Silk Screen #Fail Re-Run!

I'm still in experimentation mode with this silk screening deal and I'm getting really annoyed.

Here's my first attempt with a homemade silk screen.

I'm a little impatient, but aren't we all when it comes to something we want and could potentially make us money?

So I bought a silk screen kit from Stencil Pro. I was torn between PhotoEZ and Stencil Pro and with some quick review reading I went with the latter and I'm glad I did. PhotoEZ had a few specific directions in order to make it work correctly which required too much brain power on my part, so Stencil Pro it was!

This stuff is insanely easy to use and the price is affordable. No chemicals to deal with, you just need a high quality transparency print (the blacker the print the better), sunshine, and tap water.

I was so excited to get started, I had been working on color separating designs and now on my day off I was ready for action. I don't own a printer (because I'm so indecisive about these things, my digital camera is over three years old too. Just can't decide.) so I packed up my children (consisting of my Macbook Pro, stencil kit, and son) and headed off to my mother's to use her inkjet printer.

The instructions stated to print the transparency as a high-quality print using the "best print" features on the printer instead of the transparency option. I was skeptical at first and my skepticism proved correct: printing a transparency using a premium paper setting makes it blurry and overly saturated with ink. So I tried again using the transparency setting and it came out great but the images weren't opaque enough and I knew it. I was thinking of filling it in with a paint pen but I didn't have one. And as I said before I'm impatient. So you know where this is leading...


The kit only gave me two transparencies. The first one bombed. The second one was looking pretty good, I waited a little while for it to dry then assembled the pieces to burn the images on the silk screen. The silk screen sandwich looks like this: contact frame which consists of black felt glued on what I think is thick chip board, silk screen, transparency, thick piece of clear/transparent plastic which had small magnets in the corner to keep it secured to the black felted chip board.

I placed it directly in the sun for about 30 seconds.

I took it apart and put the silk screen in an aluminum throw-away lasagna pan with tap water and left it submerged and covered with a solid colored/opaque top (so no light could get in) for ten minutes.

I put the plastic canvas from the kit under the silk screen and while in the water took a soft bristle brush and brushed over the images to rinse away the chemical residue that actually makes the silk screen. (The plastic canvas is to help the silk screen keep its integrity since it's a mesh and acts like paper and fabric mixed together.)

I left it on the canvas and put it back in the sun to dry.

The silk screen was under-exposed. The images didn't burn all the way through so it was clear on one side but not on the other. It was under-exposed for two reasons: my transparency wasn't opaque enough, and even so- if I left it in the sun a little longer it probably would have compensated for it.

Trash!

Oh well.

Live and learn!

But! I was only given TWO transparencies and TWO silk screens. Both transparencies are gone and so is one silk screen. I went on a trip to my local wally-world and lo and behold they didn't have any transparencies. That's what I get for living in the friggin' country. I'm close enough to enjoy city life when I want to, but too far away to make a 25 minute trip for transparencies.

Dammit.

Lessons I Learned:

~ Use a laser printer to make your transparencies. I *know* that will work better. Got to make a trip to the big city for the Office Max!

~ Let the friggin' transparency dry *completely* if you're using an inkjet printer. I didn't and this is what happened:

I smeared my stuff. The small one on the lower left is a
sample sent in the kit: see how black the images are?

~ Have lots of backups, one small silk screen as a tester for exposure time, then a large one for the real deal.

Never fear! I may be easily discouraged but I'm not a quitter. I'm highly annoyed and just as determined to get this blasted thing to work right. I've got big plans and I will see them to fruition.


This week has been a little crazy- wally world has never a dull moment- and my cousin passed away. Which made me realize even more that whatever is causing you stress in your life is not worth your time. His stress was pretty major- but if you are able to wipe the stress away, do it. If your job is causing you more stress than joy at being able to make a living- find a new job. Just do it. Find a way to block out the nasty stuff and focus on the good. Life is way, way, WAY too short. Cherish each day.



I know my website design totally sucks. I'm working on it. Feel free to give me feedback, I don't mind, as long as its constructive and not hateful.

Death to Pixellation!

While at my temporary money-making position yesterday I was helping an unfortunate woman resolve why her printed photographs were blurry.

