How You Can Double Your Home into a Screen Print Company

Screen printing, also called silk-screen printing, is one of the most popular printing methods today. It creates a printed design by pressing ink through a mesh. Its use spans various industries worldwide, including the creation of custom posters, clothing, artwork, and canvasses. Some people also call it serigraphy.

What Is A Screen-Printing Company?

The central focus of a screen-printing company is printing images on t-shirts and other garments in line with a customer’s wishes. You can run such a venture partially or entirely from home or through an eCommerce platform.

Along with allowing your clients to send you their designs, your home-based business can also provide pre-set options for words and photos. Your capacity to produce t-shirts for local schools and businesses can provide a fantastic opportunity to foster a sense of community.

Below, we look at how to start a screen-printing company at home and what you’ll need.

How You Can Make Your Home into A Screen-Printing Company

Choosing your startup equipment is among the most exciting steps you’ll take when transforming your home into a screen-printing company. Depending on the available funds, there are several options to consider.

As you determine how much to put into this venture, don’t forget to consider the amount of space available in your home. Ask yourself this: “Will I set aside a room in the main house for the company or dedicate the entire garage or basement to it?”

With the budget and space issues sorted, the next step is to buy pre-production and printing supplies, inks, and equipment.

Choosing Your Screen-Printing Supplies

With screen printing, you have numerous options available to you, but in the long run, you must invest in the following:

• A screen. Always go for a purchased screen rather than the DIY route, as it will save you a lot of heartache down the line and significantly boost your chances of succeeding.

• A squeegee to use in pushing the printing ink through the purchased screen

• Textiles, paper fabric, or board to print your designs onto

• A variety of screen-printing inks in varying colors.

• Tape to secure the stencil to the purchased screen

• Stanley knife and stencil paper

Preparing the Purchased Screen

Once you have gathered all the supplies, you can create the designs and prepare them for printing in various ways. Two of the most popular methods are:

1. Create a physical stencil and tape it to the screen – ideal for at-home beginners.

2. Use a light-sensitive photo emulsion to make the screen ready – commonly used by professionals.

Making Your Print

Use table adhesive tape to secure the fabric to the table and ensure it’s correctly lined with the screen. Use clamps to secure the screen before placing a decent amount of ink onto it. If using water-based inks, flood the screen with ink before and in between the print strokes.

Use the squeegee to flood the screen.

Curing the Print 

Allow enough time for the print to dry before curing it. This prevents the design from rubbing off or washing over time. You can cure a print by leaving it in the sunlight for a few hours or by applying a hot iron for several minutes.

What You Need to Start A Business Inside Your Home

Now that you know how to go about printing at home, it’s time to learn what it takes to start a home-based business. For starters, please note that this entire process requires careful planning, preparation, and certification to legalize it. The steps to follow include:

1. Settle on an idea. Having decided on a screen-printing business, you can skip this step, but be sure to conduct market research and budget accordingly.

2. Create your business plan. In your plan, make sure to include an executive summary, a company overview, and a financial plan.

3. Choose a name for the business. Consider choosing an easy-to-remember name and confirm that it’s available.

4. Register the screen-printing business. Options include registering it as a corporation or an LLC.

5. Apply for a business license: The license you need to run a home-based business may differ from that of running an ordinary business.

6. Make sure to create a separate bank account for the business: Managing your finances requires you to separate your personal and business finances.

7. Source for financing: It may prove challenging for your startup to access normal financing methods, but you can apply for a line of credit.

8. Set up the office and learn about tax accounts and deductions: Learn everything you can about business taxes and how to get an EIN.

Written by Taylor McKnight, Author for Impress Ink