Screen Printing
Preparation Process
Screens are made by putting a thin layer of photographic emulsion on a mesh surface. Artwork is taken from a design program such as Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, Coral Draw, even MS Paint or Freehand and printed out on a Laser draft film, or another form of transparency.
The screen is then exposed using a Halogen light with the artwork placed over it, in a mirrored position. The light solidifies the chemicals around the design, and where the light failed to pass through, the chemical breaks down.
The screen is then rinsed out with water and what is left is the area where the light hit.
Printing Process
The garment is placed on a one of the platens on your Carousel and each screen swings around over the top of the shirt. The screen is then brought down and placed on top of the shirt. At this point your ink is added to the screen.
A squeegee is then pulled over that screen’s ink colour which pushes the ink onto the garment fabric. That screen is then lifted, carefully off of the garment.
When screen printing, you can only apply one colour at a time is applied that is why the cost increases with each additional colour applied. Likewise a separate screen is required for each colour, and hence, screen charges may not be financially viable for small quantities of clothing.
