GOCCOclub E-News GOCCOclub E-News Inside Issue 13
| Turn your Lamps, Masters & Screens BACK into $$$ 25th Annual RISO International Handmade Printed Work Competition Commonly known as the RISO ‘Card’ Competition, we have supported this unique competition since its inception in 1977 and many Australians - from 4 years of age through to 75 years old have won prizes. This is not just a competition for cards - You can enter ANY RISO print into the competition, one of last years Fine Work winners was a screen print. Of importance is the value of prizes, expressed in US dollars, and at the current rate of exchange these are now worth considerably more for Australian participants. The following prizes are available for Australian winners: Gold Prize 1 winner US$300 ($575 Australian) Silver Prize 2 winner US$200 ($385 Australian) Bronze Prize 2 winners US$100 ($193 Australian) Fine Work several winners US$50 ($96 Australian) The supreme prize is the RISO Educational Foundation Award ( one winner world wide) - Should an Australian win this award the prize is valued at over $960! |
We need your support to help us show RISO about PRINT GOCCO in Australia. The best way to do this is by providing entries.
2 NEW Colours available now - 12 to come!
See the Christmas Printing Pack (page 6) for details on how you can get both tubes at a once only special price for Christmas!
S-732 Orange (Daidai)
S-779 Lime Green (Moegi)
See page 3 for details of the new Ink colours coming soon from RISO!
GOOD NEWS - Most colours still available
Australia has received one of the last shipments of inks for the discontinued colours. Following is a quick confirmation of the remaining colours - ORDER STOCKS NOW to avoid disappointment for your Christmas Cards.
Large Stock Still Available for:
S-411 Pearl Blue
S-412 Pearl Green
S-413 Pearl Red
S-456 Fluro Orange
S-472 Fluro Green
Unchanged
S-471 Fluro Pink
S-297 Metallic Gold
S-298 Metallic Silver
S-299 Metallic Bronze
All Standard Colours (S-492 Black -to S-498 White)
All Water colours
S-332a Process Ink Set
Hints & Tips for Christmas |
Getting a good photocopy for artwork
MOISTURE IN THE PAPER is the cause of almost ALL problems when making a screen.
Paper naturally absorbs moisture and as the paper is completely covered by the toner of the photocopier as it passes through, the moisture holds onto small specs of toner, which are then fused onto the paper - this is how ‘spotting/ pin holes’ appear.
Lighten the design. Even the lightest possible setting from ANY photocopier has too much carbon to make a screen (that’s why the Blue Filter is used). If using a copier for the first time - check the quality of the copy first (sneak a peek at some scraps in the bin or when someone else is making a copy) - if there are dark lines, etc. then remember to lighten the copy first.
If the photocopier is yours, keep your paper in a light box (a small box/cupboard with a 20W light globe), or dry the paper with a hair dryer first before putting it into the copier
You can remove the moisture from the paper by making a ‘blank’ copy then taking the copy out - turn it over to use the clean side - and put it back into the copier for use on your artwork. If there is a duplex option turn it on and use the 2nd copy.
Use the photocopy immediately (as it will be free of moisture) and remember to use the Blue Filter when making the screen.
Hint: If you can’t use the copy immediately - dry the copy with a hair dryer before imaging you screen.
For best results with photocopies use the Artwork Clean-Up Procedure (ironing your artwork against Clean-Up paper) to remove the moisture, remove spotting and fuse the carbon to the paper (eliminates the problem with the middle of lines not printing).
How to use a photograph for artwork
The colours in photographs must be turned into greyscales. You can not create the artwork by hand, however the process is made simple by using a special Photo Dot Screen, that is laid under the photograph when the photocopy (artwork) is made.
How it’s done:
Place your Photograph against the RISO PG65 Photo Dot Screen (code S-138).
Hint: Place some removable tape on the edged to hold them together
Place the combined screen and photo into the photocopier -pictured right.
Hint: Ensure the paper is DRY and free of any moisture as this will eliminate ‘spotting’ in the background, see above.
Create your photocopy and then image your screen.
If you wish to print the photo in colour, use Process Colour Printing (CMYK) with the PG-11 and a computer for creation of artwork.
Using Print Powder on your prints
Embossing/ Print Powder is a great way to enhance your design and is simple and easy to use. Print Powder will give your print a raised feel.
How easy it is to use Print Powder!
