How To Screen Print An Underbase | Everything You Need To Know

[@ravendarkcloud]

Lee, I love that you don't keep your own mistakes out. It shows that we all make mistakes as well as letting us learn from those who have done it before us.

[@leestuart38]

Mistakes are part of life and a big part of perfecting a craft, so I'll always own up to it. Nobody comes into this game as a pro haha

[@shadetreesurgeon]

This is why I only use Lee, the absolute BEST in the business. Thanks for always going the extra mile my friend!

[@ridered7394]

Will you announce on KZbin when they will be in stock?

[@TheShubbah]

can us fans in the UK buy your products Shadetree? or are you USA only?

[@leestuart38]

Thanks for always trusting me dude!

[@juliysmith4598]

Got a new sub, Shadetree sent me!

[@matt10707]

Found Lee's channel when I bought my dyna years ago. One of his videos lead me to Shadtree Surgeons channel. Cool to see you guys still friends to this day, from Manitoba to Florida.

[@InsideTheTech_0]

I love how there’s people always trying to help others

[@leestuart38]

That's what it's all about 🤘🏻

[@mitchjr6518]

First off great screen printing quality and great information, but when I watch the video over and over.......That is when you realize how great of a job is done on the quality of the video presentation. The moving camera, close ups and music alignment. Just an all out great job. Cant imagine the time involved in the creation of the videos, but they are much appreciated.....Thanks.

[@leestuart38]

Thanks so much for noticing 🙌🏻

[@abberdabs]

I just... love your videos. You do so well in explaining, editing and filming. Those extra mile shots like filming the actual fibers with a macro lens ( or however you did it ) are so helpful.

[@leestuart38]

Thank you! Adding all those little details is what I live for haha

[@londonstickerz7927]

Lee, hands down, you are the best KZbin teacher i ever found, in my humble opinion. We did had a little chat on insta about my issues with white underbase, this video explained and help me understand exactly what i was doing wrong. That print is so damn cool! Been drooling over the insta photos since you first post the. ! You killed it dude! You're an absolute legend! Dom

[@leestuart38]

Thanks so much dude! I'm glad to help out where I can. This is definitely one of my favorites I've done in a while

[@chrispadilla429]

I enjoy all your vids, but I love the quality educational format you went with on this. A lot info in under 10 minutes.

[@leestuart38]

Thanks man! This was different for me, if everyone likes it I'll use this format more often

[@briefillneiss]

Anyone who knows good (quality) stuff should be eager for every Lee Sturt video. Thanks Lee for tirelessly putting out amazing contents. Please we and the team back here will appreciate if you can make a video on how to choke an underbase in illustrator. From Nigeria with love and gratitude.

[@leestuart38]

I heart this comment ❤️

[@johnreyes7295]

I don't usually post comments but videos like this one are the best. Very detailed and in depth and after watching this video I feel a lot more comfortable with underbases. If you could do a video on how to line up transparencies when burning screens and how to line up screens when printing, that would be awesome!

[@leestuart38]

Thanks a lot. I plan on making a registration video very soon

[@KeyPrintCo]

Legit rundown of the white under base. Stirring up the white ink before a job can make a world of a difference. Wish we knew that way back when. Glad you mentioned it in the video.

[@leestuart38]

So simple yet so overlooked. I was guilty of this for a while too

[@elslick]

Man your process, attention to detail, and workload are killer. Keep up the great work. Cant wait to see what wicked stuff and vid you put out.

[@leestuart38]

Thanks a lot. Those little details matter so much

[@elslick]

@@leestuart38 Make the diffrence between something run of the mill and a piece of artwork.

[@Porteña1]

Fabulous design and the print quality is stunning!

[@leestuart38]

Thanks!

[@paulhiroto5336]

Im a old school printer, you have some major skills. props to you Lee. Are you still a 1 one show? Thank you for sharing your print journey! and your video editing is amazing also.

[@cHeKotime84]

Great video Lee! you covered plenty of details and your videos are just the best. We all appreciate your hard work and always seeking to improve. Thanks for sharing !! ✌🏽

[@leestuart38]

Happy you guys get something out of these. Thanks for watching 🤘🏻

[@samfrito]

Gadzooks man! Brilliant work and a testament to why printers improve with every job! And like the guy who commented before me, love the content!

