Learn How to Screen Print Tee Shirts - For Fun Or For Money

Each step will take you closer to the actual printing of the tee shirt. But the learning curve can appear to be too great to accomplish if we over analyze and look at the whole endeavor at once. We can break the process down into 7 very basic parts: 
  
1- Create the artwork positive. 
2- Output the artwork to film. 
3- Make the screen. 
4- Expose your film positive to the screen. 
5- Washout stencil in screen. 
6- Print shirts. 
7- Cure printed shirts in oven. 
  
Now there are many different ways of accomplishing a screen print. The above checklist would be more of a rough commercial outline. However, printing at home in an arts and crafts fashion is fun and easy. You can use everyday items such as an old picture frame or an embroidery type hoop as your frame. Some people have used white, sheer nylon curtains as the mesh. There are even ways of hand applying a stencil to the screen so there is no need for complicated equipment or light sensitive chemicals.

Since screen printing is a basic stenciling process, you don't necessarily need to push ink through the screen with any kind of squeegee. Many dab or swab different kinds of inks and paint through the screen with brushes or paint rollers. There are even fabric additives for standard acrylic paints that can be used. They only need to be set with an iron.
  
The possibilities of screen printing at home are endless. It can be fun and educational while producing a lasting keepsake. You can refine your techniques to screen print at home quite well in fact. Many people end up doing shirts for friends and family. You can get good enough to consider going commercial but there are many things to consider in commercial screen printing.

Although you can do quite a lot at home and even print shirts for money with a "home brew" style of screen printing, going commercial is a little bit different. The idea in commercial screen printing is to produce the highest quality print in the least amount of time with the least amount of effort. That means it should be fast and easy to print really great looking prints on tee shirts. 
  
This is something to consider as printing in general is riddled with deadlines and large quantity pricing. That means as the customer buys more shirts, you sell them at a lesser price per shirt. You will actually make more money by printing high volume jobs than smaller runs. That is where your equipment needs to be able to produce for you. 
  
That is where the expense of printing commercially comes into the picture. If you want to be serious about screen print jobs, you need at least a few key components to your equipment line up. The tee shirt press is an essential piece of equipment for professionals. Of course a belt dryer and an exposure unit would also be important. 
  
Have no fear; there is hope for the merging of the 2 different sides of screen printing. One could always buy only the key pieces of equipment one would need and then fill in the blanks with homemade or hand crafted tools or accessories. And perhaps set it all up in your garage?



Many screen printing businesses have been started that way. Just think, you could print tee shirts for you mothers birthday party and pay for the shirts with the money you make printing shirts commercially.

Well, there is yet another thing to consider with that. Be careful to abide by any local environmental laws pertaining to the usage and disposal of screen printing related chemicals and products. Vendors of screen printing products will be happy to provide Material Safety Data Sheets, (MSDS), for chemical makeup and hazardous materials information as well as precautionary information for human usage. This also means checking into local zoning laws that may restrict or prohibit such semi industrial activities in a residential area. This of course would not apply to a hobby or home craft style of screen printing.

This article was written by Jonathan Monaco, owner of Catspit Productions, LLC. Jonathan has a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree with Specialization in Photography and Screen Printing. He has over 20 years of manual and automatic screen printing experience and is well connected in the industry. He is currently running a free screen printing educational service based on his website and YouTube in his spare time. Visit Catspit Productions on YouTube.com.
http://catspitproductions.goods.officelive.com/default.aspx

GregPierc - About the Author:

Source:  http://www.articlesbase.com/home-and-family-articles/learn-how-to-screen-print-tee-shirts-for-fun-or-for-money-3851249.html

Fun for Any Age: Stamp Collections

Stamp collecting is considered a fun activity for many people, both adults and children. It provides the enjoyment of collecting different types of stamps whether they may be found in ordinary binders or through received mail. For some it is an exciting hobby. Beginners are often fond of collecting as many different kinds of stamps as possible until they realize that specializing in a specific type of stamp may be more enjoyable.

There are many different kinds of information that can be learned from collecting stamps, something many collectors find particularly fun. A stamp can represent anything from places, persons, sports, historical events, cars, and more. The careful and meticulous creation and maintenance of a creation can pay off huge dividends in personal satisfaction when displaying or exhibiting the mature collection.

There is also the consideration of profit in stamp collecting. Special stamps may feature an important event or a person. The value of these special stamps can be considerable, depending on their rarity and the limited versions of the releases. This is not unlike any other commodity, where a collector can find a professional dealer who can provide the possible price value of a particular item.

Another option to profit from stamp collection is to look for collectors who show interest in the kind of stamps that the collector has. Advertising the collection in newspapers and magazines that conduct special advertisements for rare and special stamps is a good way to gauge such interest. The Internet can also assist through auction sales and online advertising, and through those tools give updated information on the value of certain stamps.

