Process Guide for Screen Printing

What exactly is Screen printing? What is the procedure or process behind screen printing? The screen printing process consists of three main elements, which is the image carrier, the ink and the squeegee. This process uses a porous mesh which is stretched tightly over a frame that is made of either wood or metal. Proper tension is important for accurate colour registration.

Create an image with a black marker on transparency sheets or print your image from a graphics program like Corel Draw to a transparency sheet. Then a stencil is produced on the screen. Then the ink is applied to the substrate by placing the screen over the material. This way, ink in forced into the fine mesh opening with the help of a squeegee, by applying pressure. This forces the ink through the open areas where no stencil is applied, which allows to form an image on the printing substrate. Screen printing is a superb combination of preparing, installing and orientation.

Here we list down few steps in making a printed t-shirt using the screen printing process.
• The first step is to create your artwork that you want to get printed using screen printing.
• Then an output film is made, which is made to use the screen.
• Then the art is checked for detail and the quality, and then finally approved.
• Then the screen is coated with a photosensitive emulsion.
• After the screen dries, it is placed on a vacuum light table, and then it is exposed with a high watt metal halide light.
• As the screen is being exposed, it is washed out with a pressure washer. After the image is washed out, it is rechecked with the films for accuracy.
• Dry until steam rises off the ink or it's cured.

When applying pressure with your squeegee to the screen make sure that you tilt the squeegee at a 45% angle. Make sure that you make a good fast clean swipe of the ink with your squeegee. Make sure that all sides of the screen are taped up so that ink doesn't run through the screen and onto the fabric.

Screen printing process is a highly developed printing process. To get the best accuracy of an artwork, maintain quality standards. Screen printing can enhance a company's image and advertise a business. Screen Printing can be customized to provide the long term return on invest.



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