Screen printing, silkscreening, or serigraphy is the process of transferring a stencilled design onto a flat surface using a mesh screen, ink and a squeegee. The technique provides its practitioners with endless possibilities and materials, for almost every flat surface can be screenprinted on, no matter how new or old - fabric, paper, wood, metal, plastic, glass, etc. That's why screen printing is so dispersed and its popularity is constantly on the rise.
So how does screen printing work?
Then we introduce you the screen printing process step by step.
Step 1: Create the design
The design is printed onto a transparent acetate film, which is then used to create the stencil. As it always is, you need to bear in mind the size of the frame onto which the image will be transferred and the fact that your drawing or design is what your image will look like.
Step 2: The screen is prepared
A screen is made of a piece of mesh stretched over a frame. Select the right type of mesh screen to suit the stylistics of the design and the texture of the materials being used. Generally, a finer and smaller aperture for the mesh would be utilized for a design that requires a higher and more delicate degree of detail. The mesh screen is then 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 with the design is then placed onto the emulsion coated mesh, and it is exposed to a bright light. This light will harden the emulsion so that any parts of the screen that are covered by the design will remain in a liquid-state.
If the final design is going to include more than one color, then a separate screen must be used to apply each layer of ink - it is like a collage or different layers in computer programs that you will build your image. Each screen needs to be aligned with precision by hand.
Step 4: The emulsion is washed off, and the stencil is created
After the screen has been exposed for a period of time, all areas of the screen that are not covered by the design will turn hard. Wash off these soft parts of the emulsion that are not exposed, leaving behind a clean area in the mesh with the identical shape as the desired image for the ink to pass through.
Step 5: The screen is dried, and touch-ups are made
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 6: The item is prepped for printing
The screen is then placed on the printing press. The item is then laid down flat onto the printing board, below the screen.
There are three major screen printing presses today - flat-bad, cylinder, and rotary machines. In flat screen printing technology, the screen is flat and moves up and down. Cylinder screen printing equipment prints cylindrical objects with a flat printing screen, and it usually works for printed objects like bottles and buckets. Rotary screen is round in size and it rotates. During the process, the squeegee blade is flexible to accommodate any variations in pressure required to force the paste evenly through the mesh of the screen.
Step 7: Inking and Squeegee
The screen is lowered down onto the printing board, with ink being added to the top. A squeegee is used to pull the ink along the full length of the screen, which pushes the ink through the open areas of the stencil, imprinting the design on the product underneath.
If the printer is creating multiple items, then repeat this process.
Step 8: Dry, Check, and Finish
The item then passes through a dryer, aiming to cure the ink and create a smooth finish that does not fade. Remember to check and wash the item thoroughly to remove any remaining residue, before passing it to its new owner.
