Screen Printing is one of the most popular methods used in the commercial industry to print creative designs of clothing and accessories.
So what is screen printing?
In technical terms, Screen printing is a printing technique of pressing ink through a stencilled mesh which is used to transfer ink onto a product only through the areas which are not blocked by a stencil.
What products can we print using the screen printing technique?
The screen is a highly effective and popular technique to print with high-quality finishing and feel for the products. It is an ideal choice to create a wide range of custom printed products and promotional gifts including :
T-shirts
Sweatshirts
Backpacks
Ceramics
Glass
Wood
Balloons
Electronics
Signs and displays
Sports equipment
- posters
- plastic
These are some of the most popular products used to screen printing , due to the reason that it can be printed on a wide range of product category it is sometimes referred to as “Print anything and everything technique”
You can always refer to this link to find out more product that can be custom printed using this technique
Will screen printing ink wash out easily?
Products that are screen printed by Professionally trained people using washable ink will not easily fade off by washing. To ensure high-quality finishing to each imprint on the products, printers should also ensure the manufacturer’s guidelines are followed and high-quality products and inks are used throughout the process along with proper ink drying techniques.
Step by Step Guide to Screen printing
Step 1: Create the design
To begin the process ,first the printer prints onto a transparent acetate film for the design they want to imprint on the final product to create a stencil which will be used to produce many of such similar products with the same printing quality .
Step 2: The screen is prepared
The next step is to choose a mesh screen and the texture of the fabric used based on the complexity of the design the printer would like to create on the product .The mesh screen is coated with a layer of light reactive emulsion which will harden when developed under bright light
Step 3: The emulsion is exposed
The acetate sheet featuring the design is then laid onto the emulsion-coated screen, and the whole thing is exposed to a very bright light. The light hardens the emulsion, so the parts of the screen which are covered by the design remain in liquid form.
If the final design is going to include more than one colour, then a separate screen must be used to apply each layer of ink. To create multi-coloured products, the printer must use his skill to design each stencil, and line them up perfectly to ensure the final design is seamless.
Step 4: The emulsion is washed off, creating the stencil
After the screen has been exposed for a set time, the areas of the screen not covered by the design will have turned hard. Any unhardened emulsion is then carefully rinsed away. This leaves a clear imprint of the design on the screen for the ink to pass through.
The screen is then dried, and the printer will make any necessary touch-ups or corrections to make the imprint as accurate as possible to the original design. The stencil is now ready to be used.
Step 5: The Item Is Prepared For Print
FInally the item to be printed is laid down on the printing board and using the screen placed on the printing press , the design is printed using a number of manual and automatic presses .If the design has multicoloured print , the printer develops different screens to apply different colour .
Step 6: The ink is pressed through the screen onto the item
The screen placed on the printing press machine is lowered down to imprint the design on the fabric , once the print is done the next product is placed and the process continues till the enough quantities of products are finished printing.
Step 7: The finished product is dried, checked and finished
The printed product is dried to creates a smooth and high quality finish .
What’s the difference between silk screen printing and heat transfer?
Heat transfer is a printing technique using a head to bind the ink onto the fabric, the design is created using computer software which is then printed out onto a material coated with heat-reactive adhesive, called sublimation paper. When a heat press is applied to the transfer paper, the adhesive reacts to the heat and sticks to the surface of the fabric beneath, creating a printed textile.
Unlike screen printing, the quality of the print is highly dependent on the quality of products used, but heat transfer is a highly cost-effective technique for branding and printing pictures with photographic details.
