The process of screen printing is where a stencilled design is transferred on a surface which includes a mesh screen, ink, and a squeegee. It is also known as silk screening or silkscreen printing. Screen printing’s fundamental procedure entails making a stencil on a mesh screen before pressing ink to form and imprint the design on the substrate underneath. Although metal, wood, and plastic can also be used, paper and fabric are the most typical surfaces for screen printing.
The fundamental procedure for screen printing is always the same, whether it is done manually or with a machine. Changes include the types of ink used, its effect, and the printed surface. Some of the steps for screen printing include:
a. Design creation – the first step is to create the design and once decided, it is printed into a transparent acetate film. This is used to create a stencil.
b. Choosing the screen – the next step is to choose the mesh count i.e. the total number of fibres used in one square inch. Higher the mesh count, finer the details and lower the mesh count, ink flows through the wide openings. Once the mesh is chosen, it is then coated with a light-reactive emulsion layer.
c. Exposing the emulsion – the stencil is placed on the emulsion-coated mesh screen that hardens the emulsion.
d. Stencil creation – any other unused or unhardened emulsion will be removed. Touch-ups will be done and once it is confirmed that the design is ready, the stencil is all-set to be used.
e. Preparing for printing – the material/fabric is placed on the printing board and the stencil will be placed on top of the material, all ready to be printed.
f. Applying the design – the printed design will come to life on the fabric. The stencil is then lowered and the necessary color ink will be added on top of the screen. The squeegee will equally distribute the ink. The ink will press through the exposed areas of the stencil transferring to the fabric thus printing the design on the fabric i.e. product.