1. Take the backing off silkscreen stencil, pulling top to bottom or side to side rather than crossways to avoid stretching of the stencil. Do not allow sticky back to fold in on itself. 2. Apply your ink or other medium by putting a thin even layer over the stencil using a scraper or squeegee. 3. Remove the stencil slowly from your given surface. Remember to avoid pulling the stencil diagonally so the stencil does not stretch. 4. Clean your adhesive stencil using cool water. Staining does not affect the performance of the stencil. 5. Dry the stencil by placing it adhesive side up until the stencil is entirely dry. 6. Store stencil flat in a flat dry setting.