[@leestuart38]

Thanks a lot man

[@crumptees]

We just switched from the wilflex LC bolt to the rutland street fighter white at half the cost with the same results. We were going through 10 gallons a week and it added up at the end of the month. Really good advice on the prep. I would also suggest a 2 to 1 coat for a thicker stencil to put down a little bit more white for better coverage. Print looks really good 👍

[@leestuart38]

I use a 1/1 which is a perfect 20% EOM with that screen mesh and emulsion, EOM plays a huge part in a good print. I use the Rutland street fighter here too but I've switched it to my highlight white as it didn't have the matte down the wilflex did. I think on an auto with a roller or iron it would be a perfect base though.

[@crumptees]

@@leestuart38 we don't use a roller with the street fighter and get good matdown. Had to play around with the pressure and squeegee angle to get it right. Head 1 is our default underbase print head...lol

[@HalfAssHomestead]

Print flash print, vs. wet on wet. Can you make a video going over both and why you believe one way may just be better than the other? I've seen a lot of debates on the topic, but no explanations for why to do one over the other. Thanks Lee

[@cameronempey8350]

Not going to lie Man you annoyed me when I first started watching your videos but that was because I’m jealous your a freaking great printer! Excellent video man and I enjoy everything you do I’m a fan for sure!

[@leestuart38]

I appreciate that!

[@heatherjennings145]

This is exactly what I have been needing! Sometime can you continue on the underbase and explain a choke. I think I kind of get it, but somehow when you talk about it, I get it!

[@leestuart38]

I plan to cover that when I do a simple spot color separation video. I'll probably make a few of those actually since it's different for photoshop and illustrator

[@heatherjennings145]

@@leestuart38 Woo-hoo!!

[@enlacesonline]

Wow thanks for this video. Very informative and I pick lots of new things. Thank you again.

[@leestuart38]

Glad to hear it helped 🙌🏻

[@benjaminaddae4546]

Lee, would love to see how the color separation is done please

[@Shayway]

I may have missed this but what's your typical choke for the base?

[@leestuart38]

I'm going to have to make a video on separations. I keep my choke to the absolute minimum depending on the design, like 0.25 or under

[@janislokke4816]

Do you have videos of how to separate the image to make a multi color print. Or 2 colors for a beginner

[@leestuart38]

I don't yet, but this is something I plan on making multiple videos about

[@aarondailey9562]

Love the content so much. Thank you. I know it's a lot of extra work. Please keep it coming.

[@leestuart38]

Love making it for everyone! Thanks for watching when I do 🤘🏻

[@RussmanDesignHD]

That's Beautiful! Thanks for the Info too! Love that you help others!

[@leestuart38]

That's what it's all about 🤘🏻

[@Smallbore2wheels]

PITFW! man that's some good printing and that flash b-roll with the new set up looked freaking great.

[@leestuart38]

Thanks dude!

[@dirtystacksapparel9004]

Another awesome video lee! Currently rockin that red/white rogue lab shirt today that you actually shipped out to me in your day in the life video. Good shit man! Looking forward to everything you do in 2021!

[@leestuart38]

Hell ya thanks again for that man, hope you like it 🤘🏻

[@biglyrikent]

I'm looking to move to screen printing when you add the emulsion to the screen and let it cure does that fill into the grooves on the edges that are missed?

[@eddieflores2852]

Wow!! Outstanding!! I will take ur advice on the under base!! Thank you

[@leestuart38]

Hope it helps 🙌🏻

[@paulodelacruz3416]

Hello! what brand of tshirt did you use for your clothing brand? Thanks!

[@wilmervalles1509]

Thanks Brother. Good Advice especially for a beginner like me.

[@leestuart38]

Glad to help 🤘🏻

[@Mattspeak86]

Thanks for the info! And sick video

[@leestuart38]

Thanks!

[@Mattspeak86]

@@leestuart38 Heck yeah!

[@PatrickCooperPhotography-nw1pp]

Would I need a white underbase if I was printing green ink colour on a medium blue t-shirt? I would prefer a black t-shirt but as I'll be using a crude DIY setup at home for screen printing, there's no way that I could get perfect registration for a white underbase.

[@leadteks]

let the tutorial games begin! very cool video, pls more of that kind.

[@hamizishah3177]

Hi, I'm using water-based under based, after one wash on washing machine, all my yellow, magenta color become peel off, I'm printing on microfiber shirt.. Should I need to half dry the under base or full dry under based before put any color on it

[@urjnlegend]

What did you end up doing?

[@TomArnst]

You nailed it my friend✌️.... it covers it all.

[@2k3ace9]

Not sure if I missed it in this video but should the flash DRY each ink layer or just almost dry it?

