ORIGINAL POST 6-5-10 Updated Spring 2011I just thought I would jot down some ideas that I wish I would have known when I started with the Yudu. I've had mine since March'09 when it was first put on the market. I LOVE IT! My family Loves it! but there is a learning curve. Hope this helps ease frustration that a newbie may have. Add your tips and ideas as things go well (or not) for you.
Please remember that this is a Provo Craft message board dedicated to the Yudu. Please try to stay on topic as much as possible.
I have ordered my Yudu, do I need anything else to get started?YES. Last I heard PC is not offering emulsion remover with the start up kit and you will need some. Emulsion remover is safe to go down the drain and it's very concentrated so a little goes a long way. Blockout. Extra sheets of emulsion (don't expect success on your first try, emulsion is tricky). Blue painters tape of clear packing tape. Several rags one damp, one dry. A deep sink, shower or tub to rinse, preferably with a sprayer but it's not vital. A soft nylon brush. A spray bottle of water. A hair dryer can be really handy.
Will I be able to use it straight out of the box?No, the Yudu takes a little time to get to know and you should plan on giving yourself about 2 hours to watch the DVD and practice with your emulsion sheet.
Is the emulsion sheet difficult? The emulsion sheet that PC provides is the simplest method of applying emulsion for a beginner. There are a few different options as you get into silkscreening. The best tip for learning how to apply emulsion to your screen is to cut a small piece (5x7) and work with that size then work with bigger sizes once you understand the concept.
What ink should I use?The Yudu inks are great! They blend beautifully and have the consistency of caulk or buttercream frosting (pick your reference). There are other options like Speedball or Jaquard. I haven't worked with Jaquard but have heard great things. Speedball is very thin- like latex paint and harder to learn with as a beginner.
When cutting letters on the Cricut do I need to flip my image for lettering?If you are using emulsion you DO NOT flip your image. If you choose vinyl or contact paper you DO flip.
I want to start my own business, can I do that with a Yudu?Well anything is possible but if you are doing quantities over 20 and/or more than one color, on a daily basis, the Yudu may not be what you are looking for. This machine was designed for the home hobbiest and does great in that application. Others have found it a great jump off point into screen printing so they understand the process.
Can I do multiple colors on the Yudu?I have seen one PC designer do an Andy Warhol design of a friends face that was jaw dropping. That being said this was a professional graphic artist who is paid by PC to play for work. I had the privilege of being able to MB with some of these testers and they would tell you that it can be done but it takes some diligence in really knowing the machine to pull off a 6 color design. Two color can be done with registration marks but let’s leave that for lesson 2.
LESSON 2: MULTI COLOR (I answered this for another thread and thought I would post here as well) Good Luck!
I have two answers for you. 1. Use registration marks on your transparency. Registration marks are small crosses in the corner of multiple transparencies on all four corners of your images about 1" away from your image. Each color has it's own layer and you will enjoy haveing a screen for each color. Print your images on transparency. Line up crosses starting with bottom layer tape to light table. Cont. to tape each layer, moving your tape slightly so they aren't on top of the layer below. You MUST line up the registration marks perfectly. Now flip all but the bottom transparency, burn and remove transparency and screen. Flip down the next layer, place new screen, burn and repeat for all your layers. Check finished screens all your registration marks still in line. You may need to hold them up to a light to look through the registration marks. They must be perfect or it will be milimeters off and give you a blurred picture look. Tape off registrations marks before you pull or use your blackout.
2. Shim your lid up. Go slow and careful. look for the light through your screen as you lower your lid just over the tshirt. Make sure your shirt is totally secure so when you lift your lid it doesn't come with it. Put your lid down (without ink) and give it a little wiggle...can you see your edge...then you aren't aligned. Play with it and when you give up just go for it. Even the PC employees who had the Beta said they would like to see the lid tightened and have less play.
Shims can be wood working biscuits, rolled up paper, anything that will take the play out of the lid.
I applied my emulsion and it looks like it has spider webs on it? OR My emulsion washed off when I rinsed it out?This is the biggest frustration for people with the Yudu. What I have found successful for me is to take a screen and run it under water and get it all wet. I give it one shake to take off the drips and apply my emulsion DULL side to the FLAT side of your screen. You should see a solid green field when you turn it over. NO GREY AT ALL. Other on the MB lay the dull side up on a table and lay the wet screen on top of the emulsion. GREAT IDEA.
If you see grey lines take a wet paper towel (don't wring it out but don't have be drippy either) or spray bottle on mist and dab or mist the grey lines. Once you have a solid green screen you can use a hair dryer to dry your screen. You may want to be in diffused light to do this step.
How light sensitive is the emulsion?The emulsion that PC provides is as forgiving as light sensitive material can be. Again PC has set the home user up for success if you follow a few guidelines. Your emulsion should be stored in the dark bag it came in if it is not in use. The dryer rack is a great area for storing emulsion on the screen before burning (you can pre-do your screen to have ready to burn). I am not careful with my emulsions and have had great success. HOWEVER I do work with the direct overhead light off and go with the light from the next fixture on. I may go with a lamp on in one corner of the room while I work in the other. Put your emulsion away in a No Light area if you aren't working with it. Avoid direct sunlight. Close the curtains but you don't need to work in a blacked out room either. If you use emulsion other than PC then forget everything I said and get your advice elsewhere. I'm lazy if I can't buy it at J's I probably don't.
