Printing Techniques

Department of History of Arts & Social Sciences

BFA (Hons.) 2019-23

Silk Screen Printing

Submitted by

Abdul Mannan Khan

[BSF1900039]

Instructor

Mr. Ali Zain

UNIVERSITY OF EDUCATION, LAHORE

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Screen printing has been used for over 100 years, in both the commercial industry for printing

images and designs on to clothing and accessories, and in the artistic sector to bring creative

designs to life.

This traditional method of printing still remains one of the most popular techniques to date,

and there are tons of great reasons why screen printing is often more favourable than alternative

procedures such as digital printing.

History

Screen-printing originated in China (around AD 221) as a way of transferring designs onto

fabrics.

Following this the Japanese began using simple stencilling techniques as a way to create

imagery. At this time stencils were cut out of paper and the mesh was woven from human hair.

Stiff brushes were used to force ink through the mesh onto the fabric.

In the 17th century silk screens were being used in France as a way of printing onto fabric. Stiff

brushes were still being used as a way to push ink through the mesh. It was here that the practice

of stretching silk over a frame to support stencils was initiated but it is now known by whom.

In the early part of the 20th century squeegees were introduced as a way of pulling ink through

the screen mesh.

In 1938 in New York a group of artists began experimenting with screen-printing as an artistic

medium onto paper. They coined the term ‘serigraphy.’

In the 1960’s Pop Artists such as Peter Blake, Andy Warhol and Robert Rauschenberg used

screen printing as an integral element to their practice, thus establishing it and popularising it

as a medium for creating contemporary art.

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What is screen printing on silk?

Screen printing is essentially the process of transferring a design on to a plain piece of silk,

with the use of manmade screens and ink. It’s a slow and meticulous process, and one which

requires a high level of skill, but the stunning results can’t be beaten.

Beautifully patterned silks can be found everywhere from home furnishings to the garments

sported by high-end runway models, but these silks all started out as plain fabric before they

were transformed via printing.

Why is screen printing used?

Screen printing is popular for the high-quality look and feel it typically generates in its finished

products. The thick layer of ink applied sits on top of the fabric as opposed to soaking in to the

material, and generally offers a sharp, smooth finish.

Natural fabrics are the ideal candidate for screen printing, as they tend to absorb the ink much

better than manmade fabrics – so for this, screen printing works perfectly on silk. Despite

advances in technology meaning that we are now able to print much faster and more efficiently

through digital printing, screen printing very much still has its place due to the outcome it

offers.

Screen-printing Process

Screen printing can be carried out in a number of different ways, but the basic technique

remains the same. The lengthy process involves various steps to achieve the desired results.

Below is a general outline of the screen-printing method.

1. Design creation

First and foremost, the design to be printed on to the fabric is printed out on to a

transparent acetate film, which will be used to create the stencil, or screen.
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2. Preparing the screen

The method gets its name from the use of a screen to print the design. There’s no ‘one

size fits all’ approach here, and choosing the right mesh screen involves assessing the

complexity of the design to be printed, and the material which is to be printed on.

Once the mesh screen has been chosen, it is then coated with a layer of light-reactive

emulsion.

3. Exposing the emulsion

The transparent acetate film which holds the design is then carefully placed onto the

emulsion-coated mesh screen. This is placed under a very bright light, which causes the

light-reactive emulsion to harden and develop. This is an important step in creating the

design imprint, as any areas of the screen which are covered by the design will remain

in liquid form.

This step becomes more complicated when multiple colours are involved in the design,

as separate screens must be used for each separate colour. This is why the high precision

process requires highly skilled printers, as each stencil must be carefully designed per

colour, and then precisely lined up to ensure the final design is an exact match to the

original.

4. Creation of the stencil

The screen must be exposed under the light for a set amount of time, before the

emulsion has hardened on any areas that are not covered by the design. In order to leave

a clear imprint of the design on the screen, any emulsion which has remained in liquid

form will be carefully rinsed away.

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Once the screen is in a position where only hardened emulsion remains, it will be

carefully dried and the printer will be able to make any necessary corrections manually,

to ensure the imprint is as precise as possible. This will mean that the printer is now left

with a completed stencil ready to be used for print.

5. Preparation for print

The silk to be printed on is laid down flat on the printing press (we use an automatic

rotary carousel printer), and the screen is carefully placed on top in the desired position,

ready to print.

6. Printing

This is when the printed design finally starts to come to life! The screen is lowered

down onto the printing board, above the piece of silk. A thick layer of ink in the desired

colour is applied to the top of the screen and a squeegee (a rubber blade attached to a

long metal handle) is used to drag the ink across the whole length of the screen, covering

the full stencil.

The way this works, is that the ink is pressed through the open areas of the stencil and

transfers on to the silk underneath, leaving an ink pattern in the desired design. This

can be repeated as many times as necessary using the same stencil, if multiple products

are to be created.

Once the order is complete and the stencil is no longer required, the screen will be

washed using a special fluid to remove the hardened emulsion, leaving the mesh ready

to be used again to produce new stencils.

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7. Quality check & finishing

Finally, the ink is cured by passing the silk through a special dryer to reveal a smooth,

colourfast finish design. The final product will be checked and thoroughly washed to

remove all traces of emulsion residue and ensure it’s ready for use.

The benefits of screen printing

Screen printing is the preferred method for many manufacturers and designers for a number of

reasons, including the following…

Vibrant results

Despite the limitations of using multiple colours in any one design with screen printing, the

colour output that this method gives is one of its main benefits.

The application of a thick layer of ink directly on to the fabric in screen printing typically

produces far more intense and vibrant results than the CMYK-style dots of colour used in

digital printing. Therefore, if a print is needed to be particularly bold and bright, screen printing

will be a better choice for achieving the desired results.

Texturized effects

In a similar way, if a printed design requires a raised texturized effect, this is something that

only screen printing is able to offer. The thick layers of ink applied allow a design to achieve a

3D look and feel.

Large quantities

As we mentioned previously, screen printing is generally reserved only for large quantities due

to the high set up costs.

However, this can also work in its favour as a benefit – as once the stencil has been created, it

can then be used time and time again for hundreds, or even thousands, of the same print. This
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means that the lengthy set up time only applies in the initial creation of the screen, and repeat

designs tend to run quicker and more efficiently going forward.