During the next step in the screen printing process, each individual screen is located into the screen printing press. Rotary screen printing machine working process of rotary. Flatscreen printing consists of four elements of the screen, the image carrier, the squeegee and the colour paste. There are different methods of preparing screen printing designs which well get into in a minute. When problems arise, first do the 5minute overall system check 80% chance that you resolve the problem if specific defects continue to occur, follow logical troubleshooting guidelines. The screen printing process uses a porous mesh stretched tightly over a frame made of wood or metal, with proper tension being critical in producing accurate colour registration. Screen printing proves to be a good printing process for multi colour printing. In fabric printing, a decorative pattern or design is applied to constructed fabric by roller, flat screen, or rotary screen methods. This is a process wherein dirt and oils that have been transferred to the screen are washed away so. Traditionally the process was called screen printing or silkscreen printing because silk was used in the process prior to the invention of polyester mesh. First glue piece f in the exact middle of the top of the table piece a. Pdf the study of the screen printing quality depending on the.
Pdf screen printing process design of experiments for. The modern textile printing techniques of flatbed screen, rotary screen, and engraved copper roller are referred to as wet printing techniques. Fabric and paper are the most commonly screen printed surfaces, but with specialised inks its also possible to print onto wood, metal, plastic, and even glass. Monofilament printing screen, base attachment, hinges and kick leg. Screen printing sometimes called silk screening, or serigraphy is a fantastic artistic technique which is especially useful for printing onto material.
Screen printing is the most widely used process in the production of printed electronics due to its ability to consistently transfer inks containing a wide range of functional materials onto a. Once youve made the screen, its ready to print time and time again. The screen printing frame can then be dried with a hair dryer. Printings of photographs was at one time considered to be very difficult in screen printing, but. Pdf screen printing process design of experiments for fine line. Screen printing has been around for centuries, and the amazing part is that the process hasnt changed much since its earliest origins. If this is your first time screen printing, choose a simple image which will use only one or two colours in the printing p rocess. The historical background of screen printing process. A blade or squeegee is moved across the screen to fill the open mesh apertures with ink, and a reverse stroke then causes the screen to touch the substrate momentarily along a line of contact.
Due to the semicontinuous process, low productivity, and noncontinuous patterns of flatbed screen printing, inventive machine makers developed rotary screen printing. Your screen w ill need to dry w ith the print side facing dow n until the em. Custom ink offers two different methods of printing, in order to provide a process that best suits your artwork. Its a very basic process that has unlimited outcomes. Screen printing may be a hand operation or an automatic machine process. There are a number of characteristics or clues which, if they can be discerned, make. Then, the screen printer loads each screen with the appropriate ink colors. Learn the screen printing with silkscreening 101 make. Requirements differ for each process letterpress and litho inks are stiffbodied gravure and flexo inks are very fluid and dry primarily by evaporation of the solvent. One of the easiest ways to get a design on almost any surface is to use the photo emulsion process. Spot process separation studio 4 has automated the most difficult color separation processes for screenprinters, plus delivers direct to inkjet output for easy film printing. We offer traditional screen printing for the majority of our products, as well as digital printing on selected items screen printing involves creating a stencil printers call this a screen, and then using that stencil to apply layers of ink. The material which is supposed to be printed is as important as the particularities of the screen printing process itself.
After you become comfortable with scre e n printing, you can experiment with more complicated imagery and additional. Apply a thick strip of ink to the base of the screen, under the artwork with a palette knife, roughly three fingers width either side of where the ink will end up. Pdf screen printing has been the dominant method of thick film deposition because of its low cost. The raw flat screen is a combination of a frame and a piece of polyester fabric that is tightly stretched across the frame. The screen needs to be prepared so that ink will only go through certain areas, forming your design. Once the time is up, turn the light off and remove the transparency and glass. For others its one step in a bigger production chain. Day 1 the first day was spent learning the basics of screen printing, a little history, and learning how to set up our preprepared artwork files ready for printing on day two. Advantages of screen printing screen printing offers several advantages due to the ability for its ink to thoroughly conceal the material underneath it.
Alternatively, the frame can be dried in the open air or on a heater. Multiple inks are available, including waterbased, plastisol and discharge inks, and provide a range of effects and color saturation that give different. Color separation for screen printers freehand graphics. Whmch64mp this press was designed for the printer who makes his or her living behind a squeegee. The screen printing process uses a tightly stretched porous mesh over a frame made of wood or metal. Price guide moonlight screen printingsan diego, ca. Screenprinting, sometimes called silk screening or serigraphy, has long proved its worth as a fine arts and commercial medium.