If I have a complicated design should I leave the light on longer?NO. There are so many fun swirls, flowers and lace patterns out there. I love them but there are some rules to follow. For a more complex or intricate design you will want to experiment with less light, rinse and then finish burning. So if you were using the Love Struck cart and picked the wings, you would burn your image for about 6 mins, rinse out your screen, remove your printed image from your light table and continue to burn for 2 more minutes. The emulsion hardens when exposed to light, what you are rinsing off is your original emulsion that you applied before the burn. You'll see that it's now lighter (or the portion to exposed to light has darkened). So the portion exposed to light is now hard and not water soluble. There is a very small expansion with that hardening that would not effect a bold design but might a design with a lace pattern. So by washing out the screen before the burn is over you wash away the a portion of emulsion that doesn't need to be there and lessen the risk of it hardening into a solid.
What is a 110 and a 220 screen?This refers to the holes per (shucks not sure but I think it's Inch) sorry whole states vs. metric thing always gets me. So how many holes per small area (is that any better ). So more holes, more ink gets dispersed and you can do smaller fonts and more detail. The original screen is great for 14pt font and higher. The 220 can now provide you the opportunity to do more detail finer print for things like wedding invitations, party gifts, place cards, baby announcements.
Where do I find images to use?Your Cricut silly!! Okay, seriously there are LOTS of images and so many ways to get them. Line art or image drawn with lines are great. You can go to Google Images and find a ton. Clipart from Microsoft clipart images is also a safe download. Do an internet search for Digital Scrapbooking and look at "paintbrushes" there is a lot of great images there as well. You can take any photo and with the software Photoshop you can take out the Threshold or use the image manipulators and choose black and white drawing. I am not a Photoshop expert so I don't want to go to far down this road. I'm lucky that Newfoundland are just big black dogs so they are GREAT for the Yudu. Using Google Images: find your artwork, click 'full image', right click save picture as and choose where you would like it saved. Please respect copyright laws. To use a Cricut image: Cut the image on black cardstock (make sure you can't see any light through it) and then tape to your light table. I used a Sharpie through my screen and made subtle registration marks so I know where the edge of my screen is when it's on the blue lid. You want about a 1/2" gutter.
Any more tips you would like to share?Why yes! Thanks for asking . One last one that REALLY saved me was to have some cheap muslin (you'll find it in the back and it should be about a $1 a yard-that's 3 feet if you don't already know). Use it to do your first pull.
So flood your screen (put ink on the screen and do a gentle, light pull with your screen slightly raised up), make sure your whole image is covered (are you still using that 5x7 piece I told you about?) Then gently pull toward you applying medium, even pressure. Pull one more time, same direction and then raise-Holding down you fabric.
*PRINCESSAM WISDOM*: You are putting in ON the shirt not INTO the shirt. You don't need to press hard, but steady and firm pressure. How's it look? Using Muslin is a great expense saver. You may find that you "over flooded"- smudgy look, letters, like a e and o's have run together. You didn't use blockout and you have pin holes in your emulsion and now you have specs on your design. You forgot to tape off and you got ink outside your design.
Remember, you don't always need to use emulsion. People have had great success with contact paper as well (with contact paper you would need to flip your image) Also you may want color blocks and that can be achieved by blocking off your screen with tape. I have really enjoyed marbling my colors first in a block and then silkscreening a design over the top. Have fun!!
*UPDATE APRIL 2011*Applying Liquid Emulsion* As taught to me by Princessaam*
Liquid emulsion can be a cheaper option to film emulsion. It does take a bit of a learning curve as well. But...like film...once you get the hang of it you wonder where all the trouble came from.
I purchase Speedball Diazo Photo emulsion Kits. They are usually around $20-$30 per kit and you can use a coupon at M's so it makes the whole package about $10-$15 dollars. One bottle of emulsion will make roughly 10-15 screens. You can do your own math here. I found it handy, per Princessaam's instruction, to purchase a ketchup condiment bottle. You can find them in the dollar bins. It's opaque, the perfect size for the amount of emulsion and has the handy dandy squeezy tip for application.
Mix the emulsion using the directions. You will get a really cool alien green slime when you’re done. Pour into the ketchup bottle. Using a clean screen (dirt and grease can really screw things up) apply a bead of emulsion to the bottom of your screen. I use my Yudu kit squeegee (just plastic, no rubber edge) for this part and pull the bead of emulsion up my screen. Use steady even pressure to make a thin coat of emulsion. You may want to add a touch more to finish a whole screen. Flip over your screen and repeat the process on the other side. This will remove any excess emulsion. Put the extra back in your Ketchup container and store in a cool dark place. Princessaam uses a refrigerator and get several months out of one bottle. I store mine in a dark cupboard and get about 3-4 months out of one bottle. Dry with a hairdryer (about 5 mins) it shouldn't be tacky at all. Then burn. I have to admit that I am still learning about liquid and it's nuances. I like to burn for 6 mins and rinse and then go back and burn for the addt 8 mins. It could be that I stored my emulsion in a cupboard and not a refrigerator that caused me some issues. PS did not have this as an issue.
