Screen Print Table To Go!

If you want to print onto fabric you should build a print table that is specifically made to print fabric. Luckily, you can also use it to print t-shirts, paper, posters, or tote-bags. I built a print surface with table feet on the bottom for two reasons, 1. I can it take to different places if I need to (like friends houses who want to print) and 2.I don’t have to worry about where I put it; the feet will make sure it’s always level for printing. It’s entirely possible to use this DIY to make a permanent  table, like on a table top.

 

I used this same procedure to build my twelve foot long table that I used to print fabric yardage. 

The supplies that you will need:

•  a wood surface that is smooth and perfectly flat (use a level to check this) and large enough to print the biggest of your print projects. I made mine 34″x24″. (3/4″ plywood)
• 1 piece industrial wool felt (two pieces of craft wool felt or thick melton cloth could do instead) with the same dimensions as your print surface
• 2 pieces of medium weight unbleached canvas (washed and dried) as large as your print surface plus extra, long enough to cover the sides of your print surface and two inches.
• 4 adjustable feet for the bottom of your print surface (you can skip this step if you build a permanent surface)
• a staple gun

 Step 1:

Mark the spot where you want your table to have the foot on each corner. Make sure you have it inset at least one and a half inches from the edge.

 

Step 2:

Install the nut and foot.

First, drill the hole for the nut that holds your table foot.

  

Here’s the table foot and nut that you will need.

 

Hammer in the nut.

 

 

Then screw in the foot so that it is just snug. 

The industrial wool felt ideally should be 1/2 inch thick. I bought mine from a supplier that sells felt for manufacturing, Brand Felt, in Ontario Canada. You can look in your telephone book or on the internet to see if there is an industrial wool felt dealer near you. This is what professional print tables are built with- it can last for more than twenty years. Alternatively, you can buy two layers of thick melton cloth (melton cloth is a heavyweight, dense, compacted, and tightly woven wool or wool blend fabric used mainly for coats) or .75″ thick high density foam (it should be ridged not spongy at all).

  

 

Step 3: Cut the wool felt to size. It should be the exact measurements as your print surface.

 

Step 5: Lay your first layer of canvas on the floor. Then lay your felt on top of that and then your print surface (if you are making a print surface on a permanent surface like a table top then lay your felt on the table top and then the canvas). 

   

I used an electric staple gun but a manual could work too, it would depend if your print surface is really hard, if it is then an electric gun will make the job easier. You want to staple  the canvas just as you would apply mesh to a silk screen frame. Start at one end of the underside of the print surface, put in one staple, put the next staple directly accross from it, pulling the fabic so it’s tight. Here’s the step by step guide on how to staple mesh to a frame. 

 

Mitre the corners so that they are tight and smooth. Once you finish all the stapling trim the excess fabric close to the staples so it doesn’t get in the way underneath.

Here you have your portable print surface with feet- ready to go!

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