I wanted to make shirts for my grade-level team.
In XCS, add a textbox for the desidered text on the shirt. For this shirt I chose “Best. Team. Ever.” I made each word in a separate text box so I could adjust the distance between each line. Be sure to select all and align on the left, then distribute the text vertically. Add desired design elements. I added a rectangle to the side and another text box to identify the team. If using a script font weld the letters together. After all design elements are in place and aligned, select them all and combine into one. For this shirt I used the “Badhorse” and “Hey Magnolia” fonts from Creative Fabrica.
After the elements are combined, resize them to the desired size. For adult t-shirts, the designs are typically about 10"x10".
Set the processing move to “Screen Preperation”. Rotate the design 90* so the top is to the left and center the design withing the green square. I add a 3" wide rectangle at the top to help with placement of the design on the shirt since the typical design starts 3" from the collar. Important: turn the output setting for the rectangle off! After the design is placed, VERTICALLY reflect the design. This is because it has already been rotated.
Adjust the settings for engrave based on your results from your test. I have had success with 55% power; 160 speed; and 200 lcm. Verify the placement of the design on the screen and measure the distance.
Process the job. The job took approx 1hr 20min to process.
Prior to loading the screen, make sure you wipe any dust from the processing from the design.
If you are using the sticky mat, carefully place your shirt on the worksurface. Be careful not to stretch the shirt or your design may come out warped.
Keeping the screen raised at about a 45* angle, add ink to the screen below the design. You may choose to do a single color or several to blend into an ombre effect. If you are doing an ombre effect, make sure you overlap the colors as desired.
With your squeegee at about a 45* angle and the screen still at a 45* angle, flood the screen with ink. If you design is wider than your squeegee, becareful not to mix the colors too much as you are making additional passes. Try to keep the passes to 2-3.
Lower the screen and run the squeegee across the design. Keep the squeegee at a 45* angle and use even pressure with both hands. If you need a second pass to cover your entire design, take a second pass.
Lift the screen and admire your work!