[@leestuart38]

Always flash the underbase. Top colors is a balancing act between printing wet or flashing. If you're new to it or even an intermediate, then flashing them all is fine on a manual press. Just make sure you aren't over flashing and fully curing everything

[@scottchalmers1902]

Awesome vid as usual Lee! Thank you!

[@leestuart38]

Thanks man!

[@notnini2614]

If I can like this video more than once I could, THANK YOU!!!

[@leestuart38]

That's what I like to hear 👏🏻

[@Tlwlife11]

Do you have a video on like tips to getting started with a low budget and like what mesh count exactly means stuff like that

[@leestuart38]

I don't, but that's something I definitely need to do.

[@leestuart38]

I don't, but that's something I definitely need to do

[@tiliraarmour6163]

Quick question ,what if I am using white ink on the garment.Just to make the white pop.I will flood it twice ?

[@leestuart38]

Either print/flash/print the white with one screen or use a base white and a top white screen for pro level results

[@VinaykanthK]

What are your thoughts on DTG. are you planning to buy one ?

[@javonsuniverse]

Hey where did you get the squeegee with the handles?

[@jameskim6946]

Have you tried Heat Transfer with your Roland printer?

[@leestuart38]

That's actually the next video I'm working on

[@jameskim6946]

@@leestuart38 Great ^^ Thank you so much.

[@danielmullins572]

I use 5% reducer in my whites for printing hoodies only. Is that something you do as well? It seams like the only way to get a smooth white on hoodies.

[@leestuart38]

No I don't use reducer for basically anything unless I'm printing on white shirts. Reducer is taking down the bleed blocking properties of your low bleed white which you really need on hoodies. I run thin thread screens for bases on hoodies instead.

[@sebastianfurimsky5637]

If you do not do a Print, Flash, Print on the under base. Do you do a highlight white on the top to make the white pop more?

[@leestuart38]

If there's white in the design, yes use a second highlight white screen. I'll be doing a video on this right away

[@ScrotumPole]

incredible work, what would you call the style of the Florida print? is it retro 60's or ????

[@leestuart38]

I'd say it's swamp-chique

[@AJ-do8uw]

Thanks for the info bro

[@leestuart38]

👊🏻👊🏻

[@freshbox6228]

Do you downsize on the white base ? Or is it the same size as every other color ?

[@leestuart38]

The white base has a very slight choke to it

[@freshbox6228]

@@leestuart38got it thank you 🙏🏽 do you have a video explaining that?

[@JonMurray]

Awesome video as always dude. Slowly building up a catalogue of your videos as a training manual for when I open a shop haha! Keep up the good work man 👊🏻

[@Treesusb]

Favorite screen printer on YT

[@leestuart38]

Thanks!

[@elgato2491]

You gotta do a vid on squeegee durometor

[@maxgr26]

Great video!!! very informative!!! is it possible to do a separation video for the exact design that you print??? from Greece many thanks!!!

[@leestuart38]

Thanks. I'll have to make a video on separations soon

[@Negative.headspace]

Glad I recently found your channel

[@SundaeMedia]

Is it acceptable to use a different color other than white for your underbase? Great video, thank you for the tips

[@leestuart38]

Always white if color is going over top

[@EdKosmicki1]

As always Lee, Thank you for you tips.

[@leestuart38]

Glad they help 🤘🏻

[@miketupou1215]

Love your vids👌🏾 quick question is this wet on wet or are you flashing in between colours

[@leestuart38]

There's 2 flashes in there. Could have probably done one but I the golden yellow was really thick and sticky and I forgot to mix viscosity buster in there by the time I started, so there was a flash before and after that one

[@alejandrovilla237]

I learn so much from your videos! I currently use wilflex lava perfect white, does quick white have bleed resistant properties?

[@leestuart38]

Glad to hear! Quick white is also a low bleed ink so you can swap out your perfect white

[@Dtag1971]

WOW....that looks great. Just the registration is incredible. F"n great job man. Only 1 question could u do a flattening screen right after the white base. I just did some black hoodiez after the first pass i did the flattening screen. And hit it again with white. It was a bright white. And it was a thick. It was only a 2 color design so I was able to get away with a thicker print.

[@leestuart38]

Thanks! I don't use a flattening screen anymore, I've dialed in my setup and technique to where I don't need it

[@donaldsylvester7200]

Hi Lee, Great video. Did you print the top colors wet on wet?

[@leestuart38]

There were a few flashes in there, I think 2. Thanks!

[@MrCheertech]

What’s your exposure times look like? I run cryocoat 1/1 with a comparable vacuum exposure and I can’t seem to get mine just right?

