Screen Printing: An Overview

Screen printing is one of the methods we use for printing your designs onto our shirts. Screen printing is the same basic process as using a stencil, except instead of coloring in the parts of a stencil bit by bit, the entire image is prepared and pressed onto the shirt at once. Creating the stencil takes a lot of time, but once it is done many shirts can be created quickly (quickly if it's a manual press, quicker if it's automated). Given these facts, we use screen printing for our larger orders (ten or more shirts).

A Brief History

Screen printing first appeared in China sometime between 960 and 1279 AD. Japan and other Asian countries adopted this method of printing and advanced the craft using it in conjunction with block printing and hand applied paints. Screen printing was largely introduced to Western Europe from Asia sometime in the late 18th century, but did not gain large acceptance or use in Europe until silk mesh was more available for trade from the east and a profitable outlet for the medium discovered. It was first patented in England by Samuel Simon in 1907. Screen printing was originally used as a popular method to print expensive wall paper, printed on linen, silk, and other fine fabrics. Western screen printers developed secretive business policies intended to hide their workshops' knowledge and techniques. Today it is popular both in fine arts and in commercial printing, where it is commonly used to print images on t-shirts, posters, hats, CDs, DVDs, ceramics, glass, polyethylene, polypropylene, paper, metals, and wood.

Technique

Ink from a blocking stencil is pressed through woven mesh onto the shirt. To print multiple copies of the screen design on garments in an efficient manner, amateur and professional printers usually use a screen printing press. There are three common types of screen printing presses: the 'flat-bed', 'cylinder', and the most widely used type, the 'rotary'. Many companies offer simple to sophisticated printing presses. Most of these presses are manual. A few that are industrial-grade-automatic printers require minimal manual labor and increase production significantly. This is one of the techniques we use for printing our shirts. We guarantee the highest quality of shirts and printing for your order. If you are concerned about which technique we are using to print your order or have any questions, feel free to contact us.