Wow, loves those colors together!!

Do you use the scoop coater to use the liquid emulsion? Or can you use your squeegee?

Nicole – I did purchase a scoop coater, but it was too long to use with the Yudu screen (my mistake!).

So what I do is I use the scoop coater I purchased as a trough. I pour some emulsion into it, about as wide as the length of the squeegee, and I “scoop” the emulsion out, applying it with the squeegee.

The squeegee I currently use to apply the emulsion is the one that came stock with the Yudu, and the squeegee I use when printing is a “pro” squeegee I bought at Pearl Paint.

Do you cover both sides with the emulsion liquid or just one side? Do you have to do this in a dark room or with a special light or just in a room with a dim light?

This is definitely the most economical way to use the YUDU machine. Thanks for sharing!

Hi Peggy, yes you do need to cover both sides.

They way you’re *supposed* to do it is to do 1 coat on both the front (part of screen that faces down when printing) and back (part of screen w/ the lip, or that faces up when printing) or 2 coats on the front and 1 coat on the back.

If you’re using the Speedball Diazo emulsion I mentioned in the post, you don’t have to use a special light or anything, but I would still recommend a very dimly lit room to avoid exposure of the emulsion.

I haven’t tried coating screens with the Diazo liquid during the day, but when I did I had the lights off, with ambient light coming from both the hall and the TV set so I could see something.

Thanks for visiting

I have a few questions.

My biggest concern is that when I am using the Yudu emulsion sheets and I wash out the design out after it has been exposed some of the unexposed emulsion peels off too. Will using liquid emuslion prevent that or am I doing something wrong?

I was also wondering how long it takes to dry and if you can dry it in the Yudu machine. Also, does it take any longer to expose than the yudu emulsion or can I just run the regular 8 minute exposure?

After you coat with the Diazo liquid, do you proceed just as if you had used the yudu emulsion sheets? Can you continue to use inkjet transparencies and “burn” the screen in the yudu as normal?

@kiki – You shouldn’t have the problem with the liquid emulsion peeling off AT ALL as long as you make the emulsion is fully dry when you expose and rinse it.

You can dry it in the yudu machine, definitely. I would run it for two cycles (I know, kind of long), making sure to turn it around. Or, if you’re in a dimly lit room, you can use a hair dryer set on low a few feet from the screen.

As far as exposure time is concerned, the regular 8 minute exposure does work, but what I would recommend doing also is doubling up your transparency/vellum or using an opaque cut-outs (i.e. cricut) and then upping exposure to 9-10 minutes.

@Nick – yes and yes

To both: remember it’s a thin layer that you want on the screen.. you definitely don’t want it dripping or too thick, otherwise it’ll either drip emulsion all over the inside of your Yudu when you dry it, it’ll take suuuuuper long to dry, or both.

Kristina – Love your site, info but most of all the shirt! Tee Hee Hee!
My 14 year old has designed a logo for a line he wants to come out with. We have been screen printing with a loom, silk and modge podge. Do you honestly think that the Yudu is an easier alternative? Are the transparencies expensive and is there something else we can use other than the Yudu brand that is cheaper?
Many thanks!

Hi Steph,

I definitely think the Yudu is a better alternative to the modge podge method i he wants to make more than a couple of shirts at a time and wants pretty accurate registration (i.e. having the design lined up in the same spot for every shirt).

The alternatives to Yudu’s emulsion sheets are discussed in the above post.

Hi Kristina:

My first four tries with burning my image have been unsuccessful. I bought the Diazo Photo Emulsion, which seems to work fine, so I am going to try doubling my print to see if that may be the problem, but could you tell me what type of transparencies you use, and ink do you use?

@ E – I actually prefer the use of vellum paper (make sure it’s pretty transparent vellum, though) over transparencies. What you might want to try doing is either doubling your print as you suggested, which I have done successfully with vellum paper, by the way. You may just have to increase your exposure time by a bit (though it should be less than a minute). I’d say do a trial run to be sure.

