Design for Print- Primary Research

In order to compliment the current brief we are doing on Design for Print, I am taking part in Print Inductions and learning new processes to compliment this (Inductions can be found on separate Design Practise posts).

In regards to Digital Printing, I decided to try out some of the Colour Variations on a photograph I took during one of my Inductions.

Monotone

Monotone creates just a simple outline of the elements of the image and shows the different shades and tones of a colour based on the tones of the original image.

Duotone

Duotone is a mixture of 2 colour inks to produce the same effect as a Monotone image. To me, this doesn't seem as successful as the Monotone image as it looks too dark and not as clear.

Tritone

Quadtone

Tritone and Quadtone seems to give more depth and shadow to the overall image, making it seem more gritty and impure.

Halftone

Halftone is a great way to show how the ink will be distributed when it is being printed so you are able to see how the machine is interpreting the colours.

From this, I felt it was important to do some more hands on Primary Research to see how this would work in a physical, handmade context as well as be able to understand how colours and inks work by seeing it for myself.

In order to do some primary research, we decided to produce some prints where we could experiment with stocks and inks as well as some finishing techniques so that we would be better informed of the processes and able to see and feel the physical changes for myself. Apart from an Induction last year, I've never done Screen-printing before so this is a complete new experience for me and, in a way, is like doing a workshop induction as I will be learning as I go along.

Meeting with Technician

Beforehand, I arranged a meeting with one of the print technicians to talk about screen-printing as I wanted to know how you did it and what you needed. He explained the technique, the way that images are printed in black and white for exposure and the type of stuff that will transfer from being exposed.

Designs on Illustrator

From the meeting, I used on elf my poster designs and, for it to be screen-printed, it needed to be printed in black and white rather than colour and every layer needed to be done separately depending on the amounts of colour that you want. To keep the costs down, me and Emily decided to share screens.

Printed Black and White Designs

We printed the sheets onto a thin stock which would be able to transfer when exposed. We were previously advised to use acetate, however, when printing, we were advised that this would be just as good and cheaper. We have produced A5 designs put on A4 and printing in A3 so that there is plenty of room between the design and the screen when printing later on.

Getting the Tape Off the Screen

We had to find a screen that was green (because the green screens are used for Paper printing) and out of date so that it was ok to use. To make it good enough to use on our prints, we needed to get rid of all the tape left on by the previous user by wetting it and peeling the tape off.

Chemically Cleaning the Screen

In order to clean the screen from the previous users design, you need to go into the cleaning room where you put on the protective gear on and use Chemicals to clean the screen of the design and emulsion. You use B Strip that is applied to the front and back of the screen and using a sponge, scrub the screen before washing it off with the power hose. You then apply B Solve to the front and back, leaving it for 10 minutes to develop before washing it off with the hose.

Cleaning the Treated Screen

To get rid of the chemicals that had just been used, we had to wash it with warm, soapy water and leave it to dry in the drying room for half an hour.

Emulsioning the Screen

The next thing we need to do is coat the Screen with new emulsion. You do this by getting a reservoir  squeegee and filling it with emulsion, making sure to have caps on either side so the emulsion doesn't spill out. Make sure the emulsion is level and free of bubbles by rocking it back and forth in the squeegee. Starting from the bottom, allow the emulsion to be tipped onto the screen and scrap up the screen and collect the excess at the end. Scrape a few more times to get the excess off the back and front on the screen. Leave to dry for at least an hour.

Exposing the Screen

Once the screen had dried and the emulsion was dry, in order to get the image onto the screen, we need to expose our screen which is done by putting the image and the screen onto the Lightbox and exposing it to 170 light units. This will transpose the image onto the emulsion of the screen allowing it to transfer accurately.

Cleaning the Exposed Screen

After it has been cleaned, we leave it to dry in the drying room so that we can print with it next time.
What we found was that it took a very long and arduous time to prepare the screen for printing as it took a full day just for preparation time but the effects that are produced when printing should be worth it.

Binder

In regards to ink, we needed to purchase 100g of Binder, which is a thick gloomy substance which the ink is mixed with to produce the colour. When mixing colour, it is 70% Binder with 30-50% Colour Ink.

Parcel Taping the Screen

When we next came to it, we had to tape up the screen using Parcel Tape around the whole screen areas. This is to stop the ink going through any holes which might have been created.

Setting Up for the Screenprint

We had to fit the screen into the frame by tightening and loosening it to the right size and bolting it in place. When printing, you first print onto a piece of true grain to establish the register markers for the paper print before you print onto the stock.

