Screen-printing
is a method of printmaking that first saw use as an industrial technology, but now sees popularity in both the fine arts and commercial printmaking. Due to the versatile nature of screen-printing, it's possible to print on any number of products, such as ceramics, clothing, CDs, DVDs, posters and much more besides.
The process:
The screen itself is made out of a porous and finely woven piece of fabric, which is stretched over a frame. Originally, the fabric of choice was silk, but now screens are usually made of polyester. Portions of the screen are blocked off with non-permeable material, leaving empty spaces which will allow the ink to come into contact with the product. Once the printing occurs, the screen can be cleaned off and used again.
This is the bare-bones of what screen-printing is; there are several methods that are specific to types of ink used, or the type of item being printed upon. Below, are some of the methods we utilize at Meridian Screen.
- Plastisol: The most common type of screen printing, plastisol is largely used in garment decoration. It provides good coverage even on dark cloth, with the detail of the graphic being clear and crisp. As the name might imply, it has more of a plastic texture, though this can be partially mitigated with certain additives.
- Discharge Inks: This method is largely used to print lighter colors onto darker fabric. This is in part accomplished through removing the dye in the garment. This leads to a softer texture, and a nice distressed or "vintage" look to the graphic.
- Foil: Much as the name would imply, foiling involves printing glue on the fabric, upon which foil is places. This makes for a striking mirror finish.
- Metallic: Small silver flakes are suspended in plastisol ink to create a very becoming effect. Gold flakes can also be used, or the silver flakes can be colored with other inks previous to the screening process to create a wide range of shades.
- Expanding (Puff) Ink: Additives are mixed into plastisol ink to created a raised effect.
- Four Color Process: Through this process, a photographic print is made using only four screens. The color of ink used for each screen is measured on the CMYK scale, which is able to create the full visible spectrum. Given the type of ink used for this process, it is only used on white or light colored garments.
- Gloss: A clear base is laid over plastisol inks to create a glossy finish.
- Nylobond: This additive allows printing on technical or waterproof fabrics.
- Suede Ink: Suede ink is both easy to print, and gives the image a textured look and feel that is reminiscent of suede. The ink itself is an additive that is usually worked into plastisol. It is similar to puff ink in the way it works, but doesn't expand quite as much.
What we print on: