Murakami Photocure Pro Emulsion – Versatile Dual-Cure Emulsion for Water-Based, Discharge, Solvent & Plastisol Inks

Open the diazo packet (included in the emulsion box). Add the small amount of room-temperature distilled water that Murakami specifies on the packet — typically enough to fill the diazo bottle’s neck. Cap and shake thoroughly until the diazo powder fully dissolves (no visible particles). The solution will be cloudy/yellow.

With the emulsion container open, pour the dissolved diazo solution INTO the emulsion. Use the included plastic stirring stick to mix thoroughly. Work UNDER YELLOW SAFELIGHT — the emulsion becomes light-sensitive once sensitized.

Stir slowly for 1-2 minutes. Avoid whipping air into the emulsion — it creates bubbles that cause coating defects. The mixed emulsion should look uniformly blue with no streaks. Stir top-to-bottom to ensure full dispersion.

After mixing, let the emulsion sit covered for 1-2 hours so any micro-bubbles from stirring can rise and pop. Coating immediately after stirring may produce pinholes. The wait is worth it.

Write the date sensitized on the container with a permanent marker. Per Murakami’s TDS: use sensitized Photocure Pro within 2-3 weeks for best results at room temperature; refrigeration at ~40°F extends usable life by several weeks. Knowing the date prevents using stale emulsion.

Store in original container, lid tightly closed, in a cool dark area. Refrigerate to extend shelf life. NEVER store sensitized emulsion under bright fluorescent or daylight conditions — it will pre-expose.

Apply mesh degreaser to both sides of the screen and work into a lather with a soft brush. Rinse thoroughly with clean water and allow the screen to dry completely before coating. A properly degreased mesh is the foundation of every successful stencil — skip this step and you’ll see pinholes, fish-eyes, and adhesion failures.

Work under yellow safelight or low-wattage tungsten — Photocure Pro is fully light-sensitive once mixed. Avoid daylight, fluorescent, halogen, and cool-white LED lighting in your coating area. Set the screen on a stable surface at a slight upward angle.

Pour an ample amount of sensitized Photocure Pro into the scoop coater. Hold the coater at a slight angle and apply emulsion in one smooth, steady upward pass. Aim for full uniform coverage — no streaks, no gaps, no visible mesh through the emulsion.

Turn the screen over and apply one coat to the squeegee side using the same technique. For thicker stencils, apply additional coats wet-on-wet to the squeegee side only. Important: One coat on each side of Photocure Pro builds equivalent stencil thickness to four wet-on-wet coats of a standard diazo-only emulsion.

Place the screen flat in a clean, dark drying cabinet with the print side FACING DOWN. Cabinet temperature must stay below 110°F (43°C) to prevent pre-curing. Drying typically takes 2-4 hours for standard mesh; longer for thicker stencils. Use a dehumidifier in humid environments — moisture in the cabinet slows drying and risks stencil failure.

Once fully dry, place the film positive on the PRINT SIDE of the screen with the emulsion side of the positive in direct contact with the emulsion. Lock down with vacuum (preferred) or weighted glass — no air gaps, no light leaks. Verify alignment to your registration marks.

Expose using a metal halide or LED UV exposure unit. Exposure time varies significantly based on your light source, coating thickness, mesh count, and mesh color — run a 21-step Stouffer wedge test on your first screen to dial in your shop’s optimal time. Photocure Pro’s wide exposure latitude is forgiving, but exposure that’s too short causes wash-out and too long causes detail loss.

Spray both sides of the screen gently with lukewarm water. Wait approximately 30 seconds for the water to penetrate the unexposed areas. Then gently wash the print side until the image becomes fully visible. Rinse both sides thoroughly. Don’t use high-pressure water — it can damage fine detail.

Allow the developed screen to dry completely before printing. A fan or warm drying cabinet (under 110°F) speeds drying. Once dry, you can spot-touch any small pinholes with blockout if needed (Murakami 901 Blockout Red is ideal for this), then the screen is ready for press.

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Sensitized emulsion has limited shelf life. If your shop uses Photocure Pro at varying rates, keep an UNSENSITIZED 5-gallon bucket on the shelf and only mix smaller quart-sized portions as you need them. This extends overall emulsion shelf life and reduces waste.

Start with one coat each side (print side first, then squeegee side). For thicker EOM (Emulsion Over Mesh), add additional wet-on-wet coats to the SQUEEGEE side only — don’t add to the print side. Print-side coats are what define edge sharpness; squeegee-side coats add deposit thickness.

Most scoop coaters have two functional coating edges — a sharp edge and a rounded edge. They’re both for coating; the trough between them is the reservoir. The sharp edge deposits less emulsion per pass (thinner stencil — better for higher mesh counts, fine detail, and face coats over a dried base). The rounded edge deposits more emulsion per pass (thicker stencil — better for lower mesh counts, bold artwork, and faster build-up). For Photocure Pro at 38% solids on typical textile mesh (110-230), many printers use the rounded edge for base coats and the sharp edge for the final face coat.

Always dry screens flat with the PRINT SIDE FACING DOWN. This is counterintuitive but important — gravity pulls excess emulsion toward the print side, building the desired sharp-edged stencil profile. Print-side-up drying creates a ‘flat’ stencil with softer edges.

Discharge inks attack standard emulsions. Murakami MS Hardener applied AFTER exposure and washout adds dramatic water/solvent resistance. It’s reclaimable when proper procedures are followed — so you don’t lose your screen inventory to the hardener treatment.

Photocure Pro has wide exposure latitude but every shop’s exposure unit is slightly different. A 21-step Stouffer wedge test (sold separately, inexpensive) tells you your specific shop’s optimal exposure within 5 minutes of testing. Use it once per emulsion change and once per exposure-lamp replacement.

Murakami’s TDS recommends using sensitized Photocure Pro within 2-3 weeks at room temperature. If your shop won’t use a mixed 5-gallon bucket in that window, store it in a dedicated refrigerator at ~40°F — this extends usable pot life by several weeks. Don’t store with food — emulsion contains chemistry you don’t want near food prep.

Once coated and dry, screens are light-sensitive. Use coated screens within 1 month maximum, and store in a completely dark cabinet — not just a closed box in a normally-lit room. Light bleed-through pre-exposes the emulsion and causes washout problems.

• Shelf life: up to 1 year at room temperature, sealed
• Store in original container, lid tight
• Cool, dry, dark area (closet, basement)
• Don’t mix the diazo packet until needed
• Keep diazo packet sealed and dry

• Room temp: 2-3 weeks (per Murakami TDS) / ~4-6 weeks max usable
• Refrigerated (~40°F): adds several weeks of pot life
• Label with mix date
• Keep lid tightly closed when not in use
• Avoid temperature swings

• Use within 1 month of coating
• Store in completely dark cabinet
• Cool, dry environment
• No light leaks (even small ones pre-expose)
• Stack with frames separated

• Yellow safelight or low-wattage tungsten
• AVOID daylight, fluorescent, cool-white LED
• Drying cabinet below 110°F (43°C)
• Below 70% humidity ideal
• Wash hands after handling

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