Screen Printing

Everywhere around logos, designs and art shows up and comes out of the woodwork using a modernized version of an older technology. Screen printing is a helpful way to expose a company name and/or logo to the public. Screen printing originally started out using silk as a medium but has since moved on to using stretched porous, finely woven nylon or polyester fabrics, with carefully stenciled designs, and delightful creations take form and come to life. From many of Andy Warhol’s famous works to such commonly used items as T-shirts and hats the practice of stretching a fabric and laying out a non-permeable material to cover areas of the fabric to be unaffected by dyes has created influential and marketable works of art. This inexpensive form of advertising creates a wide range of possibilities for a company to establish itself in the market, or for an already established company to gain great recognition.

With a great flexibility and range of uses across different platforms and materials, screen printing has become a widely accepted form of pseudo-media. With uses varying from textiles, ceramics, metal, wood, paper, glass, and plastic, there is not much screen printing cannot accomplish. It remains apparent that screen printing is evident in all walks of life. It is impossible to walk down the street and not see hundreds of screen printed items on a daily basis. Everything from soda bottles, to T-shirts, to coffee cups, and cars are all screen printed. With such a wide array of uses, screen printing also has many different techniques for being accomplished.

The most common for of screen printing is known as photographic emulsion. Simply put, photographic emulsion is a process whereby a photosensitive substance is hardened and subjected to ultraviolet light, using the desired stenciled design, the monochromatic design is transferred onto the vehicle such as the ones listed above (textiles, ceramics, metal, wood, paper, glass, and plastic).The process is completed by rinsing away the excess emulsion that was not hardened by the light in either water, or solvent. In the end, it leaves only the desired screen printed image on the medium. Screen printing has grown into great popularity to brand our everyday household items, and familiarize us with famous commercial brands as well.

Every time we put on a T-shirt or use a coffee mug, we are using a product of screen printing, which has brought artwork and advertising to the masses. Banners, logos, graphics, and art have all been created and replicated countless times as a result of this revised technology. Since the development of screen printing and the evolution away from silk, the technology has improved to include photographic printing processes to create works of art, namely those of Andy Warhol (mentioned above). This technology continues to bring familiar household names into our lives and beautiful works of art into our hearts. Although using a harsh and abrasive chemical process, the end result is one to warm the hearts and minds of past generations and futures generations of innovators.

Our Printing Directory is dedicated to the printing industry. Find more information and other printing topics on our Screen Printing resource page.

Screen Printing

Printing can be defined as a process of producing texts and images, typically with ink and paper by a printing press. Printing is an essential part of any publishing business and is often carried out as a large-scale industrial process. Printing as a technology has come a long way and has improved with time. The advancements have resulted in the development of various types of printing techniques. From the several techniques available, screen-printing is used most extensively.

Screen-printing is also known as silk screening and is a technique that is suitable for relatively flat surfaces. The process involves the use of a fine mesh or screen that is tightly stretched around a rigid frame, wherein the screen masks the areas, which are not to be printed. To create a print, the screen is placed over the item to be printed along with a blob of thick ink. With the help of a squeegee the ink is then pressed through the screen. The ink penetrates the unmasked area and creates the print, whereas the masked area prevents the ink from entering, thus creating the distinctions. The printed item is then passed through a heated tunnel to dry the ink so that the items can be stacked and packaged.

In case of multiple colors, the process is repeated by using different screens. Therefore, a four-color print will require four screens that are placed on a rotary press that allows proper alignment of different color prints and in coordination with each other. The improvement in technologies has resulted in the development of fully automated presses, which require minimum human intervention.

A screen can be masked in many different ways. The simplest method is to apply masking fluid directly to the screen. This process is ideal for two-color graphics, whereas a photosensitive emulsion process is used for multi-colored jobs.

Screen-printing is extensively used for printing on t-shirts, garments, and other fabrics. It is also used on all sorts of substrates, ranging from plastic to metal. Screen-printing is a unique process as it is simple yet achieves intricate and bold details.

Printing provides detailed information on Printing, Photo Printing, Post Card Printing, Commercial Printing and more. Printing is affiliated with Screen Printing Equipment.