The value of an individual stamp can vary depending on its production and supply. As the number of collectors that specialize in rare stamps and limited edition stamps increases it becomes important to be more competitive in finding these items. Of course this increased demand causes the value of the stamps to increase.

Regardless, most collectors do not focus on the potential profit. Most stamp collectors regard it a fun hobby. For them there is no comparison for the pleasure felt every time a coveted stamp is obtained. There are, of course, many reasons why people collect stamps. The sense of accomplishment given by building a quality collection is perhaps a favorite reason.

Stamp collecting can not only provide tools for a wide education, it also benefits from that education. Many stamps feature insights about the landmarks and history of a country. This is one reason a particular stamp might be popular or valuable. Not only do stamps give the collector a reason to learn about the people, events, or things they represent, but knowing these things gives the collector insight into why the stamp is valuable and what might make another stamp valuable as well. There are a few things to keep in mind if you're interested in stamp collecting.

1. Know what interests you. Your collections should have special meaning or importance to you. You have the endless options in the scope and type of stamps you want to collect.

2. Consider joining clubs and gatherings to interact with other collectors. Ask others about their collections to get ideas for your own. Other collectors may have collections related to your own. In this case, you may be able to trade stamps with them to work towards a more complete collection for both parties.

3. Use travel to your advantage. If you maximize your time while away from home you may be able to find stamps that aren't readily available where you live.

4. The Internet can be an invaluable resource for finding, selling, or pricing your collection.

5. There are many topics and themes upon which to form a collection. Collectors need not limit themselves to a specific one. By changing focus as your interests change, stamp collecting can remain a vibrant hobby through your life.

A stamp collector should keep in mind how the stamps within the collection represent many years of enjoyment and a sense of achievement. For this reason proper care must be given to ensure their longevity. Stamps are very sensitive to their environment. They may be only pieces of paper but to the collector they have significant value and importance.


Issac Christian - About the Author:

See pictures of apples at the Benefits Of Apples site.

Source:  http://www.articlesbase.com/sports-and-fitness-articles/fun-for-any-age-stamp-collections-2603683.html 

The Fun of Roller Skating Dating Back to the 1700's

There was a time that roller skating was limited to one age group and could be an activity you would see in very limited locations, this has long changed and roller skating has become a very serious thing, today you can confidently say that there are skaters of all ages all groups and probably across the whole world.

Not very surprising the roller skates is not such a modern invention, dating back to 1749 the roller skates have made a difference in the way people traveled from one stop to the other, and soon after that it became a form of art as people perfected the skating movements into something that is graceful and delicate.

The new form of transportation and movement soon received its fame and recognition, during the many years that passed the skates have evolved again and again, with each developmental leap making the roller skates easier to use, faster and safer. Among the many changes and improvements were movable axles, adjustable wheels, and improved bearings, all these inventions contributed to increasing the pleasure of roller skating.

It is during the last 20 years that roller skating has seen its glory days, and in fact it is still very much used by many people around the world. The 80's and 90's saw an explosion of different kinds of rollers and roller skates, this has now become of form of exercise and sport, perfect for social meetings and very efficient in burning fats and increasing muscle mass.

The rest is history, the roller blade and roller skate hysteria has caused city's to shut down as thousands take to the streets with their skates and join together in a demonstration of impressive human traffic, new kinds of sports were invented as skates became the new way to move, ice hockey being one of these games, it made it easier to play almost any game without regard to the time of year or the current conditions.

One very interesting phenomena is the forming of social groups around this activity, a unique social interaction has evolved surrounding the roller skating culture, special skating music and clubs, and groups of skaters of all ages that are skating together or meeting in specific points to learn new skating tricks and talk about skating news. This phenomena has not been limited to the United States alone, forming of social groups with a clear affiliation to the roller skating world has been seen in Japan, Europe and even the Middle East.

Roller skating is indeed a fun activity and it is suitable for all the family to enjoy, many families take Saturday hikes on their roller skates, or go for a few hours tour of the city, this is a great way for family members to interact and enjoy a few hours of fun and activity together. Although buying roller skates for a whole family might be expensive, if you plan to use these skates a few times a year it is well worth your money, your children will learn something that they will probably use in the future and you will gain a few hours of great fun with your family.

Marlon Gamble - About the Author:

Learn about cherry bush and cherry extract at the Types Of Cherry Trees site.

Source:  http://www.articlesbase.com/sports-and-fitness-articles/the-fun-of-roller-skating-dating-back-to-the-1700s-2612625.html

Making Soap Can be a Fun New Hobby

Making soap is a fun, relaxing creative process. And the best thing about this is that it can be profitable as well. Of course, learning to make soap takes a little bit of time and patience, but once you've mastered the technique, a world of creative possibilities opens to you.

