UV ink and water-based ink were put into practical use in 1970. The demand for UV inks, which are environmentally friendly, has been making remarkable growth recently. Screen printing makes it possible to print on the substrates with various shapes and sizes. Many kinds of ink are available. Thick coating is possible.
Thick coating makes colors more vivid, finish more opaque and lightfastness better.
As printing pressure is small, it is possible to print on fragile matters. As the stencil is soft, it is possible to print on hard materials such as glass and metal as well as soft materials such as paper and fabrics. The stencil is cheap, which is the advantage in case of production of small quantity. Production cost is higher. Reproducibility and precision are slightly inferior to other ways of printing.