As far as ink is concerned, I’d recommend using either
Versatex or
Speedball . Yudu’s inks are rather expensive, but the quality is, in my opinion, not as good as either Versatex or Speedball.

I DONT WANNA BUY ANYMORE YUDU PRODUCTS! WHERE DO YOU SUGGEST I CAN GET OTHER PRODUCTS LIKE THE EMULSION, TRANSPENCY SHEETS AND INKS AND I THINK THAT WOULD BE ALL???

I used the Speedball Diazo Photo Emulsion @ 10 minutes with a printed transparency. Perfect exposure. Non-exposed emulsion rinsed out easily.

I’m am getting sooo frustrated with my YuDu! I’m on my fourth sheet of emulsion and it is still coming out bad. After exposure the emulsion is bubbling up, and parts of my burned image seem to be washing away with the rinse. I can’t afford to wash any more $$ down the drain… literally, please help.

[...] means you burn through a lot of pricey emulsion sheets while you learn to get the feel of it. This link has some good alternatives, check out the part on liquid emulsion. She even has a video showing [...]

Hello Kristina my name is Montanez and I Just wanted say thanks for your great threads

Hi!
I read your thread on the liquid emulsion, currently I bought the paper ones on ebay in a 10 pack for 30 bones so yours is way better still. And these are an off brand and are hard to get just right when working with fine lines. So I am going to try the liquid next!

But I do have a tip, when working with smaller images for instance I burned an IU on a screen I really like to use a rubber spatula from the kitchen. It also makes it easier to put back in the bottle!

But has anyone figured out how to print light ink on black yet? mine takes like 4 passes and then ends up being blurry!

Thanks in advance!
Brittany

Has anyone figured out how to do white ink on black?

and when working with smaller images I like to use a kitchen rubber spatula. it makes it easier to put in the bottle!

to print on black you have to do a base in white let it dry (we like to use a hair dryer to dry the ink to touch) the do another layer in color it should make you color stand out on the black shirt and make your color brighter

Has anyone had a hard time using an ink jet printer to print on the yudu transparencies? My printer keeps jamming up….. any suggestions?

Heyo! I’m planning on getting a Yudu, and in my quest to ascertain if such a purchase was smart or a complete waste of effort and money, I have been surfing the internet to see what the costumers think. I have read your page and realize that Yudu is perfect for me, as well as how ignorant I am at all this print making business. I am an absolute beginner, with only the knowlegde of my desire to print my designs on all unsuspecting fabrics as my guide. Would you mind filling me in on everything I need to know, and possibly pointing me in the right direction? I would deeply appreciate it.

For starters, what in the world is emulsion?

how do you heat set the off brand inks like speed ball? what kind of squeegee should i buy? hard or flexible?

Great site! I came across it when I was at the point of throwing my Yudu out the window (four ruined emulsion sheets and now everyone nearby is out of stock?!?) So it was truly a lifesaver -for the Yudu at least.

@Kari, we had the same problem in the beginning and it’s because only special (and expensive) transparencies work with ink jet printers. However, you can submit your design online to a nearby Kinko’s and they will print transparencies for you for less than a $1.00. Though I’m also excited to try the vellum technique mentioned above!

Cheers,
Tif

I am having problems with the ink transfering to my shirt. I originally used the emulsion sheet that came with the Yudo and my first try came out great. I then purchased the emulsion sheets that are red in a 10 pack off of ebay since they were cheaper. They transfer to the screen great and the image transfers to the emulsion fine. Once I am done cleaning off the emulsion after the burn the image looks perfect for inking. When I go to ink the ink is NOT getting through in all places. I am using the same screen as I did the very first shirts on. It even seems that where the ink shows from the original shirt more ink gets through than where it has never been used for ink. What the heck is going on?

Thanks for your help.

Hi – I read that vellum sheets should not be used as transparencies for the Yudo – but in your postings above you indicate that you can use vellum.

What do you mean by doubling up, when you use the vellum?

