Have you tried screen printing? With just a few pieces of basic screen printing equipment, this great technique lets you transfer an image onto fabric, canvas or card quickly, easily and accurately.
The technique involves using a silk screen that allows ink to pass through a mesh along with a stencil design. To find out more about screen printing, check out our full screen printing for beginners guide.
You can either make your own screen designs by cutting vinyl adhesive sheets, or use the pre-cut template screens that come in many of the screen printing kits.
While making a kit from scratch is an option, it's often costlier and trickier, so buying a home screen printing kit can often work our cheaper than making your own!
But if you are interested in the DIY version, check out our DIY screen printing frames article, and read on to find out where to buy screen printing supplies UK.
Jump straight to how to use screen printing kits
Best home screen printing kits
Speedball fabric screen printing kit
Here is the home screen printing kit you should choose if you want to create a photo emulsion screen, rather than crafting a screen by painting out details or cutting acetate.
The kit includes the necessary chemicals for making your own photo emulsion screen, and you'll require a bright light to expose it. However, it does not contain any screen printing supplies for adding colour, such as ink; you'll need to purchase those separately.
Pros:
- Includes pre-mounted screen, chemicals, squeegee, screen cleaner
- No need to paint or cut out design
Cons:
- Doesn't include inks
Screen Sensation
- Buy now from eBay (£20+).
The Screen Sensation is the screen printing kit we showcase in our demo, and we love how simple and easy it is to use. The 12 x 12 inch hinged frame is a great size for papers and fabrics, and makes sure fabric and screen stay exactly where they are supposed to be.
You can buy 12 x 12 inch screen templates to use with this kit separately, or invest in a machine that will turn your printed designs into screens for you!
Pros:
- Includes squeegee, palette knife, wooden mixers and mixing bowl
- Simple and easy to use
Cons:
- Doesn't include inks
- Quite pricey
Art screen printing set
- Buy now from Hobbycraft (£47.00).
This handy screen printing kit starter set comes with everything you need to make your first print and accommodates designs up to 30 x 42cm, so its perfect for small home projects.
It's great that this kit comes with acrylics, too, though these are much faster drying than inks so you'll need to work fast and wash your screen quickly to avoid the paint drying on your silk screen.
Pros:
- Includes silk screen, squeegee, acrylic colours, textile medium, printing medium, screen block, ink fluid, a palette knife and round brush
- Great value
Cons:
- Acrylics are faster drying than inks
Silk Screen Designer
This screen printing kit, designed for kids, serves as an excellent budget-friendly choice for those eager to delve into screen printing without significant expense.
It utilizes a small embroidery hoop in place of a frame and employs purple ink to create a drying template screen. Paint colours are then applied through the unpainted silk, with 6 colours available in the set.
Additional silk mesh can be acquired for crafting multiple screens, a minor investment given the kit's affordable price of just over £10. Alternatively, you can keep the silk plain and use it with screen templates fashioned by cutting acetate.
Pros:
- Includes embroidery ring, silk screen, 6 textile paint colours, brush, purple screen printing ink, squeegee, instructions
- Affordable
- Easy to use
Cons:
- Smaller screen size
- The circular screen might not be the optimal choice for all designs
Marabu Textile screen printing set
This screen printing kit is aimed toward a younger, non-core craft audience wanting to create their own customised clothing, and it works well for that.
You only get one colour of ink in this kit, and you need to source the materials to make your screen stencil yourself, but this is not hard – cut your own from vinyl or thick card with a design of your choice, or adapt a papercraft stencil to use in this kit.
The low price and hipster styling make this a great gift for young adults or those looking to personalise and produce design tees.
Pros:
- Includes silk screen, printing ink, squeegee and instructions on how to make your screen stencil and print your design.
- Great value
- Great gift for teens
Cons:
- Doesn't include stencil materials
Personalised beginners screen printing set
- Buy now from Not on The High Street (£59.95).
Leave it to Not on The High Street to produce the most beautiful and clever beginners screen printing kit – but that comes at a price, of course!
The wooden frame and 20cm-wide wood and rubber squeegee can be personalized, allowing you to add a name, occasion message, or company branding, transforming this into an exceptionally special gift.
What's truly impressive is the inclusion of a 20cm-wide squeegee in the kit, a refreshing change. This feature enables you to add colour to most designs from the 25cm-wide frame in a single pass, resulting in a flawless finish.
Pros:
- Includes a personalizable wooden frame and a 20cm-wide wood and rubber squeegee
- Also includes spatulas, ink, and an array of screen templates containing symbols, graphics, frames, numbers, and alphabets
- If you're not the best painter, the templates will make life a lot easier
Cons:
- More expensive than some
Value A3 screen printing kit
- Buy now from Etsy (£44.99).
