By Kilwag

I’m here to share some of my admittedly limited knowledge of silkscreening as it applies to skateboards, but not before I blather on about my experiences and other information that will likely infuriate you as I delay on getting to the actual information. I’m not doing this to blow the lid off the skateboard printing industry. Nobody is going to lose any business because of these articles. I’m just lowering the step to the first rung of the ladder for those already inclined to do it themselves.  I have a self taught background in textile printing that came from stealing art supplies as a college drop out. I worked at an art store that sold crappy silkscreen kits. I made a few one color shirts for my zine and friends bands. Then I worked on color separations for a real band t-shirt, and eventually conned my way into a job screening annoying crap for sororities and fraternities. The first day on the job I learned that a guy I had pretty much done the same thing and was also there for his first day. After a couple of weeks it soon became apparent that the other college kids hired (we were both drop outs) were basically brain dead and/or uninterested in the whole process. My friend and I basically ran the place for a year or two, doing our own jobs after hours. Eventually the volume was high enough that we were able to talk a friend who was also a client of ours into going into business together. He had the sales and contacts, we had the know-how. Or at least we thought we did. We learned that we had a lot to learn yet. We battled automatic presses, some 72 work shifts(!), working and living with our friends in the same space, crazy landlords and our own idiosyncrasies. After a couple of years and too many cooks in the kitchen, we split up. Propaganda is still going to this day, run by an original partner. I’m not involved with it anymore, and  my other screening friend now works for the company that sold us our first 3 presses. I started screen printing again after many years of absence when I decided I wanted my own skateboard company.  Hopefully you can learn from my mistakes.

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