Hi all. I was wondering if you know of a way to Silk Screen onto corplast with out having any Silk Screening equipment?
Is there a way to cut a template out of vinyl and use that? I have a customer that wants 50, 2 sided 18x24 one color corplast signs done.
Any suggestions would be great!
Posted by Checkers (Member # 63) on :
Todd, Design your layout, export the file and email it to Harbor Sales and in a few days, you'll have a stencil delivered to your door. Spray, brush or roll away! Havin' fun, Checkers
Posted by FranCisco Vargas (Member # 145) on :
...Or if I was in your case, not having the equipment. I would sub it out to a shop who has the equipment, get their price and mark it up.
Posted by Suelynn Sedor (Member # 442) on :
Hi Todd,
Design your layout, export the file, and email it to a wholesale screenprinter. When they arrive at your door, take them to your customer, and collect the money. It's a great way to do screen printing!
Suelynn
Posted by R T Thomas (Member # 355) on :
Todd, I'm sure if you look around here that you'll find a Letterhead that does just this type work. And I think most of them would give you a good enough deal for you to make a buck and not have to deal with the headache. Jimmy Chatham ( Chatham Signs)in Commerce, GA is a name that comes to mind. I know he does silkscreening and would probably be happy to help you out. Give him a call and see if you guys can do a deal. Hope this helps, R.T.
Posted by Lotti Prokott (Member # 2684) on :
Todd, I've worked in screen printing for years, so when I opened my own sign shop I figured I might as well do some improvised screen printing every now and then. It's a headache without the right equipment. I will only sub out such jobs now. Also remember that you want to sell quality to make yourself a good name, with an improvised set up this is harder to do. Just my 2 cents. Good luck.
Posted by Neil D. Butler (Member # 661) on :
Todd when you say you have no equipment, do you mean you don't even have a screen or squeege? Cause you can't print without those 2 pieces of gear. But you're question on weather you can use vinyl as a template brought back a memory from years ago. I used vinyl as a template a few times when I wasin a huge hurry one time, and when I ran out of film the other time. I just cut a stencil out of vinyl and applied to the screen, tape out the frame and printed away. Now if you have no experience in this field this is NOT the way to go. The advise already given is probably the best you can get. Also this was used for very short run signs, like maybe 2 doz, and there was not much detail in them as well.
Posted by Kelly Thorson (Member # 2958) on :
Todd, I tend to agree with the other posts about subbing out the project. Screenprinting is not my favorite thing to do. BUT if you are stubborn like me and a million miles from nowhere you can probably handle it. My equipment is all homemade and I have done decals, real estate signs and clothing. There are films that can be hand cut or cut on your plotter that will be far less frustrating than trying to use vinyl. I use Autocut Amber, which adheres to your screen using water and resists solvent based inks. You probably should purchase a water based blockout as well to fix any pin holes and seal off edges. You can hand stretch a screen over a 2"x2" frame that will be sufficient. You can use ordinary door hinges to hinge your screen to your work surface. Hinge it in such a way that it rests 1/16" - 1/8" above the substrate. A 110 mesh screen (fairly coarse) should work OK. The most expensive piece of equipment you will need is your squeegie. I recommend using a multi purpose ink with catalyst added for coroplast. There are inks available for coroplast, but the multi purpose is more versatile. Thwe #1 most important thing is to do this in a well ventilated area and use a mask. Those screenprinting inks are nasty. If this hasn’t scared you off you are welcome to email me for more info. Kel
Posted by ScooterX (Member # 2023) on :
WHY?
you can look in the back of the trade mags and find two or three places competing to print coroplast signs. they are all dirt cheap (some of them sell the PRINTED signs for about what i'd pay just for the plastic!).
they can print and ship the stuff faster than you can make a screen and stir the ink. don't waste your time.
trying to do 1 or two prints with iffy equipment is one thing -- trying to do 50 is a waste of your time. you wont save time, and you wont save money.
Posted by Amy Brown (Member # 1963) on :
I recently used these guys for 100 coro signs and they were great Sign Master
Judy Pate turned me on to them. I believe they take 10%off their list prices for wholesale. ASk for Tommy Trucks.
Posted by Todd Swain (Member # 3111) on :
Thank you all for your help! I think I will sub it out. I do want to sell them a quality product. So I guess I should let some one that knows what they are doing and has the right equipment do the job.
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