Screen Printing Label

Screen Printing is the process of transferring a stenciled design onto a flat surface using a mesh screen, ink and squeegee. Fabric and paper are the most commonly screen-printed surfaces, yet it is possible to print on wood, metal, plastic and even glass with special inks. The basic method involves creating a stencil on a fine mesh screen and then pushing ink (or paint in the case of artwork and posters) to create a print on the surface beneath your design. The process is sometimes called “screening” or “screen printing”, and while the actual printing process is always quite similar, the way the stencil is created can vary depending on the materials used. Different stencil techniques include:

• * Using masking tape or vinyl to cover the desired areas of the screen.
• * Using a photosensitive emulsion to create a stencil that is then developed in a similar way to a photograph
• * Only one or a few shades of ink can be used for designs made using the screen-printing technique. In the case of multi-color items, colors must be applied in separate layers using separate stencils for each ink.

Screen Printing Products

One of the reasons why the screen-printing technique is so widely used is that it produces vibrant colors even on dark fabrics. The ink or dye is also present in the layers on the surface of the fabric or paper, which gives the print a pleasant tactile quality.

This technique is also favored because it allows the printer to easily reproduce a design multiple time. It is very useful for creating multiple copies of the same garment or accessory, as the same template can be used to copy a design over and over again. This makes screen printing a very efficient technique for creating large quantities of custom garments for sports teams or uniforms.

When performed by an experienced printer using professional equipment, it is also possible to create complex multi-color designs. Although the complexity of the process means that there is a limit to the number of colors the printer can use, it allows for more intense coloring than can be achieved with digital printing alone.

 

Screen Printing Process

There are different methods of Screen Printing, but they all involve the same basic technique. The form of printing we will describe below uses a special photosensitive emulsion to create a custom stencil; this tends to be the most popular type of commercial printing as it can be used to make complex stencils.

Step 1: Creating the Design

To start, the printer takes the design it wants to create on the finished product and prints it on a transparent acetate film. This will be used to create the template.

Step 2: The screen is prepared

The printer will then select a mesh screen to match the complexity of the design and the texture of the printed fabric. The mesh screen is then coated with a layer of photosensitive emulsion that will harden when developed under bright light.

Step 3: The emulsion comes out

The acetate sheet with the design is then laid over the emulsion-coated screen and then exposed to a very bright light. The light hardens the emulsion so that the parts covered by the screen remain liquid. If the final design will contain more than one color, a separate screen must be used to apply each layer of ink. To create multi-color products, the printer needs to use its skill to design each die and align them perfectly to ensure that the final design is flawless.

Step 4: The emulsion is washed and the stencil is created

After the screen has been exposed for a certain time, the areas of the screen not covered by the design will harden. Any emulsion that has not hardened is then carefully rinsed off. This leaves a clear trace of the design on the screen for the ink to pass through. The screen is then dried and the printer makes any necessary touch-ups or corrections to make the print as accurate as possible to the original design. The template is now ready for use.

Step 5: Print Preparation

The screen is then placed in the printing machine. The printed product or garment is laid flat on the printing board, underneath the screen. There are a number of different printing machines, including manual and automatic types, but most modern commercial printers will use an automatic rotary printer as it allows several different screens to run at the same time. For multi-color prints, this type of printer can also be used to quickly apply separate layers of color.

Step 6: Ink is pressed from the screen onto the item

The screen is lowered onto the printing board. Ink is added to the top end of the screen and a squeegee is used to draw the ink along the entire length of the screen. This presses the ink into the open areas of the screen, printing the design onto the item underneath. If the printer is creating multiple items, the screen is raised and a new garment is placed on the printing board. The process is then repeated. Once all the elements are printed and the template has served its purpose, the emulsion is removed using a special washing liquid so that the mesh can be reused to create new dies.

Step 7: The product is dried, checked and finished

The printed product then passes through a dryer, which “cures” the ink and creates a smooth, non-fading surface. The final product will be checked and thoroughly washed to remove any residue before being delivered to its new owner.