[@simzrag953]

thank you for the video . i have a question ,can you please do a fresh video for a new comer to screen printing who want to do printing for own brand . if you can please do it ,with all basic ,like what ink should use ? , how to line up with out this kind of laser lights and etc , i mean all what need to know when a new person come to screen printing for a own brand . thank you in advance brov . and thank you for your all videos . Great . keep doing .

[@Leadership_matters]

Geezus biscuits man. Your intro was low res and I restarted my router, restarted my computer and then realized it was just the intro. lol Anyway, I really like how add so much flare to your typography with half tones and this dope line thing you have going on. Does anybody know if that line thing has a name? (@ 8:02)

[@ybutler371]

Just starting up. Love your video's . I Need a Sublimation printer. What would you suggest 🤔?

[@leestuart38]

Epson just came out with some new desktop units that look really good. Otherwise sawgrass is another

[@ybutler371]

@@leestuart38 Thank you so much. God Bless you 🙏 ❤

[@TonyLoewen]

Badass print man!

[@leestuart38]

Thanks man!

[@emilianomorales2386]

Great video....Emilio here,from Puerto Rico. Any ideas regarding puff ink,application wise?

[@leestuart38]

I did a video on puff ink somewhat recently and failed pretty miserably at it haha. I'll be trying it again soon for everyone to see

[@teabagNBG]

i want to get me a screen print press.. but im not sure i dont have much room, can i also do a cmyk print with a press wich only can hold one screen? i can imagine it will pita to align the screen after switching....

[@leestuart38]

You need multiple heads for 4 color process. Registration is a difficult process and can't be done that way. You'll need at least a 4 color press with micro registration adjusters

[@teabagNBG]

@@leestuart38 really? i saw a few tutorials on how to do it with one head but the tut didnt really described the process of everything, screen had to be replaced everytime new color was applied...

[@wagyu_killer]

for the underbase white, do you use 1point choke from the center in illustrator? I could see the outline of the overprint on the "white hightlight video" which looks like 1 point to 1.25 point choke?

[@leestuart38]

That's far too much. I use 0.25 to 0.5 at maximum

[@rakeshdehoo1145]

Lee is a amazing pro in screen printing....

[@godsarmorpodcast3367]

great work man. Thank you for teaching us the right way. May God Bless you and may the peace and comfort of the Holy Spirit be upon you forever and ever, Amen !!!

[@phyrewillow6463]

Thanks! Very helpful

[@Rightsiderspodcast]

Would love to see the computer choke process !!!!

[@pane2125]

Are you flashing after each top color?

[@leestuart38]

There was 2 flashes in this one

[@phousta]

Do you sit your top layer flush with your underbase? Or do you over hang it abit

[@leestuart38]

The base is slightly choked

[@unforgotenpromises]

Wat screen mesh should I use.for shirts

[@leestuart38]

I mentioned it in the video...

[@lopezbulldogs559]

How did you paint your logo on the wall? Did you have some one do it?

[@leestuart38]

Those are decals

[@tonyrio1968]

Have you tho about selling screen print transfers or do you already?

[@leestuart38]

I don't sell screen printed transfers

[@RogerHolien]

Hey lee, really enjoy your videos btw from Albuquerque. Appreciate you keeping it PG rated as well! :) Hey what was your choke on the undebase? 1 point? Just curious

[@leestuart38]

I'm definitely not PG, must have just gotten lucky on this one 😂. 1pt is far too much and you can visibly see it, the maximum I'd ever do is 0.5pt. This was more like 0.25pt

[@hawru2883]

please reply :( do I need to print an underbase when printing colors on a violet shirt? thanks you

[@leestuart38]

Rule of thumb, you need to print an underbase anytime the shirt color is darker than the ink color

[@masterprinter5029]

I know this is probably a really stupid question and I am new to screen printing myself and I am actually taking classes at my community college for it but I was wondering if you know if it is possible to screen print plastisol over vinyl? It's something I thought of but nothing that I could experiment on myself. Can you try it or let me know what you know about that if you do?

[@leestuart38]

I'm not sure why anyone would ever want to do that

[@David-is8wb]

What mesh count did you use for the different colors?

[@leestuart38]

Top colors were printed on 230 mesh

[@David-is8wb]

@@leestuart38 If I wanted to do a very simple 4 color design, could I use 160 mesh for the different colors?

[@damianhernandez3599]

Hey Lee, what squeegee durometer would you recommend for white? Amazing content by the way, i have learnt so much watching your videos.

