Speedball Advanced All-In-One Screen Printing Kit, Includes LED UV Exposure Lamp

ive been dabbling in screen printing for a few years now. the local art store only sells speedball products so i was already familiar with the brand. switching from the drawing fluid method to photo emulsion i wanted a good starter set up. the bulb burnt out after one use and they are quite expensive to purchase and never have a long lifespan anyway. average a few hours i think. either way i use clear 200 watt bulbs instead now but everything that is included in this kit is great and it is an amazing deal. way less expensive than it would cost at the art store in my town. absolutely everything you need is in this kit and the dvd and chart included are of great use. the dvd also covers other methods of screen printing. for anyone looking to get started this kit is a must!

This was a great deal and includes everything you would need to get started. I built a simple wooden one color press I saw on youtube and it helped speed up the printing process with some accuracy. The light bulb is a short term "3 hour" bulb but mine is still working after burning 8 screens. The emulsion you get in the kit will coat about 4 screens. We have printed up several shirts and tote bags for our business. This is a great package to test the waters and see if this is something you want to do. Our local Hobby stores carry this brand so I was able to pick up some extra screens and material. I have since bought a 4 color press and this weekend I am excited to pick up our 6 color press. I also found a local supply store that I have been purchasing commercial products from as I grow from this kit. This kit made it so easy for me to learn this process and realize I wanted to take this farther. The video provided does not completely explain the process but I did so much research on youtube that I was able to pick up the kit and start immediately. This is great if you are testing the waters or if you have a project. The inks provided are water-based and air dry well except the white. I found that you need to hit the white ink with the hot setting on a hair dryer for a few minutes or it will crack after the first wash. Everything that came with this kit will continue to be used as I grow my system. I will probably only use these smaller screens for tote bags or small print jobs since I now own several 20x24 commercial aluminum screens. I can't say enough good things about this as a starter kit. I really gave me the confidence I needed to spend $2,500 on professional equipment!

This helped me get into screen printing, it was fun and convenient to use. However if you think you’ll do this regularly as a hobby or side job, you’ll probably end up wanting different screens, a different squeegee or type of ink, and the types of materials in this set aren't the best match with each other (explained in the details). So know what it is you want to do before purchasing this. The instructions provided are accurate and helpful as a quick guide, you’ll just need to watch youtube videos and read additional guides. Be prepared with a few practice shirts.ScreenGood 110 mesh screen, and I don't think the instructions tell you but the mesh is easily replaceable. What the instructions don't say is to not let the emulsion remover dry on the screen (like don't leave it to soak) or the emulsion becomes permanently locked into the screen. The screen mesh count (110) with the included water based fabric ink is not the best combo, water based inks are paired with 160 or higher. Between the screen and the soft squeegee provided, as a newbie I problems with the ink being deposited too thickly, which wasted ink quickly and made the ink bleed if I pressed too hard.Photo emulsionEasy to use for a newbie and leaves a solid stencil, also seems to be more forgiving with errors than another brand I tried. When filling the diazo with water try filling it a quarter way first and shake very thoroughly, the diazo takes a minute to dissolve or you get little black flecks in the emulsion (though it doesn't ruin the emulsion). Add it to the emulsion then and then add more water. I also recommend just buying a $10 scoop coater, trying to apply the emulsion with the squeegee can leave too thick of a deposit that doesn't dry well plus its messy.InkIm really liking this ink and until Im ready to buy in bulk Ill be buying more speedball ink. I liked how the kit came with different colors I can play around with. Ive used black and blue and they cured very nicely, haven't yet used the white or red.LampShame but this lamp is just a starter lamp, mine got a short in the cord after a couple uses, I have to move the cord around to get it to work, but its worked so far.Wooden standI never screwed the screen to the stand because the workspace is too small for shirts so I didn't get any use out of the stand except now I have a nice wooden craft board.PackagingGreat! Neat, looked good and everything in placeAll in all good kit!

There is a slight learning curve to emulsification however, this kit has been the best value dollar wise for large scale silk screen printing as it is the longest lasting result I have tried to date. I have used the drawing paint method using Speedball products and found the edges of images to be a bit fuzzy and hard to control the screen filler thickness. I have use the vinyl sticker method which I have found to bleed and lose adhesion with high volume use and rarely does it survive high volume use. This took some time to emulsify correctly but the ability to reclaim screens makes this a process that can be redone until perfect or for multiple designs. Once the emulsification process is understood, the rest falls into place. Used this to make at least 8 screens for an entire grade to silkscreen multiple items in multiple colors and it lasted all the way through. Great bundle!

The kit seems like it will be a good starting point, but unfortunately the bottle of emulsion remover spilled in the box and everything is covered. Would recommend based on items included but be mindful as it appears the spilling is a common issue, and for the amount spent that's not a great situation.