Your Guide To Print
HOW TO FOIL/FLOCK
FOIL/FLOCKING
Flock and foil printing is the application of flock fibers or foil onto fabric printed with adhesive. It is a finishing process where by the foil leaves a shiny colored surface and the flock is a felt like texture that can be in a number of different colours. They are both printed via a heat press on to a substrate.
STEP 1
(Getting the design)
101 Get your design ready and make sure that its blacked out, you can ether have a design blacked out on tracing paper (Shown in Stock Book) or just print a black and white image on paper.
STEP 2
(Selecting the screen)
Get your design and the screen, then expose your design on to the screen using the UV light box. This is dangerous and so should be done by a trained professional, or technician who’s there.
SCREEN ARTWORK
Get a fabric screen that covers the size of your design, with extra space for movement with the squeegee, coat the screen in light sensitive emulsion and then leave to dry.
UV BED
STEP 3
(Exposing the screen)
STEP 4
(Wash)
Take your screen and place it on the screen bed, and then tighten the clamps on one side of the screen so it can be lifted. Then place a registration sheet under the screen.
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Wash the screen using washing up liquid after it has been exposed, this will then reveal the image. In the case above, 101. Then leave to dry in the drying room.
STEP 5
(Clamping)
STEP 6
(Registering)
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Using the registration sheet, place your stock underneath, lining the design up so when it’s printed it fits neatly in the centre. Then using masking tape mark out the corners of the stock so you can easily place the other stock in the same place. You should
Also put little bits of blue-tack on the back corners of each piece of stock, because the glue sometimes pulls the sheet up with the screen so that keeps the stock firmly attached to the table, it also speeds up the process before it drys.
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Put the glue across the top end of the screen as you look at it, and use the squeegee to pull the glue across the screen, forcing it through the tiny holes and revealing the print on the registration paper. (Be quick before the glue drys).
STEP 7
(Registering)
STEP 8
Now using the squeegee pressing down firmly pull the glue across the screen, then lift the screen and push the excess ink back across to its starting position. You may have too pull the squeegee across a few times to get the print!
(Inking up the screen)
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Now remove the registration sheet, put the screen down and spread the rest of your glue across the top of the screen.
STEP 9
(Print/Flood)
STEP 10
Take the design with the foil or flock on and place it on the heat press between sheets of newsprint. Make sure the design is facing upwards and that the temperature is at least 160 degrees and the timer is set to 12 seconds.
(Placing the foil or flock)
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HEAT PRESS
Now get you design that now has the glue print on it, take your foil and place it on top of the design with the shiny side facing upwards. Or get the flock and place that with the flock facing down.
HEAT PRESS
STEP 11
(Print/Heat Press)
STEP 12
(Foiling and flocking)
Peel back the foil or flock slowley to reveal the image that should now be covered in the foil or flock.
12 SECONDS
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Lower the press and leave for the set time. Then remove the design from under the paper and leave to cool off before taking off the foil or flock.
STEP 13
(Reveal the image)
STEP 14
(Foiling and flocking)
BENEFITS TO FOILING/FLOCKING
Wide range of stock choice
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Quick Process Economical Aesthetically Pleasing Works across a range of media The final image, this is now fine to touch and use straight away, it doesn’t have to be left to dry, and the other printed glue designs can be used weeks later.