Silk screen printing is a printing technique with a simple printing method, suitable colors when printing to create printed products with high aesthetics. Silk-screen printing is the name given to it from the time when the screen plate of the printing mold was made of silk, but gradually this printing plate can be used by a variety of other materials such as fabrics and chemical fibers, even using metal mesh, so it is also called screen printing.
Working principle
Part of the ink is absorbed through the printing mesh, where the areas that need to be printed can be preserved, and the areas that do not need to be printed are sealed with specialized chemicals and this silk-screen printing technique can be applied on many materials other than paper.
Classification of silkscreen printing technology
Based on usage, we can call silkscreen printing as follows:
- Silkscreen printing on the printing table by hand
- Screen printing on the printing table has mechanized some operations
- Silkscreen printing on automatic printer
Classification based on the shape of the printing mold:
- Print using a flat grid mold
- Printed using a rotating barrel-type circular grid
Classification based on printing method:
- Direct printing : is the type of printing on products with a white or light background color, the background color does not affect the printed color.
- Break-in printing : is a type of printing on a product with a colored background, the ink must be able to break the color of the background and attach the color to be printed on the product.
- Back-up printing : We print on products with color but cannot use it by breaking printing.
What is needed in the silkscreen printing process?
- Silk : First of all, silk is an indispensable material to make printed products using silk technology. For each printing, it is necessary to choose a silk fabric that is suitable for the function and adapts to the material to be printed.
- Silk frame : Silk frame is used to align silk to make silk prints and screen printing, is an extremely necessary tool in screen printing. Frames are usually made of wood or aluminum.
- Screen printing table : Screen printing table has 2 types, normal type and multi-purpose type. The type is usually made of wood, the surface is glass, the multi-purpose type is made of iron, with springs to adjust the height and low for printing different thick and thin materials.
- In addition, screen printing also requires an ink scraper, glue-coated trough, photosensitive solution (also known as copy glue) to be able to get the best product.
Learn the steps to silkscreen printing
Step 1: Analyze the design file:
- Screen printing will have the best quality with a monochrome design.
- With each color separately, we will export a different transparent film.
- Designing and developing films used in screen printing often use Corel Draw or Ai.
Step 2: Prepare the printing mold (Stretching the frame + Capture the screen print)
- Prepare the mesh mold for printing.
- The mesh frame will be sealed with a specialized glue solution in the dark room, also known as the product copy glue, the glue used is usually a bisexual film glue, or water-resistant glue.
- After the frame has been dried, we proceed to film shooting. Movies are taken with lights. Or dry in the sun
- After about 1-3 minutes, we take out the mold and spray the printing mold with water. The parts that are shaded by the keyboard will not stick to the glue, so we can easily remove it with water.
Step 3: Print on the product (Silkscreen printing technique)
- Flatten and secure the material to be printed.
- Place the mold in the position to be printed.
- Pull the ink. Repeat the same with other colors.
Where is the prestige of silkscreen printing?
Screen printing technique is now widely used because of its efficiency, ease of use and affordable price. Moreover, silkscreen printing technology is now developing more and more, continuing to overcome its shortcomings, and perfecting its outstanding features compared to other printing techniques.
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