• RSS
This Photo Tutorial shows you how to turn an image into a black and white image, making it much easier for screen printers to work with.This Photo Tutorial shows you how to turn an image into a black and white image, making it much easier for screen printers to work with.
The first thing you will need to screen print is find an image suitable for exposure. This means an image that consists of solid colors. You need solid colors because you need to be able to separate them for printing transparencies. You can always draw the image yourself. I, unfortunately, am not a very good artist. You can always buy images for screen printing. I have done this, and there are a number of great websites out there. Some images you will be too complicated, with too many colors. Luckily there is a program that will transform an image into a single color image. Its free and its called Inscape. You can download it from the link below. This tecnique is called vector grunge. Graphic artist will use this to create images of paint dripping or from water stains to get cool patterns for their work. Something to think about.<br><br> Now I will show you how to get a single color image from a photo. You can click on any image below to see the full size version.The first thing you will need to screen print is find an image suitable for exposure. This means an image that consists of solid colors. You need solid colors because you need to be able to separate them for printing transparencies. You can always draw the image yourself. I, unfortunately, am not a very good artist. You can always buy images for screen printing. I have done this, and there are a number of great websites out there. Some images you will be too complicated, with too many colors. Luckily there is a program that will transform an image into a single color image. Its free and its called Inscape. You can download it from the link below. This tecnique is called vector grunge. Graphic artist will use this to create images of paint dripping or from water stains to get cool patterns for their work. Something to think about.

Now I will show you how to get a single color image from a photo. You can click on any image below to see the full size version.
Drag and drop your image into inscape or go to File>Open.Drag and drop your image into inscape or go to File>Open.
A box will appear asking if you want to embed the image. Yes, you do, so hit OK.A box will appear asking if you want to embed the image. Yes, you do, so hit OK.
Now you will see your image. You will know it is selected by the arrows surrounding it. Make sure you have it selected before continuing to the next step.Now you will see your image. You will know it is selected by the arrows surrounding it. Make sure you have it selected before continuing to the next step.
Now go to Path>Trace Bitmap.Now go to Path>Trace Bitmap.
A box will appear. You can change the look of the solid color image you will create by changing the numbers in the threshold. You can use edge detection or whiteness cut off to achieve your image. You can play around with it several times without altering the original image.A box will appear. You can change the look of the solid color image you will create by changing the numbers in the threshold. You can use edge detection or whiteness cut off to achieve your image. You can play around with it several times without altering the original image.
You will see the image with the image you just created stacked on top of each other. Simply drag the new image way.You will see the image with the image you just created stacked on top of each other. Simply drag the new image way.
Now you can see both images.Now you can see both images.
You can see the different results you can get here buy playing around with the treshold and whiteness/edge detection features.You can see the different results you can get here buy playing around with the treshold and whiteness/edge detection features.
This also works great for stand alone icons with multiple colors as well and photos.This also works great for stand alone icons with multiple colors as well and photos.
Here is the image I used for Katara for the T shirt. you can see that the face and body came out better in a lower threshold and the wave she is controlling came out better at a high threshold. I took both of these images into paint to cut the wave out of the right picture and placed it into the on the left.Here is the image I used for Katara for the T shirt. you can see that the face and body came out better in a lower threshold and the wave she is controlling came out better at a high threshold. I took both of these images into paint to cut the wave out of the right picture and placed it into the on the left.
Another great thing about Inscape is the image it creates is a vector image, meaning it can be scaled to any size without a loss in resolution. There is no pixelation. I tried to illustrate this here with this comparison. I hope this helped. Feel free to share your thoughts or work with me. Id like to see what you come up with!Another great thing about Inscape is the image it creates is a vector image, meaning it can be scaled to any size without a loss in resolution. There is no pixelation. I tried to illustrate this here with this comparison. I hope this helped. Feel free to share your thoughts or work with me. Id like to see what you come up with!
  • This Photo Tutorial shows you how to turn an image into a black and white image, making it much easier for screen printers to work with.
  • The first thing you will need to screen print is find an image suitable for exposure. This means an image that consists of solid colors. You need solid colors because you need to be able to separate them for printing transparencies. You can always draw the image yourself. I, unfortunately, am not a very good artist. You can always buy images for screen printing. I have done this, and there are a number of great websites out there. Some images you will be too complicated, with too many colors. Luckily there is a program that will transform an image into a single color image. Its free and its called Inscape. You can download it from the link below. This tecnique is called vector grunge. Graphic artist will use this to create images of paint dripping or from water stains to get cool patterns for their work. Something to think about.<br><br> Now I will show you how to get a single color image from a photo. You can click on any image below to see the full size version.
  • Drag and drop your image into inscape or go to File>Open.
  • A box will appear asking if you want to embed the image. Yes, you do, so hit OK.
  • Now you will see your image. You will know it is selected by the arrows surrounding it. Make sure you have it selected before continuing to the next step.
  • Now go to Path>Trace Bitmap.
  • A box will appear. You can change the look of the solid color image you will create by changing the numbers in the threshold. You can use edge detection or whiteness cut off to achieve your image. You can play around with it several times without altering the original image.
  • You will see the image with the image you just created stacked on top of each other. Simply drag the new image way.
  • Now you can see both images.
  • You can see the different results you can get here buy playing around with the treshold and whiteness/edge detection features.
  • This also works great for stand alone icons with multiple colors as well and photos.
  • Here is the image I used for Katara for the T shirt. you can see that the face and body came out better in a lower threshold and the wave she is controlling came out better at a high threshold. I took both of these images into paint to cut the wave out of the right picture and placed it into the on the left.
  • Another great thing about Inscape is the image it creates is a vector image, meaning it can be scaled to any size without a loss in resolution. There is no pixelation. I tried to illustrate this here with this comparison. I hope this helped. Feel free to share your thoughts or work with me. Id like to see what you come up with!

