The Screen Printing Process

Screen Printing In a Nutshell!

The process of screen-printing is extensive. The process of screen printing begins with some graphic design; designing an image we can use to print on a medium. This stage is crucial for a couple reasons. 

1. The number of colors in the design is very important, because our press is designed to produce 6 color designs.

2. There is also "trapping and separating" during the graphic design phase. When screen printing multiple color designs trapping a separating the colors is required. "Trapping" is where you add or take away a bit from the image to create an overlay, preventing the colors from underneath being visible. "Separating" is when you separate the colors to develop screens.

3.High quality graphic design saves time and money!

After an image has been created its time to print film positives. Positives are printed on translucent film, this requires a large format printer. Film positives are printed with registration marks so each color can be aligned during the registration process.

After printing film positives we can develop a screen. Emulsion is applied to the screen an allowed to dry in a photo sensitive dark room, because emulsion begin to harden when exposed to light. After emulsion drys the film can be placed on the screen. The screen is then placed in a developer.

The developer is UV light that exposes the screen and hardens the emulsion. After the screen has been exposed, the emulsion under the film washes out easily, leaving and open screen where the film once was.

You now have a screen that can be laid on a medium and ink dragged across.The open portions of the screen will allow the ink to transfer to the medium!

Thats screen printing in a nutshell!!