[@leestuart38]

Thanks a lot. I typically use 70s, but 70/90/70 works well too

[@randyhorejsi6334]

I am still struggling a bit with learning and understanding all of the inks out there. There are so many damn choices! I am going to try out the Wilflex Quickwhite you mentioned but if I am understanding correctly, based on the spec sheet that ink is not suitable for 100% polyester garments. If that is the case, what white is your preference for 100% poly?

[@OhShiGeorge]

Hey Lee, I was wondering for the under base should you constrict the outline of the under base and if so how much?

[@jazzmanprintingdevine3238]

How do your spearate the Drawing to print four screens

[@erikorozco9115]

Hey lee. A video about moire effect and how to prevent it. Would be. Awesome. I don’t really see anyone talk about that.

[@leestuart38]

Moire is really only caused by 2 main issues. The first one I mentioned in this video and the second is stacking 2 of the same mesh counts together. I'll definitely bring it up more in the future and maybe try to cause some moire on purpose to show everyone

[@erikorozco9115]

@@leestuart38 yea. Definitely. I’ve also gotten it when I’ve exposed a base with some small halftones that didn’t opened up all the way. But usually the colors on top cover that. .... I also got it once Because one film out of the seven was printed. At a different frequency. I lost half a day of production trying to figure out what happened 😂... I didn’t know anything about moire at the time.

[@buildonbudgetph4662]

Hey Lee, I only use waterbased inks at the moment. I noticed that a single coat gave me a thin underbase so I hit it again.😂😂Do you think using waterbased has an e, exemption? Or let's say that a thin underbase still works? Thanks!

[@leestuart38]

I'm honestly not the most knowledgeable on waterbased inks yet, I've only used them a handful of times. That's something I plan on really getting into here in my new shop once it's done. But from what I hear a lot of people are double hitting their underbase with waterbased inks, or laying down a clear and then a white. I'll be putting it all to the test soon

[@buildonbudgetph4662]

Thanks!

[@AmericanWithTheTruth]

2 questions what type of squeegee is that and do you like using that better than standard one? And are you using water based inks or plastisol? Process and advice might be bit different dependending on which you are using.

[@leestuart38]

Way better than a standard squeegee in my opinion. It's a lot easier to pull prints and to print for long periods of time. The link to the squeegee is in the video description 👍🏻

[@jameswupp]

Do you ever print your under base film at 90-95% halftone, For spot color prints? ....I know that's normal for simulated.

[@leestuart38]

Never. That would change the color tones for spot or simulated

[@dominicsenibaldi248]

Thanks for another great video!

[@leestuart38]

Thanks for watching it!

[@mkfremkglmfekwgnkr1727]

Hi Lee, Is your flash a Heat dryer or UV driven ? I'm currently using a heat press to dry tee's and I'm wondering if I should go straight to UV Thanks

[@leestuart38]

Heat. UV isn't used in textile screen printing

[@wetrags8082]

Thanks man I always learn something from you. Do you know where I can get some cool designs like the one in this video?

[@leestuart38]

From us!

[@wetrags8082]

@@leestuart38 ok cool! How do I go about getting something done?

[@JSCarie1983]

Dude you are fucking MEGA! Definitely my favorite channel to watch and learn from. You don’t have an air of superiority or “Know-it-all-ism” like other channels. Although you do seem to know a shit load about printing. Seems to me you got it honest though. The trial and error way. Which is the best instruction one can learn from. Thanks for the assistance on this stuff. I try explaining it to my family and pals like it’s Rocket Science on a smaller scale. 😂

[@leestuart38]

Thanks so much. That's what it's all about here, sharing the wins and losses I've encountered to hopefully help people along the way.

[@sounderson672]

Nice one man, Thanks for the tips!

[@leestuart38]

Happy to help 🤘🏻

[@newsmoketv3885]

Killed it!!! Damn this video was great!

[@leestuart38]

Thanks a lot 🤘🏻

[@sablonindonesia]

good tutorial Lee, greetings from Indonesia

[@corilewis5215]

Sick art

[@javiergarcia-zn3on]

Do you have to print the underbase design smaller? Or just the same size as everything else?

[@leestuart38]

The base is typically choked a little bit depending on the design

[@RicardoPrintIt]

Great work and great video bro

[@leestuart38]

Thanks!

[@jazzmanprintingdevine3238]

So dude how many screens you use for the gator print

[@leestuart38]

6 screens on this one

[@jazzmanprintingdevine3238]

@@leestuart38 dude if want to do print that got half the colors you had on gator do have it it parts or just print it. And flash every color until I'm down I'm a beginner on silk screening I always do heat for 8yrs but want to get in your field now. You do nice work.