For the uninitiated, soap making can be divided into two processes:

(i) Cold and hot process
(ii) Melt and Pour Process

Cold and hot process refers to the manufacture of soap from scratch, using raw oil, lye, or sodium hydroxide and other ingredients. This can be a laborious process and takes years to perfect. But if you've mastered it, soap making is indeed fun and profitable!

The melt and pour process refers to the use of a base (the raw materials are already mixed). It's your job to melt these and mix your own ingredients: scents, essential herbs, natural colors, etc., and then pour them into molds to make soaps. This procedure is very popular among those looking to avoid chemical fumes because of children or pets. Natural, customized soaps are great gifts, and many people will pay top dollar for them..

Before you prepare to make soap, make sure you are aware of the ingredients that go into the process. For instance, the fat used in making the soap base can be made from animal fat or vegetable fat. In the days of yore, animal fat, or lard from pigs and cattle, were used. Since this was the only available fat, no one questioned the benefits of these. But today, with increased awareness and the ready availability of vegetable oil, animal fat is no longer a preferred option. In fact, many people prefer to create vegan soaps, using no animal products at all.

Before you can get into the real soap making fun, it's important to follow instructions carefully as you learn the process by heart. Handling chemicals like sodium hydroxide can be potentially dangerous. Make sure you wear protective gear from head to toe, and also wear goggles to cover your eyes. Metal molds and containers made from tin, zinc, and aluminum are also best avoided.

It's better for beginners to learn soap making basics by using the melt and pour process. There are plenty of websites that teach this. Soap making made simple and uncomplicated, thanks to these valuable information resources. You can also purchase your raw materials and other products from these sites.

Once the basic process is mastered, you can proceed to the hot process or the cold process where you can learn to make the base. The price of making these would depend on the raw material used. For example, using essential oils and other essence can be expensive. Besides if you're beginning, a large part of the cost would be spent on the trial and error methods.


Jorge Poveda - About the Author:

Soap making is a creative hobby that can be both enjoyable and profitable. The author of this article is an expert in Making soap and has written several articles to elaborate on the how to maximize your soap making fun.

Source:  http://www.articlesbase.com/art-and-entertainment-articles/making-soap-can-be-a-fun-new-hobby-5357632.html

Bowling for Fun, Family and Friends

Slow, low and over the mark. Ever hear that? Well, I heard it every time I approached the lane to throw a bowling ball. That was some of the best instruction I received from the person who taught me the game.

Make your approach slow, stay low (bend at the knees) and make sure the ball hit your mark. That was it and it was a good way to start. I was soon bowling in the 150s consistently and thinks this is fun. I joined a league and met some of the nicest people who became friends along the way.

Bowling is truly a sport for everyone. Every community has a bowling center and people from all walks of life gather there for some fun and healthy competition. It is a place where community (people) gets to know each other. Your neighbors, co-workers and business people are all playing on the same "alley" and enjoying the camaraderie. The "slow, low and over the mark" rule works for developing relationships as well with your team mates and fellow bowlers. Slow: is always a good way to build a foundation for a lasting friendship. Staying low: let someone else be the center of attention and listen to really get to know a person. Hit the mark: Be yourself, honest and open, people respond well to seeing a real person. And you thought bowling was just throwing a ball down a narrow lane.

When was the last time you took yourself or the family out to bowl? Kids have such a great time heaving the ball down the lane and hoping that it stays out of the gutter. Great place for parties because everyone can get the ball down the alley sonehow, if not the conventional way then using both hands and rolling it between their legs. It is fun and laughter can be heard all over the place.

The best part is the connecting with people. So much of our lives is spent individually, on the computer, texting, tweeting or working. What about connecting in person, talking face to face, laughing, sharing life experiences, isn't that what makes us a community?

Why not check out your local bowling center, throw a few balls with the family and connect with those who live around you. It is never too late to start a new hobby, a new past-time, move the body, stretch the muscles and have some fun.

I am so glad someone took the time to introduce me to bowling. Remember slow, low and over the mark!

Vicki Brownell - About the Author:

Bowling with friends, laughing and competing has been some of the best times of my life. Slow, low and over the mark only took me so far. I improved my game by learning a few techniques to get more strikes and pick up my spares. Great place to get some help with your game can be found at www.bowlingskills.info Check it out!

