The Learning Curve

When I first started screen printing, one of the first things I had to figure out was coating screens with emulsion. It seemed simple at first—just apply the emulsion and let it dry, right? Not quite.

I quickly realised there was a lot more to it. I had to learn about the coating process, how many coats to apply per side, and how that affected the final stencil. Too much emulsion, and the details could get lost; too little, and the screen wouldn’t hold up during printing.

Then there was the difference between emulsions—some were water-resistant, others worked better with plastisol inks, and some exposed faster under UV light. Finding the right one for my setup took a lot of trial and error.

It was a steep learning curve, but every mistake taught me something valuable. Looking back, it’s crazy to see how much I’ve learnt since those first attempts!