, 2006)

I made this table years ago for an auto press. Ignore the chicken scratch!

I went to Lowe's and bought an aluminum base for making work tables, cut some wood, drew all my lines and added the Jiffy Clamps just for positioning. I used to have a wood strip to butt the screen up to, but since then, I decided to use the clamps when I was printing a flat stock project some time ago.


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## DogPound71 (Jul 7, 2009)

Thank you for the help and ideas. I guess you can make it either hard or easier for yourself.


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## nation03 (Sep 2, 2008)

You can definitely construct your own. The nicest one I've seen so far is the one Alan made for his auto. There is a video on here somewhere of it. Look's pretty damn cool.


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## brice (Mar 10, 2010)

I'm relatively new and traveled to school on the short bus in my youth. Can someone walk me through what you are trying to accomplish with this and why?


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## DogPound71 (Jul 7, 2009)

Brice I can explain again but what does a school bus has to do with making a pre-registraion board?


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## veedub3 (Mar 29, 2007)

DogPound71 said:


> Brice I can explain again but what does a school bus has to do with making a pre-registraion board?


Special Education Students usually rode the short buses to school and they may not grasp the concept of certain things which are easy to comprehend to others which I believe was his point. (He was joking around) 
He is just trying to understand why a pre-registrtion board is necessary.

Brice to answer your question, many printers use these boards or templates to line up multi-colored screen printing jobs. Myself included. I don't have micro registration or joystick registration it is just a template board to ensure everything lines up correctly.


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## brice (Mar 10, 2010)

veedub3 said:


> Special Education Students usually rode the short buses to school and they may not grasp the concept of certain things which are easy to comprehend to others which I believe was his point. (He was joking around)
> He is just trying to understand why a pre-registrtion board is necessary.
> 
> Brice to answer your question, many printers use these boards or templates to line up multi-colored screen printing jobs. Myself included. I don't have micro registration or joystick registration it is just a template board to ensure everything lines up correctly.


Exactly. My dry humor is obtuse at times. And this was one of those times. Thanks for explaining why this pre-registration is important. I'm relatively new to screen printing and some of the terminology and helpful techniques/tips have yet to be learned and, more importantly, why they are needed in the first place. In other words, I've not tried all of the various techniques and therefore don't quite know what I don't know.


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## alan802 (Mar 24, 2008)

This is a video of our system that we have in place. [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-Kuvyo1eB4[/media] I didn't make the film positioning board, it was already made by Vastex but I changed the stop points. It would be super easy to reproduce the film positioning board with some wood, mdf, metal or whatever you want to use.


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## Charms4all (Jan 29, 2007)

TeamWear can you post a pic of the template that your new hire made. i would like to make one but i need a visual..
i dont know where the lines go
and how to use it
thanks if you can


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## Teamwear (Mar 12, 2007)

It is actually not as important to get your lines in the same place as mine-just to be consistent where you place your positives. 

In other words-we use a simple T shape onthe registration board. We place the top registration mark (using center registartion marks) on the center of the T and the bottom mark in the bottom portion of the T. This makes sure that the art is centered in the screen left to right and that the top of the art is in the same place (approx) on the 2nd color when we are printing multiple colors. 

It also makes press set up easier because we are not having to adjust platens on every print.


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## RobertG (Oct 13, 2010)

I was thinking to make a simple system to do multi color print. If I make something without registration system, will I be able to have everything lined up with only the pre-registration described in the video?
Would be great If I could.

Thanks, Robert


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## oldbox (Apr 25, 2010)

Hey!
do it, and I will too!

Happy thanksgiving everybody!


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## bigduke1022 (Nov 5, 2008)

Here is my pre reg board that I made. It is a piece of 3/4 MDF. I traced my screen and screwed in 3 screws to help line up each screen. I then placed a platen inside of the lines and traced the platen. The most important line is the one down the middle. I then placed some lines 1"m apart and one through the middle horizontally. It was quick and easy to make. I make sure to place positives in the same place and then but the screen against the 3 screws. If you have any questions, feel free to ask.


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## bigduke1022 (Nov 5, 2008)

I guess my photo didn't upload. I will try again.


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## bweavernh (Jun 26, 2008)

Looks a bit interesting.


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## miktoxic (Feb 21, 2008)

BUMP.

am making my own registration board as well.

my question is while placing the transparencies on the already coated screens this has to be done in a light safe area, correct?

man i over-think things too much. and with the occasional brain [email protected] the simplest thing could have me stumped.

thanks in advance!


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## ICUFFU (Jan 21, 2011)

miktoxic said:


> BUMP.
> 
> am making my own registration board as well.
> 
> ...


Yes you want to do this in light safe environment if your screen hasn't been exposed yet. Hope your reg board works out for you. I would love to score a detailed pic of a vastex reg board to build my own.


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## Eviltig (Apr 6, 2014)

I am starting a pre registration board now, I'll post pictures as I go if anyone is interested.
I planned on buying the Vastex one but figure on trying to make one before dropping a grand on one with carrier sheets.

The one I am going to make is going to be a vacuum platen with the three stops for the screen to bump up against. It will go on the screen printer in place of a platen for loading screens and most of the time probably stay on the press.

I figure the vacuum needs only be attached while making the screens so I could just unhook the hose and the platen could spin on the carousel freely.

The first one I plan on making is wood but I have a idea for a metal one that could be slapped onto the platen and back off quickly that I want to make also.

Basically with the air you could tape the artwork down to line up the first color, step on the switch and the air would hold it while applying it to the screen. after lining up the design and turning the air on you could easily lift up the corners to add tape and the air would hold it snug.

On the wood platen I am thinking I may add metal where the bumpers are to cut down on the possibility of the wood allowing the bumper to get any play.

Im off to cut the wood now and will update with a few photos since my description may be all over the place, haha.

Going to make an attempt to post some pictures, 

This is after the first cut

https://flic.kr/p/FSmRCb


After cutting the screen arm pocket

https://flic.kr/p/EZddcj

Last one for today, in the jig with a list of whats next scribbled on it.

https://flic.kr/p/FuxfxW

I will try to get the laminate top glued on tonight so I can drill tomorrow.

TOOLS USED SO FAR: 
Jig saw, "too lazy to pull out the table saw from the shed lol"
Pencil
metal ruler for a straight edge
square
and a sharpie for doodling

the wood is 3/4" press board. I am hoping adding a thin backing will take up the off contact so the screen will slide into the clamp smoothly and not get lifted. if it does I will shim the pallet up. seems like the right thing to do so as to make it less likely to move when tightening the screen clamp.


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## jeron (Jul 16, 2012)

This is the film setup i have made. This table sits next to my exposure unit, and I'm going to build a board to put on my press soon. 

https://youtu.be/x7jLnoOjYmU


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## Eviltig (Apr 6, 2014)

I got the Laminate applied and slapped on a sticker lol

Still need to drill and router, mount the bracket and air inlet. and lastly some better artwork for image placement


EDIT (next day) adding a couple more pictures where I used the router and a drill to do the edges and start drilling the small holes for the air suction.


Also I started a thread on this attempt at a air registration system with maybe more info in it. wasn't sure if I should keep adding pictures here as well?

Edit: adding more pictures putting the backing on with glue


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