They were pixellated. Because it was a low-resolution file. I get that a lot. Like- A LOT a lot. Those words "it's pixellated" or "it is a low-resolution image" come from my mouth more than "how can I help you?" Easily said, but not easily explained.

I've explained this phenomenon of pixellation twenty different ways and my customers still don't understand. Oh, they pretend they understand, yet they walk away with that look in their eye like they just smoked a doobie.

I think I was more disturbed when she told me the images were NOT from her camera-phone, but her $2000 Canon DSLR (I added the DSLR because she doesn't know what those letters mean). As I have complained before- if you are going to purchase some ridiculous technology you really, REALLY need to take the time to learn about it.

So I carefully explained to her what pixellation is and how to fix it.

"There is nothing you can do on the computer to fix it?"

No.

I can't put back what is not there.

I'm not God. Nor do I ever ever want to be. He puts up with a lot of stupid crap from us.

This is just sounding like a customer-bashing session, which I really want to emphasize is NOT. I'm ranting, and frustrated that people are not taking responsibility and learning for themselves. I *love* learning new things and I wish the same feeling for others.

With that all said and out of the way how about a mini-lesson on what the heck pixellation is? Because unless you went to school for photography, design, or information technology you are probably for the most part in the dark and do not have a true understanding.


What is a pixel?

According to Dictionary.com:

pix·el

  [pik-suhl, -sel]

noun Computers, Television .

the smallest element of an image that can be individually processed in a video display system.

In other terms, a pixel is a square, that is super duper tiny and can only be viewed zoomed in at ten billionth percent (exaggeration). Pixels are used to put together images and type that is viewed on your computer screen, video, game console, etc. Oh, and digital cameras too (since that is what started this whole thing).

To go easy on ourselves lets speak in reference to digital cameras, I'm not going to get into too much detail, if you want to learn more buy a book!

When you take a picture the camera stores the image as little tiny squares- almost like pieces to a puzzle. Based on your camera settings there are only so many squares per inch that the camera is saving. (I really wish America wasn't so backwards and would teach the metric system).

Anyways.

There are only going to be so many squares, or pixels (as is the proper name) per inch (denoted as either DPI- dots per inch, or PPI- pixels per inch). If your camera is set at a low-resolution and you take a picture you will only be able to reproduce or print that picture out as certain sizes. If your camera is a 14MP (megapixel) camera, you should be able to print out a picture that is at least 11"x14" and is crystal clear, that is if the setting is correct.

You see, digital cameras nowadays have various resolution settings! If your camera is 14MP it will most likely give you an option within to settings to lower the resolution so it would essentially be easier to download and e-mail your photos to friends and family. Because the lower the resolution, the lower the number of pixels that are being saved in the file which in turn will make it easier for your computer and internet speed to send it off.

Am I making sense?

If the resolution is set too low or somehow was lessened by lets say clicking "YES" when your computer asks you if you want to reduce the file size (DEEP BREATH) you will only be able to print your picture out as a 4"x6" or 5"x7" at best.

Why?

BECAUSE...

There are only so many tiny squares that were saved within the file and when you try to print a picture at a larger size there aren't enough tiny squares to fill up the enlarged space so the image will appear boxy and blurry because the squares themselves have been enlarged to fill the gaps.

A printer is going to try to print your photos at 300DPI (at least that should be the setting), you need to make sure your camera is going to capture and save enough pixels to print the photo out clearly.

Pixellation happens because when a printer that is trying to read 300 pixels per inch and is only getting 150 pixels per inch it will try to compensate for the loss. The result is boxy, blurry, and yucky images.

I think that last statement pretty much sums it up.

What is our takeaway from this lesson?

1. Do not reduce your file size on your computer if you want to print out the image.

2. Check your camera settings. For the love of all things holy and pure read your camera's booklet. 

3. Your camera-phone is not a replacement for a digital camera. Will never be. Period.

That last tidbit is just an extra thought that oozed out my brain.

Your camera-phone will always suck! Always. Even iPhone cameras, because there is no way to get the pictures off your phone at my kiosk. *insert evil laugh here*

Samples of Pixellation:

Left at the original size, a picture will look perfect.

What happens when a low-res file is forcefully enlarged. Can you start to see the boxes?

These are my photos.

Any questions?