How to Make a Printed Banner
- 1). Pick the slogan you want on your banner. For example the banner could read "Congratulations Paul " or "Happy Birthday Tina".
- 2). Draw or trace all the letters that you will need onto A4 size pieces of acetate. Try to make the letters fill most of the acetate sheet. If your slogan contains letters that are repeated, you will only need to draw or trace one copy of that letter.
- 3). Place the cardboard on to your work surface. Place an acetate letter on top of the cardboard. Cut out the parts of the letter that you want to print. This creates a letter stencil.
- 4). Repeat step 3 for each letter of your slogan.
- 5). Cut your piece of paper to the correct size. The length and size of this paper will depend on the length of your slogan. Count the number of letters in your design and allow 8 inches wide by 12 inches tall for each letter, and 4 inches wide by 12 inches tall for any gaps between words. For example if my slogan was "Well Done" I would need the the banner to be 68 inches long --- 64 inches for eight letters and 4 inches for a gap between words -- by 12 inches tall.
- 6). Make a light pencil mark at each 8 inch interval along the length of paper. This will help you line up the letters when it comes to printing them. Lay the banner paper flat.
- 7). Place the first letter to be stenciled on the left hand side of the paper banner. Line the right edge of the stencil up with the pencil mark. Place the screen on top of the stencil. Cover any part of the underside of the screen which is not covered by the stencil with masking tape.
- 8). Place ink on the top of the screen.
- 9). Hold the screen in place with your left hand. Use a squeegee to pull ink down the screen. This process is known as a pass. Hold the squeegee at a 45-degree angle for the best pass.
- 10
Pull the screen off the paper from right to left. The stencil will come away with the screen. Pull the stencil off the screen. Rinse the stencil quickly with water. Place the second letter stencil on the paper of the banner next to the first. Line up the pencil marks with each edge of the stencil. - 11
Repeat steps 9 and 10 for each letter. You may need to place additional ink at the top of the screen dependent on the length of your slogan. When your slogan is complete wash the frame and stencils in water. Leave the banner to dry.
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