Can’t find a stencil for the design you are looking for? Or do you usually make your own stencils, but your latest design has lots of details that would be a pain to cut out? Give Photo EZ a try.
Photo EZ is a light sensitive material that allows you to make your own small scale screen prints. Sold in sheets, the typical size is the same as letter paper for your printer (8.5 inches X 11 inches). The basic foundation of the sheet is a very fine screen and it is topped with a layer of photo sensitive emulsion. By exposing your design and the Photo EZ to sunlight, the areas around the design harden while the design components remain soft and are then rinsed away.
There are three major steps to using Photo EZ: design, exposure, and printing.
Design
The size of the sheets are the same as standard letter paper, so you will want to be sure your design fits on the page with at least 1.5 inches around the design. You will need this extra space to put the ink and also as a buffer so you have some room to spread the ink without messing up your item. Photo EZ can handle a good amount of detail in a design, but it is best to start out simple and work your way up to very detailed designs after you feel comfortable with the product.
Once your design is completed, print it out on to a transparency or Wal-Mart’s 88 brightness 20 lb white paper (other paper will not work). You could even draw directly on to the transparency or paper using a black marker.
Exposure
Refer to the more detailed instructions that come with Photo EZ for a step by step guide for exposure.
As an overview, working in a dark room, you place your design on to a sheet of Plexiglas. Next, place the Photo EZ sheet on top of the design and finally put a black board on top of the stack. Use binder clips to securely hold the layers together.
Next take the set up outside. Find a sunny spot, preferably where the sun is directly over head. Place the Plexiglas side up so the design is showing. It only takes about one minute to expose Photo EZ on a sunny day if using a transparency, and about five minutes if you are using the paper.
After the time recommended in the instructions, bring the set back inside to a dark place to stop the exposure. Remove the binder clips and separate the layers. Take the Photo EZ sheet to a place like a small bathroom where you can soak it in a sink yet still have it dark. Let the material soak for at least 20 minutes.
Now you can open the blinds a bit or move to the kitchen to do the rinsing. A handheld sprayer works extremely well; spray the design areas, which should appear a light green against a blue background. The pressure of the water will flush away the light green areas, revealing the screen underneath. If you don’t have a handheld sprayer, you can use your fingers to run away the design, using an old toothbrush gently on any stubborn spots.
At this point, it is helpful to take the stencil back outside to expose it some more. This action will help harden the stencil.
Printing
Now comes the fun part – printing! While you can print on many surfaces, the t-shirt is probably the most popular use for Photo EZ. Place your t-shirt on a protected work surface and put cardboard or a few layers of newspaper inside the shirt to keep the ink from bleeding. Lay the Photo EZ stencil where you would like the design. Put fabric ink on the solid stencil area. Use a small squeegee or a sturdy piece of cardboard to pull the ink over the entire design area. Lift up each edge of the stencil to check there is full ink coverage before removing the stencil. Pull the ink over the design again if there is not a good solid line of ink. When you feel satisfied with the design, lift the stencil away.
As for clean up, use the squeegee to collect any leftover ink on the stencil and put it back in the container for future use. If the ink is water soluble, rinse under water until the ink has been cleared out of all the design area. Lay the stencil flat to dry before using again.
Admire your cool new shirt made using Photo EZ!
