Best Applications and Processes for Glitter Printing, Everything You Need to Know!
Maybe when people talk to you about glitter printing, you get a déjà vu to the good old days as a preschooler doing a glitter Christmas card, surrounded by colored cardboards, mod podge, ribbons and lots of glitter everywhere!
Nowadays, the process of glitter printing has evolved; it is easier and not quite as messy as you may imagine. On top of that, you can do some crafting art and “be green” at the same time by using Bioglitter. So, you get to make fabulous apparel while saving the planet! What else could you ask for?
How to Do Glitter Screen Printing at Home?
Doing screen printing is so easy these days, and you can even do it at home!
What is screen printing? It is a printing technique that you can use to print on fabrics, paper, and almost any material. To put it simply, it involves transferring a design onto a material of your choosing using a stencil, a screen with a mesh, a squeegee, and inks… plus Bioglitter for an extra touch!
To begin with, you will need a Cricut Maker or vinyl cutter to cut your chosen design on vinyl. After that, you just need to apply it to the bottom of your screen with the help of transfer tape. You can use the Speedball 10×14 frame, which comes with a 110 monofilament screen fabric.
Then comes the fun part: mix the Bioglitter and the ink together. You can experiment with the proportions, but for starters, mixing one spoon of Bioglitter with two spoons of Speedball fabric ink should be fine. Do so carefully and bear in mind that the mixture could get thicker, and the glitter will not be so evident. Don’t worry about that!
When you have the mixture ready, put your t-shirt or piece of clothing that you want to print on a flat surface, and put the frame in the desired position. Then, apply the glitter-ink blend on the screen (on top of the design) and squeegee the glitter-ink over it. Carefully lift up the screen and admire your glitter printing!
After that, you just have to let the ink dry for 24-48 hrs and do the curing process with a heat press for approximately 40 seconds at 320 degrees. Glitter printing was never that easy to do and eco-friendly at the same time! However, testing is required for this technique as Bioglitter is made of cellulose and not made of plastic, like regular glitter.
Bioglitter and Water-Based Ink Are the Best Duo
Of course, there are some screen printing inks on the market that include the glitter already. However, most of these inks do not have biodegradable glitter and are plastisol-based, so they could require a more advanced screen and special equipment for the curing process.
Water-based ink is easier to work with and gives you a softer and lightweight-hand printing. Since it is water-soluble, the ink does not end up atop the fabric but absorbs very well into it, dyeing the clothes directly!
On top of that, water-based ink, while not completely plastic-free, does not contain PVC. For that reason, it stands out as an eco-friendly option compared to plastisol ink, which is essentially liquid plastic. So, mixing together the water-based ink and Bioglitter makes perfect sense!
Why not Sprinkle Glitter on the Wet Ink?
You could absolutely use that technique. However, the results will not be long-lasting and after a few washes, the glitter will wear off, leaving behind a glittery mess and a sad-looking t-shirt!
Nevertheless, don’t feel discouraged. If you don’t have the equipment to do screen printing and your adorned garment will be used only a couple of times, you could definitely do some DIY glittering crafting! You just need some freeze paper for the stencil, an iron to heat-press, mod podge, and Bioglitter.
It is as simple as sprinkling some Bioglitter on the stencil covered with mod podge. Just like we were little kids! This is a simple way to give spark and shimmer to your printing design instantly.
Bio-Glitter as a Fabulous and Eco-Friendly Alternative
In an effort to be eco-friendly, you just need to choose Bioglitter when doing glitter printing!
This kind of glitter is not made out of plastic. In fact, Bioglitter PURE is the only glitter that is 100% plastic-free in the whole world, and it is naturally biodegradable at a rate of over 90%.
You should choose our Bioglitter because it is naturally biodegradable, contrary to other companies that maintain so, even though they do not do the freshwater test or claim to do it without sharing results. Actually, options like cosmetic grade glitter and ALP or compostable glitter do not naturally biodegrade at all and need special conditions, like high temperatures and bacteria, only present in recycling and composting facilities. The key part is to be biodegradable under natural conditions, like ours!
And remember, only because Bioglitter is eco-friendly does not mean that you get less spark or shimmer. Here at TODAY GLITTER, we have a wide variety of options, colors, and sizes for you to choose from. So start your glitter printing right away, and have fun while protecting the environment!
