What to Expect in Our 3-Day Professional Screen Printing Class
Screen printing looks simple from the outside.
Put ink on a screen.
Pull a squeegee.
Print a shirt.
But anyone who has tried to produce clean, consistent, professional screen prints knows there is a lot more happening behind the scenes.
A great print depends on many variables working together:
Artwork.
Film positives.
Mesh count.
Screen tension.
Emulsion thickness.
Exposure.
Registration.
Off-contact.
Squeegee speed, angle, and pressure.
Ink selection.
Flashing.
Curing.
Garment loading.
Troubleshooting.
If one of those variables is wrong, the print can fail.
That is why we teach screen printing as a complete process, not just a quick demonstration.
At KolorMatrix, our 3-Day Professional Screen Printing Class is built for printers who want to understand what is happening, why it matters, and how to produce better results in their own shop.
Whether you are starting a new business, adding screen printing to an existing shop, or trying to fix years of trial-and-error problems, this class is designed to give you a stronger foundation.
Who Is This Class For?
Our 3-day class is designed for people who want more than a surface-level introduction.
It is a good fit for:
- New screen printing business owners
- Startups trying to avoid expensive mistakes
- Existing printers who want better consistency
- DTF or embroidery shops adding screen printing
- Schools, churches, and organizations starting a print program
- Shop owners training employees
- Printers struggling with white ink, registration, curing, or screen problems
- Entrepreneurs who want to understand the full process before investing further
You do not need to know everything before you arrive.
That is the point of the class.
But you should come ready to learn, ask questions, and get hands-on with the process.
Why Hands-On Training Matters
You can learn a lot from videos.
But screen printing is physical.
You have to feel the squeegee.
You have to see how ink clears the screen.
You have to understand what proper off-contact looks like.
You have to watch how a screen releases from the garment.
You have to see what happens when a flash is too hot, a screen is underexposed, or a shirt moves on the pallet.
Videos can show you what should happen.
Hands-on training helps you understand what is happening when things go wrong.
That is where real learning happens.
In class, you are not just watching someone print. You are learning the system behind the print.
What You Will Learn
Our 3-day screen printing class walks through the process from beginning to end.
The goal is not just to print one good shirt.
The goal is to understand how to repeat good results.
You will learn about:
- Artwork preparation
- Raster vs vector artwork
- Spot color, simulated process, and CMYK
- Underbases and highlight whites
- Film positives
- Mesh selection
- Screen tension
- Emulsion and coating
- Exposure control
- Press setup
- Registration
- Off-contact
- Squeegee speed, angle, and pressure
- White ink printing
- Flashing
- Curing
- Troubleshooting
- Production workflow
Screen printing is not one skill.
It is a chain of skills.
This class helps connect the chain.
Day 1: Foundations, Artwork, Screens & Spot Color Printing
Day 1 focuses on the foundation.
Before you can print professionally, you need to understand what makes a screen print work.
We start with the basics of the process, but we quickly connect those basics to real production problems.
Artwork Preparation
Artwork is where many screen printing problems begin.
In class, we talk about how artwork affects every step that follows.
You will learn why file quality matters, including:
- Raster vs vector artwork
- Low-resolution files
- Screenshots and web images
- Fonts and outlines
- Spot colors
- Color separations
- Registration marks
- Print size and placement
Bad artwork can lead to bad separations, bad films, bad screens, and bad prints.
That is why professional screen printing starts before ink ever touches the shirt.
Screens, Mesh & Emulsion
Screens are one of the most important parts of the process.
A poor screen can make good ink, good artwork, and good equipment perform badly.
We cover:
- Mesh count selection
- Mesh tension
- Frame types
- Emulsion basics
- Scoop coater control
- EOM, or emulsion over mesh
- Drying screens correctly
- Pinholes
- Film density
- Exposure control
You will learn why a screen is not just a frame with mesh.
It is a controlled stencil that determines ink deposit, edge quality, detail, and durability.
Press Setup Basics
Once screens are prepared, we move into press setup.
This includes:
- Pallet setup
- Garment loading
- Off-contact
- Registration
- Screen placement
- Squeegee setup
- Adhesive use
A common beginner mistake is trying to fix registration before checking the basics.
In class, we teach students to slow down and inspect the system.
If the pallet is wrong, the garment is moving, the screen is loose, or the off-contact is incorrect, registration will be harder than it needs to be.
Day 1 Printing Focus
Day 1 is focused on building confidence with controlled printing.
The printing focus is typically simpler than later days so students can understand the fundamentals first.
This may include:
- Basic spot color printing
- White ink control
- Simple registration
- Understanding ink clearing
- Learning how pressure affects deposit
- Seeing how off-contact changes the print
The goal is not speed.
The goal is understanding.
Day 2: Underbases, Dark Garments & Simulated Process
Day 2 builds on the foundation and moves into more advanced printing.
This is where many printers start to understand why dark garment printing can be challenging.
Understanding Underbases
Printing bright colors on dark garments often requires an underbase.
An underbase is usually a layer of white ink printed under the colors so the top colors stay bright.
But underbases must be controlled.
Too much underbase can create a heavy print.
Too little underbase can make colors look dull.
A poorly choked underbase can show white edges.
A rough underbase can make every top color rough.
In class, we cover:
- What an underbase does
- When an underbase is needed
- Underbase mesh selection
- Chokes
- Traps
- Highlight white
- Flashing the underbase
- Printing colors over a flashed base
This is one of the most important areas for printers who want professional dark garment results.
