How can I get started with screen-printing trucker caps or baseball caps?

There are some cap companies that offer a program where they will send you the unsewn front piece of the cap, so that it can be screen printed and sent back to them for finishing. If using this route, be sure to allow enough time for the fabrication of the caps after the printed fabric pieces have been sent. For printing on finished caps, look for a specialized platen accessory that helps clamp the hat down during printing. Also, make sure to test whether the cap can be cured through the dryer at the temperature required to cure the ink.  For certain heat-sensitive cap materials, a low-cure additive may be necessary. Another method is to screen-print transfers that you can then apply to the caps using a heat press machine specifically for caps. Kieth Stevens is the Western regional sales manager for International Coatings. He has been teaching screen printing for more than 10 years and is a regular contributor to International Coatings’ blogs. Kieth is also the recipient of the prestigious 2014 Golden Image Award Gold Winner, which is given out by SGIA (the Specialty Graphic Imaging Association. International Coatings manufactures a complete line of Centris™ non-Phthalate screen printing inks, including a wide variety of whites, specialty inks, special effects inks,color matching systems, additives and reducers.  In addition, International Coatings also manufactures a line of AXEON™ non-Phthalate, non-PVC special effects inks. For more information on our products, please visit our website at www.iccink.com.