![]() ![]() The photo emulsion method of screen printing offers unlimited creative potential by allowing artists to create fine line drawings, computer generated images, hand and commercial lettering and half-tone positives with excellent results. Speedball’s Diazo Photo Emulsion & Sensitizer offer professional-grade results and remove the need for expensive equipment and darkrooms. (For use with polyester screen fabrics) Speedball’s Diazo Photo Emulsion & Sensitizer may be used with any water-soluble or solvent-based ink and can be easily and only removed with Speedball’s Photo Emulsion Remover.Ģ-Step Process - To activate the Photo Emulsion, the Sensitizer needs to be added. ![]() (The Sensitizer bottle will feel unfilled, but don’t worry it is not empty!) The Sensitizer is a very thick paste and needs water to create the right consistency for adding it to the Photo Emulsion. What environment will I be washing out my emulsion in? Is it light-safeĪsking yourself these kinds of questions will help you save time and money in the long run.What experience level do I have with screen printing? Am I a beginner, intermediate or pro?.How do you decide on which emulsion is best for you? First, you must ask yourself a few questions: oz.Several types of emulsions exist on the market. Once you have these answers, you can look at the pros and cons of each kind of emulsion and compare them to your resources and experience. There are two main categories of emulsion: Presensitized or Diazo (mixed). This kind of emulsion is highly sensitive, exposes quicker, has a longer self-life and, captures fine detail beautifully. The downside of this kind is that it is VERY sensitive. In fact, it is so sensitive that daylight on a cloudy day would start to expose your image. If you wash the screens out outside, the emulsion would overexpose even the stencil. When exposing a screen, you have a 10% window of error. For example, say you expose a screen for 60 seconds. The 10% window of error would mean you could go six seconds over or six seconds under before you'd start seeing issues with your exposed emulsion. If the screen is under-exposed, parts of the image will wash out. If the screen is over-exposed, you won't be able to wash out some of the finer details of the stencil. If you are are a beginner, I would hold off on using this type of emulsion for a while. ![]() For this kind of emulsion, you will want an exposure unit with a timer and a darkroom equipped with washout booth and supplies. This kind is great to work into, but you may run into more issues if you get into this type too soon. More expensive compared to diazo-mixed emulsions.Ī good example of presensitized emulsion is Baselayr Complete.If slightly over or under exposed, you will have washout issues (remember the 10% window of error).Very sensitive - not for units without timers and needs to be washed out in light safe area. ![]() Photo by Golden Press Studio DIAZO (MIXED)ĭiazo (mixed) emulsion requires the addition of a Diazo powder before printing. This must be mixed into the the entire base prior to opening and printing for the first time, and is often referred to as “sensitizing” the emulsion. When you mix the diazo, make sure to use water with a neutral pH balance like distilled water. You don't want to use tap water because the minerals within the water make interfere with the diazo. Once mixed, the emulsion may last for two months if you store it in the fridge. Do not store it in an environment that's too cold because the emulsion can freeze. If you store the diazo emulsion on a shelf in your shop that's in the mid-70s, it could last for six weeks. If the shop is in the mid-80s, the emulsion could last 2-5 weeks. The diazo-mixed emulsion takes longer to expose but is more forgiving. The 10% window of error also applies to diazo-mixed emulsions. Since it takes longer to expose diazo emulsions, your window of error is larger. Say you expose a screen for 10 minutes, you could go over or under by a minute.ĭiazo emulsion works great with units that do not have timers and it can be washed out under UV light successfully (most of the time) without any issue, allowing you to wash out this emulsion outside. Diazo-mixed emulsions are also cheaper and less of a headache for those just getting into screen printing. ![]()
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