White Ink Control
White ink is one of the most common frustrations in screen printing.
Students often struggle with white ink because it can be thick, hard to clear, rough, or inconsistent.
We teach white ink as a system.
White ink quality depends on:
- Ink viscosity
- Mesh count
- Screen tension
- EOM
- Squeegee durometer
- Squeegee edge
- Off-contact
- Speed
- Angle
- Pressure
- Flash temperature
- Cure
When a white ink print fails, the answer is not always “add reducer” or “push harder.”
In many cases, better setup produces a better white print.
Simulated Process Printing
Day 2 also introduces simulated process concepts.
Simulated process is used to create detailed, multi-color prints, often on dark garments.
It requires a better understanding of:
- Halftones
- LPI
- Dot gain
- Mesh selection
- Underbase control
- Print order
- Registration
- Flashing
- Color balance
This is where students begin to see screen printing as a controlled production method, not just one color at a time.
Day 2 Printing Focus
Day 2 is usually where students begin to feel the difference between basic printing and professional printing.
You may work with:
- Dark garments
- Underbase white
- Multiple colors
- Flashing between screens
- Simulated process separations
- Tighter registration
- More detailed artwork
This day helps connect artwork, screens, press setup, and ink behavior.
Day 3: Advanced Process Work, CMYK & Troubleshooting
Day 3 is where we connect the process at a higher level.
By this point, students have seen how many variables affect the print.
Now the focus shifts toward refinement, repeatability, and troubleshooting.
CMYK and Process Printing
4-color process printing requires a different level of control.
Unlike bold spot color work, CMYK depends on dots, transparency, color balance, and tight registration.
Students learn why process work requires attention to:
- Artwork quality
- Film output
- Halftones
- Mesh selection
- Screen tension
- Dot gain
- Squeegee pressure
- Print order
- Garment choice
- Curing
CMYK is not always the best method for every shirt design, but learning it helps students understand print control at a deeper level.
Troubleshooting Print Problems
A major part of becoming a better screen printer is learning how to diagnose problems.
In class, we discuss common issues such as:
- White ink not clearing the screen
- White ink not covering
- Rough or heavy prints
- Blurry edges
- Poor registration
- Pinholes
- Screen breakdown
- Underexposure
- Over-flashing
- Undercuring
- Dye migration
- Cracking
- Wash test failures
Instead of guessing, students learn how to ask better questions.
Is it the ink?
Is it the screen?
Is it the mesh?
Is it tension?
Is it off-contact?
Is it pressure?
Is it flash heat?
Is it cure?
Troubleshooting is not magic.
It is process control.
Production Mindset
A professional printer is not just trying to make one good print.
A professional printer is trying to produce consistent prints across the entire job.
That means learning to think about:
- Setup time
- Repeatability
- Spoilage
- Quality control
- Ink cost
- Labor
- Customer expectations
- Job notes
- Wash durability
- Reorders
This is where screen printing becomes a business skill.
The goal is not just to print.
The goal is to print profitably and consistently.
What Makes This Class Different?
Our class is not built around theory alone.
It is built around real shop problems.
At KolorMatrix, we work with screen printers, DTF printers, embroidery shops, startups, and production shops every day.
We see the same challenges over and over:
- Printers using the wrong mesh
- Screens not exposed correctly
- White ink driven into the shirt
- Flash units set too hot
- Inks not fully cured
- Shops guessing at registration
- Customers bringing poor artwork
- Printers adding pressure instead of fixing setup
The class is designed to help students understand the why behind the process.
That matters because once you understand why something happens, you can fix it in your own shop.
What Should You Bring?
You do not need to bring equipment.
The training is hands-on and uses the equipment and supplies provided in class.
We recommend bringing:
- A notebook
- Questions from your own shop
- Photos of problems you have experienced
- Examples of prints you want to improve
- An open mind
- Comfortable clothes and shoes
Screen printing is hands-on, so expect to participate.
Will You Leave as an Expert?
No honest class should promise that.
Screen printing takes practice.
But you should leave with a much stronger understanding of the process, the variables, and the problems to watch for.
You should leave knowing:
- Why screens matter
- Why mesh count matters
- Why tension matters
- Why off-contact matters
- Why squeegee technique matters
- Why curing matters
- Why artwork matters
- Why white ink is challenging
- Why troubleshooting requires process thinking
Most importantly, you should leave with a clearer path forward.
Is the 3-Day Class Worth It?
If you are serious about screen printing, training can save you time, money, and frustration.
It can help you avoid expensive mistakes such as:
- Buying the wrong equipment
- Using the wrong ink
- Choosing the wrong mesh
- Underexposing screens
- Undercuring prints
- Ruining customer orders
- Struggling with white ink
- Fighting registration problems
- Learning only through trial and error
A good class does not replace practice.
It makes your practice more effective.
Final Thought
Screen printing rewards printers who learn to control the process.
The better you understand the variables, the better your prints become.
Our 3-Day Professional Screen Printing Class is designed to help you connect the full process:
Artwork.
Screens.
Press setup.
Ink.
Registration.
Flashing.
Curing.
Troubleshooting.
Production.
If you want to stop guessing and start understanding screen printing at a deeper level, hands-on training is one of the best places to start.
Screen printing is not just about pulling a squeegee.
It is about building a repeatable process.
That is what we teach.