About thermofax
Online Catalogue | Thermofax | About thermofax
Most people are familiar to some extent with screen printing where you have mesh stretched over a frame of some sort. A design is applied to the mesh so that some of it is covered and some is left open. Ink or another medium is pushed through the open holes in the mesh with a squeegee to create a design on the fabric, paper or other substrate.
Traditionally the print would be made in several layers with the design on the mesh being changed for each layer to give a multi-coloured final print. The screen had to be lined up accurately, known as registration, for each layer of the print.
In modern textile work a simpler, more spontaneous way of working has been promoted by Jane Dunnewold in the USA and Committed to Cloth in the UK , amongst others, where a screen is used to repeat a motif or image on a piece of cloth with a single layer of ink, paint etc. The colour may be varied between prints or on different parts of the screen or the frame may be turned between prints but each print is done in one layer so no registration is needed. I find this type of freehand screen printing exciting and liberating.
Thermofax screens are made in a thermal imager which was originally designed to create office stencils - to some extent the forerunner of the modern day photocopier. The image you want to use is drawn or printed on to paper. The mesh is placed on top and the sandwich is then fed through the machine. The image is burnt through the plastic coating very accurately leaving the mesh open.
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How to use your thermofax screen:
You don't need much equipment for this sort of printing, just a screen, a squeegee, some media and a print surface.
Squeegees : most squeegees sold for screen printing are too heavy for use with thermofax screens so look for one with a light blade of an appropriate width for the screen you are going to use. Some of the squeegees sold in hardware shops for spreading grouting work very well for this but avoid those with a hard plastic blade as these can damage your screen.
Media: the list of media you can use with your screen is pretty long, ranging from dye paints, textile paints, screen printing inks, discharge paste, devore paste, glue (for foiling) gutta and so on. The main thing to remember is that you need to stabilise/fix the media in the same way as you would normally. For instance if you are printing with fabric paints that need ironing to set them then if you print with them the print will need to be ironed to fix it also. If you would normally steam discharge paste to activate it then after you have printed with the paste you will still need to steam it to activate it.
Print surface: the surface you print on affects the quality of the print you can achieve on fabric. Aim for a lightly padded surface. To get started you can use an old blanket or towel with a sheet over the top but if you get into this, and it can be thoroughly addictive, you will probably want to make a larger surface. I use a piece of mdf a bit bigger than my table, covered with two layers of felt and a piece of cotton loomstate. These are each stapled tightly over the mdf. When I print I then cover the surface with a drop cloth (usually another piece of cotton loomstate). The drop cloth absorbs any excess media that goes through the fabric you are printing and helps prevent smearing. When I'm not printing the board can stand up against the wall.
The fabric you are printing on is pinned through the drop cloth into the padded surface so that it doesn't lift up when you raise the screen after you've made a print.
The basic technique is the same as for other printing screens. Place a fat bead of media along one edge then keeping the squeegee upright pull the media towards you with an even pressure over the surface of the mesh. The media is then squeezed through the open parts of the mesh to form the design on the fabric.
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How to look after your screens:
The main things to remember are to wash the screen straight away if you are using quick drying media like acrylic based paints or inks. Use a sponge or a soft brush - anything abrasive may damage the surface of the screen. Keep in mind that although you can print from either side of the screen, the back is more fragile than the front (the front is the more matte side).
Notes:
- Don't use a squeegee with a sharp edge with your thermofax screen as it may damage the surface.
- Dry the screen after washing and store it upright.
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Online Catalogue | Thermofax | About thermofax
