Screen printing
Screen printing is a printing technique whereby a mesh is used to transfer ink onto different surfaces. The ink will only go through the mesh in areas made impermeable to the ink by a blocking stencil. Screen printing creates a permanent print in many types of finish, perfect for printing garments like t-shirts and hoodies. Screen Printing is also a great method for printing fine art onto paper stock and packaging.
WORK FLOW
INK OPTIONS
1. Plastisol Ink
Plastisol is an ink specifically designed for screen-printing on to textiles. Plastisols are the most commonly used inks for printing designs on to garments, and are particularly useful for printing opaque graphics on dark fabrics. This type of ink sits on the surface of the garment and creates a really long lasting print that when cured correctly will stay vibrant after washing regularly.
3. Discharge inks
The discharge process is where the same techniques and equipment are used but instead of normal ink, discharge inks are essentially a bleach ink which removes the garments dye instead of putting a colour on top of the shirt. This is great for creating a soft touch white or natural print onto dark garments. This method will only work on 100% cotton.
2. Water based ink
Waterbased inks are a brilliant choice if you are after a softer feeling print. Water based ink penetrates into the fabric creating a soft touch finish. Water-based inks are great for lighter coloured garments but they don't create the vibrancy in colour of plastisol inks when printed onto darker garments. Being water-based means you can clean up after printing using just water which means these inks are the most environmentally friendly. Water based inks are also used for printing onto paper and card stock.