The six settings, whatever the brand
The full reasoning behind each of these is in the printing films on an inkjet guide. Here they are as a checklist, because every brand below asks for the same six things, just under different names.
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Media / paper type | Glossy or premium photo, whatever your model calls its highest-ink option |
| Print quality | Best / Highest, never Draft or Speed |
| Colour | Black ink only, if your driver offers it |
| Colour management | Off — let the file's own black stay black |
| Scaling | 100% / actual size, never "fit to page" |
| Mirroring | Off in the driver — do it once, in the file |
One honest caveat before the brand-by-brand detail: menu names and tab layouts shift between driver generations, operating systems and even between two printers from the same brand. What follows is accurate for current drivers as of this writing, sourced from each manufacturer's own documentation, but check your own driver against the setting, not just the exact label.
Epson
Epson's driver sets Media Type first on the Main tab — deliberately, because it determines which other options even appear, so get it right before touching anything else. Any glossy or premium photo option maximises how much ink the driver allows.
Print Quality sits on the same tab as Best, High or Draft, or as a Quality-versus-Speed slider depending on the model and driver mode. Switch the driver out of Automatic mode into Custom or Advanced to get manual control and to turn off Epson's own colour correction, which otherwise adjusts values in the file you specifically do not want touched.
HP
HP's driver puts paper type and print quality together on a tab usually called Paper/Quality or Media & Quality. Choose a photo or glossy paper type and Best or High Quality.
Colour management lives on the Color or Advanced tab. HP's own documentation is specific here: open Color/Quality Options and clear the HP EasyColor checkbox, and if you are printing from Photoshop or another colour-managed application, make sure only one side — the app or the driver, never both — is managing colour. HP states directly that exact menu locations vary by printer model, driver type and the application you print from, so treat the tab names here as a starting point to search from, not a guarantee.
Canon
Canon's inkjet drivers do not have a literal "Transparency" media type — that setting exists on Canon's laser printers, not the inkjets most screen printers actually own. For an inkjet, set Media Type to Glossy Photo Paper or Photo Paper Pro instead, which gives the driver time to lay down more ink and lets it dry between passes rather than smearing.
Print Quality sits on the Main tab as High or Standard. Colour matching (Canon's equivalent of colour management, usually labelled ICM) lives under a Color Options tab and should be switched off for the same reason as every other brand: the file already carries the colour you want.
Brother
Brother's driver does offer a literal Transparencies media type on some models, most commonly on its laser and business-inkjet lines — use it if your specific model lists it. If it does not, a glossy or photo paper type on the driver's Basic tab does the same job. Print quality and colour settings sit alongside it on the same tab, following the same pattern as the other three brands.
Which printer family actually holds enough black
Getting the settings right only gets you as far as your printer's ink can go. Pigment-based inks lay down denser, more opaque black than dye-based inks, which matters directly for exposure: a faint black lets UV through and softens or destroys fine dots, which is the same density check covered in the inkjet guide.
Epson's professional pigment-ink line, such as the SureColor P700 with its dedicated Matte Black channel, delivers the highest film opacity of any desktop printer. Epson's dye-based EcoTank tank printers are usable and considerably cheaper to run, with slightly lower raw opacity than a pigment black channel — a difference that is negligible for most screen printing work once the driver settings above are set correctly. The same pigment-versus-dye trade-off applies across HP, Canon and Brother's ranges: a dedicated photo printer in any of those lines will generally out-density a low-cost all-in-one built for everyday document printing.
If you are not sure which category your printer falls into, run the density check from the inkjet guide before you commit a screen: hold the printed film to a bright light and look for glow through the solid black.
Settings sorted, artwork not yet separated?
Load your file, set your mesh and ink count, and download print-ready films sized to it — then print with the settings above. Free while in beta.
Common questions
What Epson setting should I use for screen printing film?
Set Media Type first on the Main tab to any glossy or premium photo option, then Print Quality to Best or High. Switch the driver out of Automatic mode into Custom or Advanced to turn off Epson's own colour correction.
What HP setting should I use for screen printing film?
On the Paper/Quality or Media & Quality tab, choose a photo or glossy paper type and Best or High Quality. On Color/Quality Options, clear the HP EasyColor checkbox so the driver stops adjusting colour on its own.
Can I use a Canon printer for screen printing film?
Yes. Canon inkjets do not have a literal transparency setting — that exists on Canon's laser printers. Set Media Type to Glossy Photo Paper or Photo Paper Pro instead, and turn off ICM colour matching under Color Options.
Does Brother make a good printer for screen printing film?
Some Brother models offer a literal Transparencies media type, mostly on laser and business-inkjet lines. On models that do not, a glossy or photo paper type on the Basic tab does the same job.
Does the exact printer model matter, or just the settings?
Both. Correct settings are necessary but not sufficient: pigment-based inks hold denser, more opaque black than dye-based inks, and a printer that cannot reach real opacity will let UV through no matter how the driver is set.
Where is colour management in my printer driver?
It differs by brand: Epson hides it inside Custom or Advanced mode, HP calls it Color/Quality Options with an EasyColor checkbox, and Canon labels it ICM under Color Options. Whatever it is called, turn it off so the film's own black stays black.
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