Flourescent Ink

We started off by selecting a fluorescent ink by mixing the colour with the binder, seeing how the ink would react on a series of different colours and stock types.

Fluorescent Ink Prints

As you can see, the overall prints themselves were not of the best quality and I think we were trying to find our feet and get comfortable with the process. We printed it on black paper, newsprint, white cartridge and off white so it would be good to see how the ink reacts with different shades and textures.

Mixing the Metallics (Gold Pearl) Ink

We moved onto producing a metallic ink to see how successful it would be. We added a large heaped spoonful of the powder and mixed it into the Binder, causing it to produce a thick concoction.

Metallic Ink Prints

The Metallic prints were very effective and made the screen printing preparation worthwhile. It was successful in both the white and black backgrounds and I think the fact that the actual Ink was thicker using the powder made for it to be more successful in its application.

Normal Ink Prints

Finally, we tried using just a normal print colour ink (White) but we chose to work on coloured stock to see the effect it would have to the aesthetic. We found that the stark contrast in colour made for an interesting visual.

Coloured Normal Inks

Just purely out of experimentation, we mixed a colour ink within the white ink to play around with colour, creating a pale blue colour which we then printed on white to juxtapose the previous prints of white onto coloured. These worked just as well and were also quite effective.

Spot Varnish

 The next thing we did was decide to try out an application of spot varnish onto our prints.

Registration of Prints

For this to work, we had to make sure that our prints were placed back into the exact same place which is why we used masking tape as registration marks.

Application of Spot Varnish

We poured the varnish onto the screen and applied it like a normal screen print. As you can see, it created a very sticky and bumpy surface.

Spot Varnish Effect

Spot Varnished Prints

The spot varnish gave the appearance of the ink being wet and shiny, as if it had been newly applied which worked really well. It was a very easy process and would be something I would consider doing to any print work I produce later as it gives a higher quality sheen

After doing these Screen prints, we decided to further our research by going onto producing the designs using the finishing techniques of foiling and flocking.

Blue Fabric Screen

We produced a screen in the same way as we had for paper printing except this time we had to choose a clear screen which would turn a deep shade of blue when it had been emulsioned. When doing anything with a fabric or material, you have to use this screen as the meshing is different, specifically for printing on material.

Materials Needed

For this, we needed some Fabric Glue and selected some Burgundy Flocking and Gold Foiling.

Glue Consistency

To prepare the glue, we needed to add a small amount of water to it so as to give it a smooth and runnier consistency so that it is easier to put into the fabric screen.

Preparing the Screen

To prepare the screen, we put tape all over the screen and attached the screen to a backboard which can be used to print on without having a vacuum on. The paper is put underneath the screen ready for printing.

Glue Application

Then, just like you would a paper screen-print, we printed the glue onto our stock by putting it through the screen a few times. We had to wash the screen right away when it was done so as not to clog up the screen with the glue.

Attaching Material

We applied the flock and the foil to the respective stock, sticking them on top of the glue. The foil needs to be coloured, shiny side up whereas the flock needs to be coloured, fuzzy side down. They are then carefully smoothed over for when they are printed in the heat so that they transfer properly.

Induction/ Using the Heat Press Machine

For the Heat Transfer, we were given a quick indication into how to use it. For Foiling, it needs to be at 160 degrees for 12 seconds whereas for Flocking its 160 degrees for 20 seconds. You set the temperature and give it a few minutes to heat up. Then you turn the plate to the side to put your paper and material onto the plate, making sure you have packed them on both sides with newsprint. Then you released the black button at the side and push the handle down to the bottom. When the time is up, you release it back up. From the heat, you can quickly yet carefully peal off the foil or flock to get the image from beneath.

Printed Ephemera

The printed ephemera creates a range of different visual effects to the design. The flock print is raised whereas the printed flock is de-bossed into the leftover material, showcasing how you can create a different effect from one finishing process.

Foil and Flock Finishes

I felt that this was a very quick method of producing a nice finish onto your work and it was very successful; so successful that my logo came out better with these finishes then with just the normal Screen- prints! It instantly adds an aura of high quality and expense onto the print and I thoroughly enjoyed producing them. This is defiantly something that I would consider doing at a later time for a different project.

What I've like about the entire process of doing Primary Research in this way is that I have learned a lot of new processes through this process of doing so that I've had the experience and can do it for myself at a later time. This means that I have acquired a lot of new printing skills which can be transferred to other projects. I had a bit of a fear of the Print Room before I did these experiments so I feel like I have conquered that slightly now.