Download Inscape Here.

4 Responses to “Creating Grunge Vectors for Screen Printing – Inkscape”

  1. HobStarCS
    30 April 2012 at 9:37 pm #
    Reply

    Love this tutorial. My question is how do you then take those layers and make them int something the screen printer can use? I do a bit of graphic design but they charge me for colour separation which I’m sure I could do my self if I knew exactly what kind of files with what kind of setup they were after. They don’t seem too forthcoming with that for for some reason, ;)

  2. Nate
    1 May 2012 at 12:11 am #
    Reply

    Thanks HobStarCS! I dont have alot of experience working with professional screen printers, I do everything myself. However I have usually seen them ask that files come in specific formats like .JPEG or in some cases they only want the Illustrator .eps files.

    If you are really pressed to do it yourself and you can use .JPEG I would use GIMP for color separation, check out my tutorial for color separation. I show you how to make sure it prints on the right size sheet so you know the layers will line up during screen printing. Just ask what size they want if its not going to me 8.5 x 11 and work from there.

    If you have access to Photoshop it has a color separation ability also and there are some youtube videos that show how to use it for color separation.

    Let me know if you have anymore questions and also let me know how it comes out!

  3. From Kottayam with love
    3 July 2012 at 6:15 am #
    Reply

    Hi Nate,
    been browsing for a software program to get my screen print stencils done…and came across yours. Nate, I am based in India and I have pretty much started getting busy with my friends orders for customised designs on sarees and salwars (our traditional dress). my mom and I have set up a dark room for preparing the photo emulsion screens, a tube light box for exposing etc and we been doing ok. We either draw the stencils onto Butter paper (thats what we use here) or get them photocopied onto the butter paper.
    I need to move on from this rudimentary style and want to print my own stencils. My question is ” f I ind something that I would like to stencil, for example: a leaf, I scan it out on to the butterpaper…but can I use a software to add details to the scanned image?

  4. Nate
    7 July 2012 at 2:26 pm #
    Reply

    Hi Kottayam.
    I believe i understand your question, you want to scan an image and then draw on top of it with a computer program. Almost any program should let you do this. GIMP, INKScape and even the paint program that comes with windows.


Leave a Reply