Sherri- if you use the most transparent vellum you can find at any craft store, then it works perfectly fine. By doubling up I mean printing the same design twice and stacking the vellum sheets.

hello there. i’ve been screen printing for many years and have always used liquid emulsion. unfortunately its a hassle if all you want to print is one or two shirts of a particular design. so here is an alternative to using emulsion at all. if you have a cri-cut machine or any other vinyl cutter..just cut out your design with vinyl and apply the vinyl to the screen as a stencil. no waiting for emulsion to dry, no burning your design to the emulsion, and best of all no hassle getting the emulsion off the screen. the vinyl method works great for short runs..although i’ve printed up to 35 shirts and the vinyl holds up pretty well. just do not try anything with very small detail. do not mirror the design when you cut it. apply the vinyl on the inside (squeegee side) of the screen.

Thanks for the tips, Miguel!

LOVE the design, I want one of those machines!!!

Hi, This is my first attempt to screen print, so totally clueless. Love the site. I am having problems with script not producing well, can you use script. Also, what kind of pressure is good, everything is either too light or a mess. If I add another coat of the emulsion will that help? I am assuming dry between coats.

@Kim – The problem with script in a design is that sometimes parts of it can be too thin in width and overall just too intricate to be properly replicated using the default mesh screen that comes with the Yudu. When creating your design, try to make sure that no parts of your design are too thin. For best results, you should probably keep the objects in the design around 1cm wide or more.

I highly recommend that if you don’t already have one, you should purchase and use a Yudu 220 Mesh Screen for any designs involving script. The finer mesh of the 220 screen allows you to transfer more intricate designs. With this type of screen, you’ll need to apply a little bit more pressure with the squeegee than with the default 110 mesh screen.

Unfortunately, for the issue that you’re describing, adding another layer of emulsion to the screen will not help. You just have to make sure the screen has been properly exposed and rinsed. As far as pressure is concerned, it’s really all just trial and error, so if you’re unsure, test on a piece of scrap fabric or cardboard first.

Thanks! One more question, let’s say the design did not come out right when you squeegee it on, can you wash out the print and try again, or are stuck?

@Kim – Assuming what you’re printing on is washable, you can absolutely wash it out and start over! Whether you use Yudu inks exclusively or use any of the third party inks mentioned in the posts, they’re all going to be water based, so starting from scratch is no problem.

1st off, thanks Kris for this info. When I saw the Yudu on tv awhile ago, I couldn’t control myself. I had been waiting for an opportunity to screen print for a long time. I personally don’t recommend anyone trying to purchase it from 4yudu.com b/c I had 2 unsuccessfull orders. Luckily my girl saw it on HSN so I just ordered it from there. I knew that there was no way you had to use their stuff EXCLUSIVELY to get the right results so I’m very thankful for this info. Well mine is on the way so Kris I will def keep you posted! Thanks again.

I have a couple of questions:
I just finished a job and cleaned the screen, but I can still see the image, will that cover up the next time I use the screen? Can you burn it too long, so it’s permanently imbedded to the screen? ANd how long can you have a screen prepped for a burn, will it damage it?

Hi Kim,

Even though you can still see the “ghost” of the previous screen, it won’t affect your next project as long as the previous emulsion itself has been COMPLETELY washed away. As far as I know, the emulsion may become embedded permanently if you just don’t clean the screen within 30 days or something to that effect.

Can you please elaborate on your last question?

Well I just got my Yudu and I was highly excited. I printed my design, put the emulsion sheet on, clicked the On button and nothing. I thought it was a joke or they had 1 of those plastic things to take off before use but no. Tried every outlet in my house yet it doesn’t come on. They’re sending me a new one yet I’m kind of mad I have to wait almost 2 weeks just to try this thing out. Has anyone else here got a defective one before?

@ J.C. – Yikes! Wow that really sucks. Actually I do believe that on YuduForums.com I’ve read that someone else might have had such an issue with a defective unit. I’m glad they’re sending you a new one though.

You answered it . I was wanting to get some of the prep time out of the way…laying on the impulsion and drying time
Thanks for the help.