How Custom Screen Printing Works

Screen prints are usually done on posters, t-shirts

, hats, bags, DVDs/CDs, bumper stickers and on lot of other objects. Screen printing is also known to many as serigraphy and it involves the process of printmaking by creating a sharp edge image with the help of stencil. Screen prints can be done on various shapes and materials which include wood, glass, paper, ceramics, plastics and metals.

Screen printing involves materials which are quite affordable and moreover the tools or the equipment used can be prepared at home for very nominal charge. The necessary items required for screen printing are:

Screens: The screens used for screen printing are metal or wood frames which are covered with fabric mesh that are stretched and attached to frame. The mesh has holes for the ink to seep through.

Ink: Inks for screen printing are of various types and depend mostly on the type of material on which screen printing is to be done. The ink which is commonly used on t-shirts is Plastisol. It is more of liquid plastic rather than an ink which when exposed to 320 degrees of temperature hardens. After it hardens, the shirt can be worn easily. Most commonly used inks are water based and they need time to dry. Unlike Plastisol, water based inks can dry in the screen. If one requires frequent prints, then they can leave Plastisol in screens for several months.

Light source for exposure: The light exposure used for screen prints are those which gives off Ultra Violet light. Most of the light sources we use give off UV but the exposure varies. The screen will expose faster if there is enough UV light source. You can use halogen, metal halide, black light unfiltered, mercury vapor and also the sun.

Squeegees: Squeegees are tools which helps the screen printer to push the ink through the screen and then to the substrate. In order to get the sharp image, the squeegees are used to cut the ink. These tools come in various sizes and durometers.

Light sensitive coating and scoop coater: The light sensitive coatings are applied on the screen locks and the holes are blocked except the one where the image is placed. It is highly sensitive to UV light and can harden on exposure to such lights. The scoop coater on the other hand is used to apply the liquid coating on top of the screens.

These materials are just a few of things that make custom screen printing an incredible process that can brand your business like no other.

by: K. Moore

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