Silk screening or as its more commonly known as “screen printing” is one of the cooler methods of printing an image or graphic on a t-shirt or poster
Developed in 1911 and heralded by The Printers’ National Environmental Assistance Center which said “Screenprinting is arguably the most versatile of all printing processes” it allows the creation of T-shirts, Posters, Logo print, and full-color prints with ease.
It doesn’t matter if your new to the trade looking to make your first T-Shirt or a veteran of the industry swapping out old reliable, it’s vitally important to ensure that you get a good quality screen printer which can improve the quality of your poster or t-shirt.
With all this in mind we can jump in and check out our top picks.
The Best Screen Printing Kits for Home Use Reviewed
| Editor’s Award | Brand |
| Our Top Pick | Jacquard Professional Screen Printing Kit |
| Alternative Top Pick | Speedball Advanced All-In-One Screen Printing Kit |
| Best Starter Set | Caydo 27 Pieces Screen Printing Starter kit |
| Best Budget Option | Caydo 20 Pieces Screen Printing Starter kit |
Our Top Pick: Jacquard Professional Screen Printing Kit
Our Top Pick
Jacquard Professional Screen Printing Kit
Containing everything you need for a first time print the kit contains a 10″ x 14″ Screen 110 mesh screen along with 4 colours and photo emulsion.
Perfect for beginners or hobbyists its really the best starter kit out on the market at the moment.
The Jacquard Professional Screen Printing Kit comes with an aluminum frame which is what really sets it apart from the competition. Wooden frames tend to warp after years of continuous use which means the product life of the Jacquard is much greater than its competitors.
The ink included allows will stick to non-porous materials which will allow you to get creative with projects, the only downside is that no fabric inks are included.
What We Like:
- Durable, Study Frame – Made out of aluminium instead of wood the frames much better quality
- Variety of colours – With Red, White, Blue and Yellow ink to choose for you have a myriad of colours to pick.
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Alternative Top Pick: Speedball Advanced All-In-One Screen Printing Kit
Alternative Top Pick
Speedball Advanced All-In-One Screen Printing Kit
Like the Jacquard this is an all in one kit with the added bonus of an exposure lamp.
With fabric printing in mind, this is the kit I would recommend if your wanting to screen print fabrics straight out the box.
Focused around the Photo emulsion method this kit is perfect for fabric printing. Containing everything you need to get started including 4 colours Black, Red, White, Blue along with a bottle of bottle of Speedball Diazo Photo Emulsion.
Whats even better is they include a complete screen printing instruction booklet which is perfect for beginners.
What We Like:
- Exposure Light – Most kits dont contain an exposure lamp so its great to see a kit with one included.
- Beginner friendly – This kit includes a instruction booklet which is great for beginners.
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Best Starter Set: Caydo 27 Pieces Screen Printing Starter kit
Best Starter Set
Caydo 27 Pieces Screen Printing Starter kit
While a little more basic than the other two starter sets the Caydo 27pc is still a great purchase for a beginner on a budget.
Unlike its competition the Caydo has the screen attached on a butterfly hinge to allow for ease of use when printing.
The screen is a 8 x 10 inch wooden frame that takes A4 size sheets 4 of which are included with the Caydo to get you started. Stirring sticks and the squeegee tool are included which allow you to spread ink over your designs with ease.
The only downside to the Caydo is it doesn’t include any inks or emulsion which means you will have to source your own.
What We Like:
- Design – the butterfly hinge is a nice addition to the printing frame, its a small feature that helps make the Caydo more ergonomic.
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Best Budget Option: Caydo 20 Pieces Screen Printing Starter kit
Best Budget Option
Caydo 20 Pieces Screen Printing Starter kit
While it might be missing some items contained in other kits, the Caydo can’t be beaten on value and is a great budget buy for anyone frugal who thinks they can source the missing items by themselves.
One important thing to note is some of the Caydo kits come without instructions but these can all be obtained digitally by contacting Caydo. But I would say its best to watch a few videos online about screen printing to ensure you can use the products with confidence.
The whole kit contains everything seen in the image, a 10 x 14″ inch wood silk screen printing frame with a squeegee along with a plastic scraper 1 roll of masking tape, 5pc of inkjet film and 10 wooden stiring sticks, talk about value for money.
What We Like:
- Excellent Value – The Caydo 20pc kit provides great value for money and is a good first buy if you only want to dip your toes into print screening.
- Simple Design – With no bells and whistles the Caydo 20pc is as basic as you can get for screen printing the lack of included ink means you need to research your own and learn more about the process.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What do I need to start Screen Printing?
To get started you need a couple of things, most of these items are provided with printing screen starter kits but the other items are easily obtained.
- Screen and frame
- Photo Emulsion
- A light bulb at least 250w or up
- A Pitch Black Room
- The item your printing on (t-shirt or posters are most common)
- Squeegee
- Fabric or Canvas Ink
With all of this you can follow an online guide and get to working printing your own items.
Is Screen Printing Hard?
Screen printing is surprisingly easy to learn and can be reproduced after only watching one or two guides online and purchasing a starter set. It can be a good fun activity to do with a friend or partner.
Do Screen Printed T-shirts crack?
If you have printed a t-shirt and it cracks after the first wash its usually because you didn’t let your ink dry and cure long enough. A little tip to check is once you have finished flashing do the stretch test, start to stretch out the printed area and if it stretch with the fabric then its cured. if not then your not cured yet.
Is it easy to screen print at home?
Its super easy to screen print at home, all you need to do is watch a couple of videos so you know what you are doing along with purchase a starter kit that contains everything you need.
Other Worthy Mentions:
Pllieay 42 Pieces Screen Painting Starer Kit
One of the more larger starter kits with a few additional extras like glitter for when you want to make a fabulous shirt.
Key Features:
- 42 Pieces
- Glitter
- Mini & Micro Mini Screen
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