Empty the Print Powder into a tray/ container before you start your printing
Produce a PRINT GOCCO print as normal and 'scoop' the print into the container so as a small amount of powder is brought onto the surface of the paper/card
Move the paper/card so that the powder slides, covering the printed area
Tilt the paper/card so excess powder returns to the container
Flick the BACK of the paper/card to remove any excess powder
Heat the design to raise the powder and seal print.
How to heat the Print Powder
A high temperature is required to melt the Print Powder - around 140 degrees. You can use . .
A heat gun/ paint stripper is the best method as the heat is high and raising is very quick - around 2 seconds
An oven @180 degrees approx. 2 mins - Time will vary upon print size and card thickness.
On the back of an iron - no steam
DO NOT use a Hair Dryer to raise the powder (The powder is blown off the print & not enough heat is produced)
IMPORTANT: No matter what method you use - take care not to brown the paper through over raising/ excessive heat.
Here are three things you should have on hand when ever you do any printing with PRINT GOCCO:
Masking/ Sticky Tape - to remove paper fibres from your pad table so the card/ paper sticks to the pad (not the screen)
Small Plastic Bag - to put rubbish, used ink tubes, wet test prints, etc. into, to keep your work area clean and free of clutter
RISO OK Cleaner - removes ink from tables, hands, clothes, machines and also to clean your screen when finished!
12 New Paper Ink Colours |
RISO have extended the Traditional Colour range to include an additional 6 colours. Added to this, Pastel colours return with a further 6 colours.
What a difference 2 months makes - last issue we were faced with only 23 Paper Colours - soon we’ll have a fantastic 35!!
| S-5177 Yamabuki - Mustard Yellow |
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| S-5178 Matsuba - Olive Green | |||
| S-5179 Honmurasaki - Purple | |||
| S-5345 Asagi - Slate Blue |
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| S-5346 Kobai - Mauve | |||
| S-5347 Uguisu - Khaki Green |
Printing Dark Fabrics with Hy-Cover |
To print onto dark fabrics you MUST use a screen printing ink with more pigment than standard ink. This ink is called Hy-Cover or SuperCover ink.
With more pigment the ink is thicker - using this thicker ink through screens can sometimes cause problems depending upon your design and the printing conditions. The problem you get is the ink does not pass through the screen - parts of it staying in the screen - causing a faded/ patchy print.
You can easily overcome this problems with Hy-Cover inks by slightly elevating the screen off the fabric - similar to 'off contact' printing but not quite as high. Creating the elevation enables the ink to pass through the screen and stick to the fabric (not the strands of the screen) giving you a perfect print.
IMPORTANT: As you elevate the frame the edges of the screen can not be printed as they will not come in contact with the material below. The larger the design the more space you must allow around the outside edges for ‘travel’ up and down.
How it’s done:
Make your RISO screen printing screen as normal and attach it to the frame you wish to print with. Now you need to slightly elevate the frame:
RISO Plastic Frames - Place 2 or 3 of the same frames under the screen and attach with sticky tape.
Metal & Other Frames - Simply place some small raisers (plastic or wood) under the edges of the frame and attach
As you are elevating the screen slightly it is important that the t-shirt be kept perfectly still whilst printing, so an adhesive is required. Use either Table Adhesive (HTAH) or the RISO Adhesive Boards (S-181). Avoid spray adhesives - they are easy to use but leave more residue on the inside of the t-shirt
Remember sometimes you will receive a better print going over the design twice (with less ink) than trying to print it in one go! Keep the angle of your squeegee upright at approx. 65-70 degrees and pass across the design twice.
Printing Decal With RISO |
Create your own decals - single or multiple colour - using a simple 4 step process that saves time and materials compared to traditional methods!
Making your own decals is a simple 4 step process involves the following basic steps:
Using a RISO system to transfer your design onto a screen printing screen
Screen printing Onglaze Printing Ink onto blank decal paper
Covering the printed decal paper with a clear cover coat to seal the decal
Applying the decal to your item (+ fire if onto ceramics)
Materials required
The materials you will require for this process can vary depending upon the size, quantity and the number of different colours.
You will need a RISO system to image your screens
RISO ScreenMaster mesh - PRINT GOCCO Print Masters can also be used (attached to a small plastic frame for support). 135Mesh is recommended over the standard 70Mesh grade however 135Mesh is best imaged with a SP-275 ScreenFax.
Onglaze Kera Printing Ink for high firing or 'FastBright' Onglaze Ink for low firing - (available in a range of colours, all intermixable)
Plastic Frame (small or large) and squeegee for printing
Tile Jig (or similar) for printing the decals - essential for multiple colours
Covercoat (oil based) & brush or traditional silk screen for applying covercoat
Spirits to clean the covercoat off the screen/ brush
Decal paper and the clear covercoat can be obtained from your local pottery/ ceramic supplier. If you are having problems getting supplies visit NSW Pottery Supplies or contact us.
