HOW DOES SCREEN PRINTING WORK?

STEP 1: MAKE THE SCREENS

The screen is the key tool in screen printing. It’s a metal frame with a fine mesh stretched tightly over it. To prepare it for printing, we coat the mesh with a special liquid emulsion that hardens when exposed to light.

For each colour in your design, we create a "black positive," which is a black version of the design that blocks light. We print the black stencil directly onto the screen using wax, though others may use a transparent film and ink.

The screen is then placed into an "exposure unit," which shines a bright light on it. The light hardens the areas of the screen that aren’t covered by the black positive. Once that's done, we rinse the screen with water, washing away the soft parts. This leaves behind a stencil of your design on the screen, ready for printing.

 Multi-colour designs: If your design has more than one colour, we create a separate screen for each colour. These screens will later be carefully lined up so the colours fit together perfectly.

STEP 2: MIX THE INKS

Before printing, we mix the inks to match the exact colours in your design. Whether you need brand-specific colours or specialist inks, we tailor the ink mixing to suit your order.

STEP 3: PRINT THE GARMENTS

Once the screen is ready and the inks are mixed, it’s time to print using our automatic screen printing press. This machine looks like a big carousel with rotating pallets that hold your item, like a t-shirt, in place. The screen is secured above the fabric, and ink is applied to the screen. We then use a tool called a squeegee to press the ink through the stencil onto the fabric.

If your design has more than one colour, each colour is printed separately using its own screen. Our print experts carefully register (align) each screen to make sure the colours line up perfectly. Once everything is in place, the colours are printed one by one as the carousel rotates, resulting in a crisp, multi-colour design.

STEP 4: DRY & QUALITY CHECKS

After the ink is printed, it needs to be dried to ensure it stays on the fabric. For this, we use a big conveyor dryer. This machine heats the print to a high temperature, curing the ink so it becomes permanent. Once the t-shirt passes through the dryer, the design is set.

We then check each item for quality, ensuring it meets our high standards. After that, your shirt is ready to wash and wear!

WHY CHOOSE SCREEN PRINTING?

1. Durability: Screen printed garments are long lasting and hold up well even after many washes.

2. Vibrancy: The inks used in screen printing are more opaque than those in other methods, making colours stand out vividly on the fabric.

3. Colour Accuracy: If colour accuracy is essential, such as matching specific brand colours, we can custom mix inks to achieve the exact shade you need.

4. Cost-Effective for Large Orders: While the setup process takes time, screen printing becomes fast and economical when producing larger quantities.

5. Customisation: Our print experts can tailor the print finish to suit your needs, whether it’s soft and matte or glossy and thick. We also offer special effects like discharge, water-based, metallic, neon, gloss, and glow-in-the-dark inks to give your designs a unique finish that other printing methods can’t achieve.

SOME SPECIALIST INKS:

OTHER THINGS TO CONSIDER

1. Minimum order requirements: Because of the time involved in setting up screens, most screen printers have minimum order requirements. At Monster Press, our minimum order starts at 20 pieces.

2. Complex Designs: Designs with multiple colours may increase both the cost and the minimum order size, as each colour requires its own screen. For 1 or 2 colour designs, our minimum is 20 pieces, with an additional 10 pieces per extra colour.

3. Fabric choices: Screen printing works best on cotton or cotton-blend fabrics. We generally recommend printing on garments that are at least 50% cotton, but higher cotton content will result in a better finish. 

SCREEN PRINTING VS DTG PRINTING

If you're curious about how screen printing stacks up DTG printing, check out our articles on Screen Printing vs DTG. You'll find the pros and cons of each method to help you choose the best option for your project.

NEED SCREEN PRINTING?

If you're looking for high quality custom t-shirts or apparel, get in touch with us at Monster Press! Our screen printing experts are ready to help bring your designs to life with vibrant, durable prints. Order instantly online, or contact us for a quote!