![]() ![]() Common sizes are 18″x20″, 20″x24″, and 24″x31″, but there are companies willing to make screens to any size needed. Screens come in different sizes and mesh counts. One can even use a folded piece of cardboard instead of a squeegee if limited on supplies and/or funds. A squeegee with rounder edges can be used, just put emulsion onto the screen using a spoon (after a few times doing this, the printer will know how many spoonfuls are needed, roughly), and then spread it evenly with the squeegee. If someone is new to the craft of screen printing and does not have a scoop coater, emulsion can be applied in other methods, which may be adequate but won’t have as good of results. ![]() All moisture needs to be removed from the emulsion, and this can be done with a fan (potentially a bad idea because dust and dirt can be blown into the emulsion), a heater (slow but effective), or a dehumidifier (the best choice and usually the quickest method). Once the screen is coated, it needs to be kept in darkness, as any light could start exposing the screen. Professionally, emulsion is applied to the screen, at least one layer on both sides, using a scoop coater. Before you can burn a screen it has to be coated in emulsion and dried. It does not matter how well the printer can pull a squeegee, if he or she didn’t make a good screen, then the prints will suffer. A good screen is essential to the whole process. ![]() After properly washing out the screen, the printer is left with a stencil in the screen. After burning, the printer will take the screen and wash it thoroughly, usually with a spray hose, which removes the emulsion that was behind the design only. Screens are burned or “shot” for a certain amount of time depending on the screen and the exposure unit, which hardens the exposed emulsion. UV light, not visible light, hardens the emulsion wherever it hits. There are products available that one can spray onto a film that makes the toner/ink on the film a lot darker, not noticeably to the printer, but darker so that it blocks light better. ![]() The design needs to be as dark as possible, so that it blocks UV light from the exposure unit to the areas behind the design. Film positives are basically opaque sheets, similar to transparency sheets, that the designs are printed onto using a laser printer. Artwork submitted to Vacord should not have lines finer than 2 point. The higher the mesh count of the screen, then the higher amount of detail that it can hold, given that it is burned properly. Extremely fine lines may not wash out of the screen well in the stencil making process. Printers add crosshairs to the corners of multiple color designs so that he or she can align the screens properly to have proper registration. Multiple color designs need to be separated by color and then have each color made flat black, as a film will be made for each color. Designs have to be converted to an ebon dark black before it’s outputted, no matter what color ink will be used. Generally, printers use various image editing software, with Corel Draw, Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop being popular. Designs submitted on paper should be scanned and converted to a digital format. One needs digital artwork to work with and output to films, so it’s best to receive image files electronically from clients and customers. The process of screen printing starts with artwork, which is then outputted onto a film positive to be “burned” into the emulsion-coated screen. Some screens are stretched with nylon mesh, but that is not preferable as it doesn’t hold tension as well. Polyester has been used since the 1940s and is by far the most common type of screen mesh. Silk has not been used in screens for 60 years. “ Silk screening” is an antiquated term and not accurate. The technical term for screen printing is serigraphy. This information is provided to educate customers on the processes of screen printing and also to be a resource to anyone interested in trying screen printing themselves. Screen Printing 101 What is screen printing? ![]()
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