As the decal paper is not very absorbent it is best to use a finer grade of mesh, such as ScreenMaster 135Mesh or 200Mesh which is found in PRINT GOCCO Print Masters.
IMPORTANT
135Mesh can not be imaged with PRINT GOCCO Print Lamps, so if you have a PRINT GOCCO imaging system, use the standard B6 or B5 Print Masters.
With your screen imaged, mount the loose ScreenMaster to a frame. If you are using a PRINT GOCCO Print Master (with cardboard frame) then attach to a plastic frame for added support and you are ready for printing.
The benefit of the RISO ScreenMaster pretensioned screens enables you to take your design on and off a frame (without any distortion) so you can re-use your frame for another design - saving material costs!
For details on framing screens - Click here . .
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Use the Tile Jig (above) and print using the other (flat) side when decal printing |
Step 2 - Screen printing your decal
This process is best performed using the flat side of the Tile Jig (S-361) which considerably simplifies printing.
If you intend to print multiple colours then a Tile Jig (or similar) is essential for the registration of all the colours.
HINT: Use a little Table Adhesive (HTAH) on the board of the jig to help hold the decal paper flat and still during printing - this will avoid blurs and miss-prints.
The actual printing process is the same as for all other screen printing with the squeegee held at an angle of about 65 degrees and lightly pulled across the screen. You do not need to push the ink through the screen, the squeegee will do all the work for you.
For information on screen printing technique - Click here . .
Special decal printing inks
There is a choice of two grades of ink:
Kera Onglaze Printing Ink for high firing - 1080º-1250º (details) Previously called CGA Onglaze Ink
FastBright Printing Ink for low firing - 590º-830º (details)
Most decals are applied to ceramics, however the ink is also suitable for models, etc. The FastBright ink is the best option as it is low firing and should be used if you do not know if the ceramic item is high or low fire material (or if only to be used for models).
If you use a high firing ink on a low firing item (e.g. cheap mug or plate) when the firing temperature is reached (1080º) the glaze underneath will crack and the item will be ruined.
You CAN use a low firing ink on a high fired item without any problems
The inks are NOT standard ceramic brushing ink as they are specially formulated for screen printing process. Being water based the ink is easy to use and also makes clean up really fast and easy!
Printing multiple colours
You must separate the design into the different colours and make a separate screen for each colour. Details of this process are available for hand and computer separations on Information Sheet 12 & 13.
You need to make a different screen for each colour you wish to print - unless you intend to print the same design in a different colour, in which case clean down the screen and squeegee and then print in the second colour.
Complete details of registering and printing multi-coloured designs is available on Information Sheet #30. To view details now - Click here . .
Colour separating a design by hand - Click here . .
Creating colour separations using a computer - Click here . .
Step 3 - Applying the covercoat
Once the Onglaze Ink is dry - about 1 hour - the clear covercoat MUST be applied over the design to seal the decal.
The best result is achieved by using a traditional silk screen printing screen (available from art shops) - as this provides an even layer over the entire area of the decal paper (or to the size of your screen). The traditional silk screen can also be cleaned using spirits as the covercoat is oil based and requires clean up with spirits.
You can also use a brush to apply the covercoat but use caution to apply an even surface and not to leave any streaks as these will be visible when the covercoat dries.
Once the covercoat is printed over the decal, leave to dry. We suggest leaving for 24 hours but this is dependant upon the covercoat used and the temperature, etc.
Step 4 - Applying the decal
Cut out the decal to size and then apply as per normal by soaking in a bowl of water until the decal separates from the paper.
Remove the decal from the water and apply to your item. Remove all air bubbles (a squeegee can be used for this process). Allow to dry - normally 10 minutes.
Firing the decal onto ceramics
If you are placing the decal onto the item is to be fired, the temperature you require is of course dependant upon the ink you have used.
THERE IS NO ADDITIONAL GLAZE REQUIRED OVER THE DECAL PRIOR TO FIRING
During the firing process the decal paper will burn away, leaving the Onglaze ink on the top of the glazed surface.
FREE Christmas Artwork + Members Special Printing Packs |
Pages 5 and 6 are no longer valid.
PG Digital & CD-ROM Special Offer + Competition Entry Forms |
Page 7 is no longer valid.
End of Issue 13
