Print Liberation: The Screen Printing Primer Paperback – June 24, 2008

I was watching a youtube video that mentioned this book, now I am guessing it was for the affiliate payment. There was nothing in this book that isn't easily found with a quick google search. I sure wish I could return it.

This book was a true disappointment. I was excited about the extra sections on the historical and societal context of screen pringing, and that's why I chose this book over the others because I thought I'd get help with the process along with some interesting history. That supplemental stuff is interesting enough, but as an instructional guide this book is severely lacking.With very little more information than the basic Speedball instruction booklet (and in some cases much less), this book adds very little to my extremely limited knowledge of screen printing. What I wanted was a book that expanded upon the basic instruction booklet info. I need more information where the Speedball manual leaves off in depth, and this book fails to deliver that. This is especially disappointing for a book that claims to be "a comprehensive DIY guide to screen printing." It comes nowhere close to fulfilling that claim.For example, one of the trickier parts of screen printing for me is getting the exposure time right for photo emulsion. This is where the insight of an experienced screen printer would be very helpful. The Speedball booklet gives a chart of exposure times for two kinds of light bulbs and it suggests sunlight as an option without offering any advice about it. That's just enough information to get started guessing, but not enough to understand the variables or do much besides trial and error. This Print Liberation book doesn't even give that much info. It merely says the following about exposing the photoemulsion: "Burn the screen for the predetermined amount of time. This might be something like 20 to 25 minutes for a 500-watt light, depending on what kind of bulb it is." Completely useless.And the rest of the book is not much better. A screen printer with any insight or experience at all should know that much more information than this is required for successful results, unless you want to waste a lot of time and (expensive) emulsion on trial and error--which I can do on my own without buying a book.This book is only good for someone who wants to read the extra stuff and doesn't mind doing a lot of process experimentation on their own. My purpose for buying a book like this was to take advantage of the author's experience to save me the hassle of reinventing the wheel. Either these authors lack the experience or just didn't bother to communicate it--regardless, the result is a book that's useless as a how-to guide.

I read all the reviews and almost didn't buy this book. I'm limited to kindle editions as I'm out of the country. So, I bought a less expensive manual first, was completely depressed by it's lack of anything worthwhile, and then sprung for this one. Boy did it turn my frown upside down. I laughed out loud...at a screen printing manual. It was informative, instructive and I'm absolutely relieved I decided to purchase. I think all the not-so-fantastic reviews are from people who've screen printed before. This book is about the basics. If you've printed before, you don't need it...except for the exceptional humor. You'll find everything you need to know to get started, but where you go from there is up to you. Since I am a complete beginner, I feel like (after reading the whole book) I've stepped from the darkness into the light. I'm giving it a four because I don't theoretically believe in fives and also because it IS a tad expensive for it's length. Though, if you're stuck to only kindle editions like me, it's your best bet if you want to actually learn something.

I like it. It gives you the information you need, it includes pictures of some of the processes, and you get a pretty clear picture of what you need and what you do. There could be something a bit more detailed, but honestly you'll want to head to Youtube for a real detailed process run-through. I was not disappointed. Getting the rightsetup is a different story, especially if you live in an apartment with a tub you don't want to pay for staining up and plumbing that does not include a way to attach a pressure washer.

It's important to note the title of this book, mainly the word "Primer". That is important because this book is just a basic overview of screenprinting. So if you have no idea what screenprinting is and don't feel like looking up the basics online, then this is the book for you. But if you want actual details in order to be an effective screenprinter, then don't bother using this book.The book seems to have quite a lot of filler material. Sometimes it's interesting factoids related to screenprinting, which is cool. But there are literally pages and pages of just art, with no clear indication of why they are there. If the art was showing off some type of screenprinted style or technique I would totally get it, but in this case it literally just seems to be filler to make the book longer.In summary, you can get all the info in this book by spending an hour or so online. Do yourself a favor and get a book that actually delves into screenprinting in depth. I just started reading  Screenprinting: The Complete Water-Based System  and it is exactly what I was looking for.

This book includes all the information you need to try some basic screen printing. The instructions are detailed enough to lead a complete novice through the screen printing process without being redundant or uninteresting. The book also has some great graphics and covers some valuable information on screen printing history and important figures in its development.Definitely the perfect source if you are just getting started with screen printing - this book has it all!

As many of the other reviews say, this is a great book if you have never screen printed before and are unfamiliar with the process. It's flashy and fun, and has step by step instructions for each of the most basic processes in screen printing. But it's short, and aside from a (also very basic) timeline on screen printing, doesn't offer much more than step-by-step. I was hoping for more substance.

Great book. Everything you need to know for screen printing in a easy to follow way.

A very comprehensive and easy to understand 'how to' book. An inspiring motivating style that says 'you can do this'.

I bough this book to give me a push into screen printing and it did just that! It shows you great examples of spreenprinted objects, gives a brief history of screenprinting and even shows you how to make a simple press for £20 (I managed to get the wood bits for free but the hinges cost £20).I would definitely recommend this to anybody wanting to start printing!

This handbook explains modern techniques for handprinting which are easily understood and which do not require a long list of equipment. It stimulates inspiration by explaining the history of screenprinting and by examining popular artists who have used screen printing for their images. It is imaginative and practical and even includes ready printed acetates.

Took awhile to arrive but great book! has everything needed for D.I.Y printing and more.