School of Screenprinting

School of Screenprinting|Experience, Knowledge, and Skill

Yes, finally, education for the screenprinting industry with a clear and dramatic difference! If you are serious about your craft - you are at the right place.

We are the only school in the world where students come to learn in an educational setting, and not to be sold direct-to-garment ink jet printers, software, videos, and other products during our classes. We are the only school where the instructor is not paid to promote such products.

We are located in Austin, Texas, but are in the process of moving the School of Screenprinting to Houston, Texas where we will enjoy a better geographical base of operations with the ease of a much larger and more accessible airport.

We offer two opportunities based on your needs and experience:

Basic 1-Day Screenprinting Workshop - $250

Advanced 2-Day Screenprinting Workshop - $495

Digital Photography for Screenprinters - $250

In just one day you will learn how to screenprint at the School of Screenprinting, or stay for the second day to learn all that you need to assure your future success. We believe that only you know your current level of knowledge and needs should be able to decide what is right for you.

Let us put our 60 years of knowledge and experience in your hands at one of our screenprinting workshops. We have the most comprehensive and extensive training program in the industry. We have been in the screenprinting industry as operators and owners of both manual and automatic screenprinting shops for over 60 years. We teach you how to screenprint but also how to have your own successful business making a profit on each and every job.

The School of Screenprinting presents the only fully educational experience in the screenprinting industry. Our goal is to teach you how to successfully start a screenprinting business or to improve your current skills. Our comprehensive screenprinting workshop will give you the following knowledge:

Film Positives - Create film positives that have the correct resolution and density using a variety of output devices including inexpensive ink jet printers without the need for RIP software.

Process and Simulated Process Color – Learn how process color works to reproduce a wide range of colors. Why most printers use the wrong angles that produce moiré and a wide range of reproduction problems and what angles, dot size, shape and which to use with each mesh count.

Pre-Registration Systems - Learn why you should use a pre-registration unit, how to create you own system and start saving hours each day on set-ups.

Frame Choices – We explain the different types of frames in use and how your final print, your production output and even your profit margin is affected by your choice. Learn the secrets that the big printers and distributors don't want you to know.

Choosing the Correct Mesh – We will give you the information that you need to effectively choose the proper mesh count for the art and ink combination. We explain how to care for your mesh to make it last for years.

Tension Controls - Learn how to properly tension mesh using state of the art techniques that only the large print shops use to increase their press speed and final production numbers. We use microscopic photographs to explain exactly what happens during tensioning and screenmaking.

Emulsion Selection - We show you how to select the proper emulsion for your location and shop conditions and then how to buy your emulsion at the best possible price. We cover both direct liquid emulsion and capillary film systems.

Coating Techniques – There is only one way to coat a screen with liquid direct emulsion, i.e., the correct way that produces the best possible image reproduction. We explain how to coat for maximum resolution in a quick and easy way. Learn why at least 50-percent of all printers are coating wrong and suffering from the improper technique.

Capillary Film Application – Learn how to choose the right capillary film and how to quickly and easily apply it to the mesh. We make it simple.

Drying – Learn how to properly dry your screens in a percentage of the time that most screenmakers take, lowering your costs and increasing your profits. You will learn that both under- and over-drying are ruining most printers chances at quality printing.

Exposure Systems - You will learn how to properly determine the correct exposure for each mesh count, emulsion, coating technique, tension level and many more variables that few screenmakers take into accord and thus are making poor screens. Learn how to keep the exposure variables in control using the most rudimentary equipment.

Developing – We explain the different methods of developing stencils and the pros and cons of each. Learn how to develop for the best resolution and get the highest quality on press from proper stencil development.

Pre-Press – Learn how to create screens that are free from pinholes to save a ton of time in the pre-press department. Learn how to avoid the time consuming tasks of taping and more.

Ink Selection – Learn what inks to use for different substrates including textile, plastic, wood, leather, polyethylene, glass, and specialty products. We will discuss the different ink types and additives.

Press Set-up – After visiting over 6,000 shops in the United States, Mexico and abroad we have learned the secrets of registering screens in as little as 1 minute per color as compared to the 20 or 30 minutes in most shops. Learn the secrets of extremely fast press set-ups.

Press -We teach time and motion, ergonomics and speed printing that will effectively double your printing speed in most cases. Learn why the floodstroke doesn't work and how to improve the ink transfer process by eliminating this stroke. We show you, on press, how mesh tension and off-contact affect ink transfer.

Flashing Textile Substrates – You will learn how to select and use the flash unit when printing textile substrates. We also explain why using the flash unit as a curing unit can result in the loss of tens of thousands of dollars in revenue.

Dryer – We explain the ins and out of electric versus gas dryers and how to properly set up and use a conveyor belt dryer to increase your production.

Screen Reclamation – Learn how to quickly reclaim the screen, and keep it free of emulsion and ink residue that cause a multitude of problems in many shops.

We offer two opportunities based on your needs and experience:

Basic 1-Day Screenprinting Workshop - $250

Advanced 2-Day Screenprinting Workshop - $495

Visit the Workshops Link on the top right of this page and find the workshop that is right for you, then visit the Calendar Link to find a date that fits in your schedule and sign up today.