The method of passing ink through a stenciled mesh surface to form an imprinted artwork is called screen printing. Even though you haven’t heard of the word before, chances are you have bought or used a screen printing work.
The screen printing process is also known as serigraphy or silk screen printing, and yet they all have the same printing technique.
Why Screen Printing?
The fact that screen printing generates vibrant colors, including on deeper textiles, is one of the factors why printing screen is so popular. The silkscreen printing or color is also layered over the cloth or object’s attractive, tactile surface, giving the print an appealing textural character.
The method is also popular since it makes it simple for a printer to duplicate a design several times. Since a single stencil is used to replicate a pattern several times, it’s ideal for making lots of copies of the very same screen prints on a garment or object.
Therefore, screen printing is a highly efficient method for producing multiple copies of personalized clothes for athletic wear or uniforms.
Screen Printing Process
The screen printing process is famous for generating bright canvas, paintings, and art, but it is also used to make a printed garments, printed t-shirts, metal or wooden frames, making it ideal for personalized clothes and items.
Making stencils on a fine mesh fabric has been the most primitive screen printing press.
Next, use a paintbrush or inkbrush for decorating screen printing ink through the template to print your motif onto the chosen material’s flat surface.
The different stenciling processes like photo-reactive stencils could be utilized among the most replaceable variables in this procedure. While the printing technique remains substantially the same, the stencil can be made in various ways varying from the different printing press.
Screen printing technology allows printed images, print of darker inks, and numerous colors of ink in any design to print multiple copies. A cross pattern, a mix of colors, on the other hand, requires using a different stencil for each hue.
Steps of Screen Printing
Screen printing is a method of printing on a large scale. The type of printing we’ll discuss here implies a way of screen printing emulsion to generate a customized stencil; it’s the most common form of commercial screen printing because it allows for elaborate stencils.
Below, we’ll take you to step at a time through to the screen printing processes.
Developing the Design
To begin with, the screen printers print the design they wish to appear on the final product upon a transparent acetate film. This is going to be utilized to make the analog screen printing stencil.
Setting the Screen Up for Screen Printing
The printer will next select a mesh screen based on the design of the screen print intricacy and the textile material that will be printed. After that, a coating of screen printing emulsion is applied to the silk mesh screen; it hardens when exposed to bright light.
Displaying the Coating
The design is subsequently transferred from the acetate sheet to the emulsion-coated screen, subjected to extreme light. As the emulsion is hardened by light, those panel sections that are coated by design remain wet.
If somehow the end product includes more than a single color, each coat of paint must be applied using separate screens. To make more than one color item, the printer will have to use his artistic capacity to develop each stencil, then line them all up correctly to produce a flawless finished product.
Screen Printing Ink Wash
The panel sections uncovered by the pattern will turn hard once the screen is exposed for a certain amount of time. The screen printer needs to be washed away any unhardened screen printing ink cautiously. The design is clearly imprinted on the screen, allowing the color to get seated.
After the screen has dried up, the screen printer in charge will do any required touch-ups or repairs to ensure that the imprint is just as faithful to the actual pattern as possible. The stencil is complete and ready to use.
Print Now!
After that, the panel is positioned above the screen printing machine. The objector fabric to be imprinted is set on the flat screens below the automatic screen printing press.
Although many printing companies use the automatic screen printing press, computer printer, traditional digital direct process, most printing companies use an automatic rotating carousel printer, which permits several distinct panels to print simultaneously.
This type of printer can print the different color layers in rapid succession for printing darker inks on dark garments and the desired image.
Pushing the Paint onto the Item through the Screen
The panel is placed on the printing surface and lowered. A scraper is then used to drag the paint along the entire panel span after it has been put at the top end.
These forces ink through into the stencil’s exposed sections, impressing the pattern on the item beneath to prevent ink from ruining the design. The screen is lifted, and a different fabric is positioned over the printing surface if the printer starts producing multiple products.
After that, the same process is repeated. Discharge inks using a specific cleaning solution after the stencil’s job is done and all of the pieces are done so that the mesh can be reused for creating new stencils.
Ready to Get out of the Screen Printing Stations
After that, the printed object is dried, which dries the color and gives it a smooth, colorfast finish. Before passing on to the new owner, every end design will be carefully tested and washed to remove previously printed inks or unwanted waste.
Conclusion
Screen printing methods are favored since it makes it simple to print multiple copies of the same design. Since single silk screening is used to duplicate a pattern several times, screen printing machines are ideal for making many copies of the same garment or object.
Therefore, screen printing is a highly efficient method for producing vast quantities of personalized clothes for athletic wear, t-shirt, or uniforms.