By JakOfAllTrades on
May. 31, 2009
Hi all,
I just read an article that UV paper is better and less expensive compared to transparencies for making film positives. Is this true?? And, if so, where can I purchase UV paper?? I've tried searching about it but can't seem to find it anywhere.
Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Thank you in advance,
Jak
Re: UV paper
Hi Jak,
Never heard of Ultra Violet Paper for screen printing. The artworld uses a tad-bit of UV light to bring out detail in old works, but I don't see how paper could help in exposing screens. Transparent film is the norm. After all, it is UV light that activates the emlusion on the screens and you want to block that light in your artwork and let the UV light come through the clear areas.
I've never heard of it in 29 years of doing this stuff, but there are some pretty smart people that come here and I'm sure someone will chime in with what they know. Maybe we'll both learn something new.
Greg
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At the edge of dreams lay the far-flung ideals of true creation.
Re: UV paper
First..where did you read this so called "article"?...did they not mention any brands or sources?
As for REAL screen printing supplies, there is no such product. You have 2 basic options.
1) Vellum..A cheap paper product for making your films. Prone to shrinkage and registration issues...due to the fact that its paper.
2) Film..A stable synthetic product usually made of polyester design for either laser printers of inkjet depending on the version sold. Holds superior registration and is produces a far better screen.
Do you really think saving a few cents on your films will save you any money in your shop? Even if you saved say .50 cents on a single sheet of film, but due to shrinkage of that poor film it took an extra 10 minutes to register a job, than that means to actually SPENT more money to pay your printer to register the print than it saved you in film costs.
In the bigger picture of things it will actually COST you dollars of lost production due to poor screen quality and registration issues on the press that could be avoided by simply using the right tools for the job.