
Screen-printing
is an industrial and commercial printing technique, which involves the
passage of a printing medium, such as ink, through a taut fabric to which a
refined form of stencil has been applied. The stencil openings determine the
form and dimensions of the imprint thus produced.
Screen printing also called silk screen print also called serigraph was
invented in the Far East around 2000 years ago. No one knows exactly when or
where. Originally silk was used to make the screen printer's screen. A paper
stencil was stitched onto the screen to control the print area. Around a
hundred years ago screen-printing was reinvented in the west and it has
become a common method of printing on textiles.
The screens used for screen-printing are made with a monofilament mesh.
Photopolymer emulsion is used to make the stencil. The silk screen is coated
with the liquid emulsion, and allowed to dry and harden. The emulsion is
light sensitive. The stencil is made in the "silk screen" by
placing a positive of the print over the coated silk screen then exposing
the screen to light. The areas of the screen shielded from the light remain
water-soluble and can be washed out of the screen.
Screen print films are cast or calendered PVC film with permanent or
removable adhesives for solvent based inkjet printing. It is a specialty
media for signage and display.
Features
- High resolution
- High reduction capabilities
- Quick and accurate
- Exceptional print quality
- Offers durability
- Available in various thickness
- An actinic light source is needed for exposure of the film
- Easy to operate
- Widely used in printing and publishing industry