Screen printing: Blenheim Walk, Vernon Street, Inc Workshop.
Letterpressing: Vernon Street.
Etching: Vernon Street.
Digital printing: Blenheim Walk.
Laser cutting: Blenheim Walk.
Foiling: Blenheim Walk, Vernon Street.
Mono printing: Vernon street.
Wood block printing: Vernon Street.
Embossing: Vernon Street.
Debossing: Vernon Street.
Linograph printing: Vernon Street.
Risograph printing: Vernon Street.
3D printing: Blenheim Walk.
Spot varnishing: Blenheim Walk, Vernon Street.
Book binding: Vernon Street.
2. How to screen print onto 3D objects (like bottles).
After seeing a bottle Kirsty brought in which had a really nice typographic design on it which was supposedly screen printed, I was fascinated that it could work so I wanted to research into it and maybe one day try it out!
To begin with I found a couple of videos on youtube showing machines that did it in China for mass production, but I was wanting to focus more on an independent scale. How it was done by hand.
I then found a video showing an american man (with a voice that sounded very much like Jesse Eisenberg) sticking a stencil on a bottle and then hand painting it essentially creating the same effect as screen printing.
Technically, screen printing bottles can be done but it involves a mechanical process of lifting the bottle up against the screen with a squeegee pressed upon the other side where the bottle is and then rolling the bottle below the screen to allow the squeegee to push the ink through the mesh and onto the bottle. This wouldn't be realistic to produce on a small scale myself but now I know how it is possible in the event of mass production.
3. Where is the best place to purchase stock?
First choice of finding any stock at all would be the library here at Blenheim walk. This is currently the cheapest place I have come across so far for most of the basic stock.
If for screen prints Vernon street have a very nice thick stock perfect for screen printing.
4. What is risograph printing?
Risograph is a stencil duplication process, meaning that it is in the same family as Screen Printing, except that it was initially designed for business printing purposes. The machine, from the outside, looks just like a photocopier, but the guts are entirely different. Like an offset press, Risograph printers use Plates, or Masters (made from wax paper), which means that it prints one colour/one layer at a time. Each additional layer requires an additional pass through the machine.
You can make four colour prints by using the closest matches to CMYK that RISO Ink allows. Utilizing Blue, Fluro Pink, Yellow, and Black we are able to make prints that look almost like full CMYK. Experiences have shown that just a CMY print has a lovely vintage quality.
You can also consider rendering a photograph in two colours. Called a Duotone, this printing method of using two contrasting colours helps draw out middle tones and highlights.
The paper makes a straight pass, from left to right, through the machine, while a rotating silk-screen-like drum unit pushes soy-based ink through the stencil master and onto the sheet, one side and one layer at a time.
You can make four colour prints by using the closest matches to CMYK that RISO Ink allows. Utilizing Blue, Fluro Pink, Yellow, and Black we are able to make prints that look almost like full CMYK. Experiences have shown that just a CMY print has a lovely vintage quality.
You can also consider rendering a photograph in two colours. Called a Duotone, this printing method of using two contrasting colours helps draw out middle tones and highlights.
The paper makes a straight pass, from left to right, through the machine, while a rotating silk-screen-like drum unit pushes soy-based ink through the stencil master and onto the sheet, one side and one layer at a time.
Risograph prints are made with Soy Ink and because of the machine’s mechanical simplicity, do not use very much energy, this makes the process good for the environment.
All information found here.
5. How to spot varnish.
After speaking to Rinesh on our course who had done it last year I was told to speak to the people down at print at vernon street.
To spot varnish at uni we can't do it professionally but there is a way of combining two different varnishes with a percentage of medium which created a varnish which can be screen printed, this is the answer which I think would be most effective.
To spot varnish at uni we can't do it professionally but there is a way of combining two different varnishes with a percentage of medium which created a varnish which can be screen printed, this is the answer which I think would be most effective.
6. How to letterpress with bevel/depth.
After bringing the subject up with Lorraine, I was told that the service cannot currently be offered but there are alternatives which offer the same effect, if not, better.
I spoke to one of the level 6 students Nathan and he told me about something called copper plate etching where you create the image digitally and then print it onto normal plain white paper. This can then get burned/etched into a plate of copper either raised or lowered (image in black with white background if raised, image in white with black background if lowered). And then combined with the press it creates an even better and more effective version.
This will be great to try out either in experimentation or as part of a final resolution in the brief, as long as it is appropriate.
After speaking to Nathan, I was shown a pair of etched copper plates which were used to emboss/deboss with ink, I took the following photo. It was good to see the real thing.
7. How to screen print better.
This is just a practical question to myself which requires me to do it and practice the craft. I see this as the only way of improving something I already know how to do. For this reason I want to get myself into the print studio and give it some more practice. But also combine it with other print methods to achieve a bigger variation of results.
This will be great to try out either in experimentation or as part of a final resolution in the brief, as long as it is appropriate.
After speaking to Nathan, I was shown a pair of etched copper plates which were used to emboss/deboss with ink, I took the following photo. It was good to see the real thing.
7. How to screen print better.
This is just a practical question to myself which requires me to do it and practice the craft. I see this as the only way of improving something I already know how to do. For this reason I want to get myself into the print studio and give it some more practice. But also combine it with other print methods to achieve a bigger variation of results.
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