The screen is yours to take home at the end of the 9week class. Nylon and polyester are used for flat screens manual, semiautomatic, and automatic processes. The cloth is first laid on a printing table, gummed in position or pinned to a back gray, and then the design is applied through a screen made of silk or. Screen printing is a printing technique where a mesh is used to transfer ink onto a substrate, except in areas made impermeable to the ink by a blocking stencil. Once you have selected the screen, you will prepare the screen for printing. You can find example of screen printing in all industries, from screen printed conductive metal on circuit boards and computer parts, cd labels, skate. It owes its longevity to its simplicity and versatility. The coarser mesh lets through a heavier deposit of ink. See figure 1 it is essential that the screen angles, line screen and dot structure are changed at the imaging stage of production. Definition of screen printing screen printing dynamic screen. Flat screen printing consists of four elements of the screen, the image carrier, the squeegee and the colour paste. The most basic form of screen printing is using stencils attached to the outside of your screen. We were also shown what can go wrong during the printing process. Light enough for ease of use day in and day out, but solidly welded to provide a rigid platform for life.
Screen printing is the process of transferring a stencilled design onto a flat surface using a mesh screen, ink and a squeegee. Printed images are sharp and defined, offering a high quality design transfer. Half tone printing is related to screen printing of photographs. So last week i called in a belated christmas present from my wife laura and took a twoday screen printing course at the print club, london. Black, process yellow, process cyan, process magenta. Screen printing, screenprinting, silkscreen printing, serigraphy are ways to identify an essential simple process with a long history in both art and industry. The screen printing process is a technique whereby a design is transferred through a mesh screen, onto a substrate, with fabric ink. In this ebook we dont care which sort of printer you are we just care that you get great prints coming off your press. Raise the screen up off the paper and hold it in place with your belly or rest it on your belt buckle. The process is easy, versatile and relatively cheap so everyone should give it a. This eventually transformed the slow and costly block printing process into cheap mass production which revolutionized the cotton print industry. Screen printing is essentially forcing ink to flow through openings of a blockout material and depositing the ink on the printing surface according to the cut design as shown below.
The purpose of this document to present a standard operating procedure for the operator to successfully carry out the process of screen printing accurately and. Expose the screen with the light about 2 ft away, for 14 minutes. Traditionally, the process was called screen printing or silkscreen printing because silk was used in the. History the screenprinting process is a recognized and accepted method of printing, and can be easily and quickly mastered. The employment opportunities in the area of screen. The stencil printing process led to the development of screen printing which works on the resist principle described earlier. The chinese first used silk to use in there wood frames to print with, then as time went on better material was made. Inks, screens, glues and squeegees represent the basic materials required to create screenprinted images. Relief printing was the earliest form of printing and remained dominant for a very long time. This can be done by drawing lines from opposite corners on piece a, creating an x. The movable type of the hot metal era were all used with letterpress. Ink type should have been determ ined during the job evaluation process. Working his way up through the industry from apprentice to shop owner, he has watched and. Also known as silkscreen, serigraphy, and serigraph printing, the screen printing process is one of the oldest forms of printing and one of the forms with the greatest future ahead of it.
It may not look like anything happened, but when you hold the screen to a light. The screenprinting process requires a number of supplies, materials and tools. The print club has a poster show each year called blisters, which has some seriously high. Overall, its an efficient approach for designs using several colors. Pdf printing processes and their potential for rfid printing. This is a process wherein dirt and oils that have been transferred to the screen are washed away so that the surface is clean and able to adhere evenly to the em ulsion. Silkscreening or screen printing is a great way to personalize your gear. The raw flatscreen is a combination of a frame and a piece of polyester fabric that is tightly stretched across the frame. Screen printing is the process of pressing ink through a stencilled mesh screen to create a printed design. Whichever type you choose, please put your name, in marker, where it can be seen when the screen is shelved.
The idea was first proposed in 1947 in portugal, but the initial commercial machine was first introduced by stork holland at the itma show in germany in 1963. Screen printing is a printing technique where a mesh is used to transfer ink onto a substrate. Ill show you step by step on how to screen print using the photo emulsion technique. The first step in screen preparation is the degreasing process. This is because each technique applies a print paste, which is a thickened dye mixture, to the fabric in the printing process. The platen arm is the board that extends from the table and on which a board the platen is placed, over which shirts are pulled and printed.
Thats because its a really simple idea that is easy to transfer to a huge variety of materials. Andy macdougall combines a varied background in the screenprinting and graphic trades with writing skills honed over the years as a contributor to screen printing magazine, printwear and promotion, screen and display graphics, arts calendar, plus many other publications and online information sites. Make sure to time it because an over exposed screen will not wash clean for printing. With premiumadvanced license options now available get on board with spot process. A beginners guide to screen printing, by a complete beginner. This printing process takes its name from the manner in which the process was employed, primarily for type, and later engravings.