This might be our favourite beginner home screen printing kit on the list. Hunt the Moon allows you to select the thread count for your metal mesh screen, tailoring it to the material you intend to print on. More threads in the mesh result in finer printed details, though this increases the cost of the value kit.
The screen is professionally mounted in the frame, accompanied by a 12-inch squeegee and a pot of ink – defaulting to black, but you can request a different colour from their range.
This kit emphasizes personalization and quality, enabling you to choose the level of detail and pricing that suits you best. A fantastic introductory screen printing kit that can be expanded upon as your skills develop.
Pros:
- Includes professionally mounted metal mesh screen frame, 12-inch squeegee, ink
- Great value
- Flexibility to personalize your choices based on your preferences, providing a quality, no-frills product
Cons:
- Only one ink colour
Screen printing machines
xTool Screen Printer
Did you know that you can also create incredible screen-printed images using a machine? The xTool Screen Printer's laser engraving abilities allow you to produce screen prints very quickly, without creating any mess.
The machine is designed with beginners in mind, so you won't need to spend lots of time setting up – which is brilliant when you're in the mood for crafting!
You can switch over the stencils easily, allowing you to create eye-catching layered prints. You can use the xTool Screen Printer on a variety of different surfaces too, making this machine excellent value for money.
- Buy the xTool Screen Printer from xTool (£249)
Where to buy screen printing supplies: ink, fabric and tools
Screen Printing Frame Mesh Cleaning Emulsion Remover Bundle Pack
- Buy now from Etsy (£25.00).
Alright, this might not be the most visually appealing item in this screen printing kit article. However, it's highly likely to be the most valuable one as your skills progress.
This solution allows you to rejuvenate screens that have become blocked due to ink drying before washing. Additionally, it includes a cleaner to remove emulsion stencils you no longer intend to use. This means you can reclaim screens for fresh projects, especially beneficial for expensive fine mesh screens with intricate designs you won't print from again. A fantastic addition to your stash of screen printing supplies UK!
110T screen printing mesh by the meter
- Buy now from Etsy (£9.95).
Say you have a reusable frame that can work with different screens, or you want to try making your own screen printing kit frame. You need screen printing mesh! You can use metal fabric for a finer, more durable finish, but most screen printers will prefer the more economical fabric option.
Best Screen Printing sell their polyester screen printing fabric by the meter in lots of different counts – this 110T version is best for fine detail on paper, board and light fabrics. Expand your screen printing kit by buying the fabric to make new emulsion stencils!
43T screen printing mesh by the meter
- Buy now from Etsy (£6.99).
A screen thread count of 43T is optimal for most T-shirt and textile printing. It stands as the most frequently employed mesh count in screen printing kits. Hunt the Moon offers this mesh by the meter at a highly economical price.
Permaset Aqua screen printing ink
- Buy now from Etsy (£12.95).
Here's a great ink if you are after primary colours that are washable until heat set. Permaset aqua comes in a choice of 17 different shades, with lots of go-to colours fo0r everyday screen printing supplies ink colours.
The range is solvent free, so we love their added touch of environmentally friendly chic, too. Use them on all light coloured fabrics including silk for lovely washable and touch-friendly finish.
Fancy trying lino printing?
Take a look at our lino cutting for beginners guide. You might also enjoy our block printing for beginners guide.
Jacquard photo emulsion kit
- Buy now from Etsy (£18.99).
Here is what you need if you want to take making your own screens to use in your screen printing kit to the next level. Rather than cutting acetate or card, photo emulsion paste will react with light, so you can transfer high contrast film images onto a screen by exposing to light.
It's not easy to find a good supplier, but HandPrintedUK are a good reputable business for screen printing supplies in the UK.
How to use screen printing kits
Here is a walkthrough showcasing the technique using the Screen Sensation screen printing kit, but the basic method is the same when applying ink or paint through any screen printing kit you use.
Step 1
Place your screen design over the logo side of the Screen Sensation frame.
The frame will be facing down when used. Add tape to the top and bottom of the screen, pulling the screen tight as you fix it in place.
Repeat to secure the remaining sides of the screen
.
Step 2
Apply tape to mask off the bottom of the image. Add your fabric to the base with a piece of paper behind it.
Secure with tape. Mix the inks to create two shades of purple – dark for the head and light for the body. Gently drag the squeegee down across the design.
Step 3
Lift the screen. Leave the fabric to dry. Cover the ink pot with cling film. Remove the screen from the frame then wash it thoroughly.
Once the screen is dry, re-tape it onto the frame. Adjust the fabric, so the rabbits line up to make a repeated design, then ink again.
Screen-printing: solved
We hope you have found this guide to screen printing kits and supplies to buy in the UK useful. If you have any favourite suppliers or products you feel we should be listing here, please do let us know.
Meanwhile, you'll find plenty of inspiration and advice for how to use your screen printing kit right here on Gathered!
More screen printing tutorials to try
Test out your new screen printing skills with our DIY cushion tutorial.
