Screen Printing Film & Transparency Film

A transparency film made for film positives: waterproof inkjet film if you print with an inkjet printer, or laser film if you print with a laser printer. The art has to print as dense, solid black so UV light cannot pass through it during exposure.

Office transparencies are made for projectors and often cannot hold a heavy layer of ink, so the black looks thin and light leaks through. Screen printing inkjet film has a coating that holds a heavy layer of ink for a dark, sharp film positive.

Use the film that matches your printer. Inkjet film with a heavy black ink setting usually gives the densest film positives, which helps with fine detail and halftones. Laser film works with toner printers; check that the black prints solid and does not look grey or speckled.

The film should be a little larger than the image. 8.5 x 11 inch sheets fit left chest and small prints, 11 x 17 and 13 x 19 inch sheets fit most full-front prints, and 17 x 22 inch sheets or rolls are for oversized prints and wide-format printers.

Print on the coated side. It feels slightly rough or tacky compared with the smooth, glossy back. Printing on the wrong side makes the ink bead up and smear.