For application you can purchase a scoop coater. It's a well with a handle that applies an even layer onto your screen. These directions are to keep the process as low cost as possible.
How to use a PlatenThe Platen is the large blue plate with the white sheet on it. It is meant to go between the layers of a shirt and hold it steady. When the white sheet is removed you have a sticky adhesive that will hold your fabric in place. The platen itself keeps ink from bleeding through to the back of your shirt. *See my post from May 2010* I am happy to share my foibles and my successes. When doing multiple shirts it can be nice to have multiple platens. I personally use my platen as a platform and not a shirt form. I put a thick piece of paper, like children's drawing paper, in between my shirts. I lay my shirt onto the Platen and I do not remove the white sheet. I have a mark on the center of my platen for the shirt label to match up with so that my print is deep enough on the shirt. I fold sleeves under the platen to keep them out of the way. I also have cardboard shirt form from HL that were very inexpensive. Others have outlined their platens on cardboard and cut it out. The same could be done for a sleeve or leg platen. Lay a shirt sleeve onto cardboard and trace lightly around the sleeve. Cut inside your line so that it will fit inside the sleeve. You may want to taper at the wrist.
What is the difference between Vinyl and Emulsion?Please be careful confusing these two mediums. I have read a lot of inaccurate advice about how to use Vinyl (contact paper). The biggest difference is that when you use Vinyl you will only get a few applications from it because it's adhesive will release after being exposed to water (ink, rinsing). It's great for one shirt, maybe two, but more than that it's going to be unreliable. Of course different products are created differently so you may want to play with the brand you have to see how long it lasts. Emulsion has gone from a liquid to a solid and is embedded in your screen. So the stencil isn't going to pull up at an edge. When applying Vinyl you would apply it to the back side of the screen (the flat side) and pull from the top. If you have lettering remember to flip your image so your letters are readable from the top (the side w/ the edge).
Screen size 70,110,220Rumor has it that there is a new 70 screen out. This would be used for passing thicker and grittier mediums through. I have heard a tale of Foils, Flocking and Glitter inks coming. Princessamm says they are available online. Just Google for retailers. The 70 screen would have less threads per inch and allow glue to pass through. You would want to choose art that did not have strong detail because this screen will not have enough threads to allow for lines to be close together. Experiments welcome!! The 220 screen does allow for detailed work because it has more threads per inch which can hold emulsion. I am told you can go as low as 10 or 12pt font with a 220 and a 110 you should choose 14pt or higher.
Yudu Card Shop vs. The Big YuduWow how exciting that PC is making a card making Yudu! Super cool! I was hoping that they would make it so it just was an alternate lid for my Yudu but no luck. So here is what I know for a product that I don't own and have only seen in video. If you have a card shop you don't have a light board. This is kind of a bummer because the Big Yudu has a light board and a drying/storage rack in the bottom. So, this makes making your own screen a little more challenging BUT not impossible. You will need a light table to expose your screen to light. It should have edges on it to make it light tight. I would probably build from the top down...again haven't seen it or played with the screen. Our screens are flat against the light table. So I may put my screen on the table, layer on art work in black that fits inside the parameter of the screen and then put a lamp over it maybe in a black box or fabric cover ***WARNING*** Don't burn your house down, use common sense, know if you lamp gets hot or not. But figure out a way to put image, screen, light source, burn(expose to light) for 6 mins, rinse, burn 2 mins.
I don't have Cardshop Can I still make cards?You bet! What I do is use my platen with the white sheet on. Measure out my card and use a little blue tape and mark my edges so I know exactly where to place my card. I have a layered piece of blue tape that I use to just barely hold an edge just to make sure it doesn't slip and then pull away. You can make multiple cards at once by putting different art work in different places on one screen. Think the school auction, fundraisers, Thank yous for that large gathering. Wow, I need to get started.
If you have a question you think should be on the FAQ's just let me know and we'll get it up here for you!
Happy Yuduing!!
Picture examples of some projects: Liquid Emulsion, Ink on paper (Dream Create Fly) Printed on cardstock and mounted for a teacher's gift. Tshirt is using a blank screen (no emulsion) and marbling my inks together then using the butterfly screen on top. Puppy dog is white dog w/ Yudu and using iron on print over the top so I didn't have to worry about multiple layer for small details (Shirt looks great after 12mos and hard use). Fourth of July shirt marbled my ink over a swirl, for fireworks, used a stencil pounce brush for yellow flowers and rhinestone setter for extra sparkle. Road Trip shirt shows bleed through when you press too hard and don't have something in the middle. Also used black cardstock applied to light table to make Summer Vacation images.
Edited by user Sunday, February 12, 2012 5:00:26 PM(UTC)
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