Source:  http://www.articlesbase.com/sports-and-fitness-articles/bowling-for-fun-family-and-friends-1324498.html

Fun Ideas For Collecting Autographs

Autograph collecting must be fun since there are so many people involved in this wonderful pastime. If this is not Americana, just like apple pie and baseball, nothing is. In fact baseball for years has been one of the main avenues for autograph collecting. Children in particular who are able to go to baseball games during the summer months have increased the importance of recording history by collecting autographs on baseball cards. Every other kid it seems collect some type ofsports cards. A lot of autograph collecting involves the signing of such cards. Not only children have a fascination with this type of autograph collecting but also adults. The sports cards, whether they are football, baseball, golf, or basketball, seem to be the favorite item for autograph collecting.

During the days of Michael Jordan, autograph collecting on basketball cards took on a new meaning. Every other person wanted something with Michael Jordan on it. What better way to collect an autograph than via the use of a card. Children are great for exchanging these autograph cards. Autograph collecting has reached a new level because of this exchange of cards. When you buy a package of sports cards, you just may get some of the same cards you already have. Exchanging with others is a great way to get rid of your duplicates, if you want to, when you are autograph collecting. These cards are collected for the express purpose of getting the real autograph on them when the opportunity is there. Sporting events are packed full of fun when the professional teams come to town. It is good thing to have these exhibition games.

These games are scattered about the country and through all the geographical regions. You have a good chance of getting some of your cards signed. The major professional leagues have exhibition games so the general public might get a chance to see a professional game close by. These games may not be in your home town, but somewhere near you. If you are autograph collecting, it will pay you, if at all possible to go so you can do come autograph collecting. Take you chances you just may get one of the big stars. If you have an interest in stock car racing another window of opportunity is opened to you. Again, there are many racing card packs on sale at collectible shops that you can buy.

All of your favorite stock car drivers have cards on the market. Don't forget to go to the local Flea Markets when you are autograph collecting. Sometimes you can find hard to find cards there when you cannot find them in other places. When you go to these fun events, don't forget to do some autograph collecting with your collection of cards. Don't forget if you are at one of these fun events, there are a lot of different ways to get the signature of your favorite person. You may just want to do autograph collecting on the program that is pass out or some other collectible representing the event.

Elliot Higgins - About the Author:

To learn about grape plants, growing chives and other information, visit the Gardening Central website.

Source:  http://www.articlesbase.com/hobbies-articles/fun-ideas-for-collecting-autographs-1897666.html

How To Make Cardio Fun

Making cardio fun may sound like pipe dream to most. Stay with me, though, and you will see something that makes perfect sense. And that's coming from someone who used to be a total couch potato. For years, I went with zero exercise on a daily basis. Then I decided to get into shape, and the difference in the way I feel and the quality of life that I have now as compared to before, is like totally night and day.

First point is that you must make it fun. That doesn't mean that it won't be uncomfortable at times. It will be, especially if you're out of shape. No doubt about that. The point is that the goal, or the end result if you will, is to end up with a lifestyle where working out and exercising is fun to you. That is the goal. keep that in mind. The physical discomfort is short-lived because after a few weeks, you will start to quickly get into a nice routine.

Here's The Most Important Advice I Can Give You To Make It Fun

Here it is... start slow and light. Yes, that's right. You want to start slow and light. Why? Because the number one reason people stop exercising or drop out of a workout routine is simply... physical pain, usually from an injury.

Get your ego out of the way, and maybe stop listening to your friends who might be trying to push your harder than necessary. Their intentions (and your intentions) are good, but the reality is that if you have been out of the gym for a long period of time, and you have not been exercising regularly for more than two or three months, you simply must start slow.

Start by walking at a moderate pace. Then over time consider a slow jog. Then after a few weeks, pick up the pace to a slow run. Then increase it from there. Once you see the incremental progress, something will go off in your brain, and you will become addicted to that great feeling.

And that is when it becomes fun!

It doesn't matter if you're working out at the gym or at home. The same safety rules apply. You must avoid injury at all costs.

An injury will cause a downward spiral effect because not only will you be unable to exercise until you are fully healed, but it might also leave you with a negative perception about exercise, and you want to avoid any and all "turn offs" you have associated with exercise.

In your mind, you want nothing but great feelings and memories linked to your exercise lifestyle. This will make sure that working out on a consistent basis remains a lifestyle for you, and not just a once-a-year resolution that dies after a few weeks.

So if you're not already living the healthy, fit lifestyle you and your body deserve, think about starting today. Just remember what I just wrote for you here today, and start at your own pace.

Mark Warrington - About the Author:

For more health and fitness tips and insider advice on selecting home gym fitness equipment, visit FitnessArmory.com where we review all the latest products, like the Sole F80 Treadmill and the Sole F63 Treadmill. We invite you to stop by and drop us a line if you have any questions.

Source:  http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/how-to-make-cardio-fun-4454301.html