How To Print Numbers Using Paper Stencils – Part 2

This is Part 2 of our How To on printing numbers.  For Part 1, please see Tuesday’s post.

Press Set Up

• Platen

When it comes time to print the numbers on the shirt, how will you know exactly where to place the stencils on the shirt so the screen will print the numbers?  The answer to this is CARDBOARD.  The cardboard I am talking about is not the kind boxes are made of.  I am talking about the thickness of the stuff on the back of note pads.

Take the largest double digit number (like 88) tape it together and measure the width and height of the number.  Now add about a quarter of an inch to both the height and width to make a rectangle.  Cut your cardboard to this dimension.

Using your shirt adhesive, glue the cardboard to the center of your shirt platen (shirt board) in whatever location you want your numbers to print.  Now when you put your shirt on the platen, you will be able to feel, and sometimes see the square outline of the cardboard underneath, giving you a guide on where to place the number stencils.  Using the shirt adhesive for the cardboard makes a temporary bond and you will be able to take off the cardboard when you are finished.

• Screen

To keep clean up quick and neat, you need to block off the parts of the screen you are not going to use to print your numbers.  There are two ways to do this, one is burn a coated screen, and the other is to simply tape off the screen.

If you are burning the screen, you need a square film positive the same dimensions as your cardboard (see above).  Simply burn this square into your screen and you have a stencil ready to print your numbers.  Align your screen with your cardboard, tape off the edges of your screen and you are finished.

If you don’t want to bother burning a screen, start with a blank screen that hasn’t been coated.  Place the blank screen on the press and clamp it down.  Using your cardboard square under the screen as a guide, start taping off the whole screen EXCEPT for the square.  This gives you a square stencil on your screen the same size and shape as your cardboard.  The only drawback of this method is if you are printing several teams and have to change ink colors, you will have to pull all the tape off, clean the screen and start over.  If you try to clean off the bottom side of the screen you will end up smearing ink all over the bottom of the tape.  Big mess.

• Ink

Just like any other screen printing job, ink your screen with enough ink to print the amount of shirts you are printing.  Choose a squeegee that is just bigger than the square you are printing over.

Print The Suckers!

• Shirt Alignment

Load the shirt on the platen, just like you would any other print job.

• Number Stencil Placement

Place the number stencil on the shirt.  Use your fingers and feel the edges of the cardboard under the shirt.  Align the stencil so that it is centered in the middle of the square.  Make sure you can read the number the right way, only upside down.  You DON’T want a mirror image.

• The Hole

Man, this is an easy thing to forget, and I have ruined many a shirt by forgetting to put the stupid hole in the number!  Place the hole in the stencil in the correct position.  The only way I know how to do this is to simply eye ball it.  If you have fat fingers, this is even harder!  Sometimes I get it close then use an Exacto knife or tweezers to fine tune it into place.  Be careful.  Get it crooked here, and it will be crooked on the shirt.  Make sure you get ALL the holes in ALL the digits in the number.

• Block Off

Depending on what number you are printing and how you measured your square, you will need to block off the area on the left and the right of the number stencil before printing.  This is normally done on single digits, or double digits with the number 1 in them.  The other double digits are big enough after being taped together to take up the whole square.  I always save my scrap paper in the office for this.  I cut the paper into strips and use these strips to cover the spaces on each side of the number. If you don’t block off this space, you will end up with a number with a bar printed on each side of it.

• Print ‘em

Lower your screen CAREFULLY!  Too fast and you will create a wind that will blow your stencils, holes, and block papers off or move them out of alignment.  If you are going to sneeze, wait until you have the screen down!

Now print the numbers just like you would any other print.  When you are done, lift the screen slowly.  The stencils, holes, and block papers will be stuck to the bottom of the screen and you are left with (hopefully) a perfect number printed on the shirt.  Pull the shirt off the platen and load it in the dryer.  Pull off all the paper from the bottom of the screen DONT FORGET THE HOLES.  Sometimes the holes are hard to get off without getting your fingers covered in ink, because they are so small.  I have found they are easier to take off if you put a piece of tape on them, taping them to the rest of the number stencil.  Then when you pull the whole mess off, the hole comes off with the rest of the stencil.

Now you are done!  Sell the team shirts and make a load of money!  Be patient, it will take you a while to get the hang of this.  Practice practice practice.  Now let’s hear from you.  Did you find this post useful?  What kind of numbering system do you use?  Do you think you have a better way to use paper stencils, or have anything to add to the way WE use them?  Let us know.  We look forward to hearing from you.