ALL ABOUT SILK SCREENING

The method of pushing ink through a mesh screen onto a surface is known as silk screening. Making some areas of the screen impermeable to printing ink leads to the construction of a stencil, preventing printing ink from passing through the screen. The ink that travels through the printer creates the printed image. A printing screen is constructed from a tiny mesh fabric that is tightly stretched and connected to a metal or wooden frame. Historically, these screens were constructed of silk, although synthetic materials such as terylene are now employed.

Screen printing is the process of pushing ink through a mesh screen onto a surface. Making some areas of the screen impenetrable to printing ink leads to the construction of a stencil, which stops printing ink from passing through the screen. The ink that goes through forms the printed image. A printing screen is constructed of a thin mesh fabric that is stretched tightly and connected to a metal or wooden frame. Traditionally, these screens were constructed of silk, although synthetic materials such as terylene are now employed.

SCREEN PRINTING STEPS:

A scoop coater, a metal trough with a clean, even edge, is used to coat the screen with a small layer of photo-sensitive emulsion to transmit the graphic from the clarity.

The pattern is put to the screen once the emulsion has dried.

The screen is then placed in an ultraviolet (UV) light-emitting exposure apparatus. The architecture prevents UV rays from hardening the emulsion around the image when the exposure unit is turned on.

The emulsion of the design remains soft and is drained from the display, leaving the image on the computer monitor.

After the screen has been prepared, it is placed in hinges attached to a board or screen printing table with hinges at the top and holes in the surface that allow a vacuum to maintain a sheet of paper in place during printing. A huge bead of ink is sprayed into the screen before being pushed equally across the image with a squeegee, a process known as “flooding the screen.”

A piece of paper is then placed behind the screen, and ink is forced through the areas of the screen not blocked by the stencil with another squeegee pass. The resulting perception is oriented according to the matrix.

If the artwork calls for more than one color, the engraver must repeat the process with each color using a new stencil. To maintain the colors of the composition aligned, the printer must take precautionary measures to ensure proper conformity of the paper page and the screen.

BOTTOM LINE:

Screen printing yields better outcomes than Digital Printing. It is more durable for long-term prints and may be used on a variety of printed books, such as glass, wood, fabrics, signs, banners, electronics, and many others.