Screen printing, or silk screening, is the art of applying a design to a garment with permanent inks, one color at a time through a fine mesh which is stretched tightly in a wooden or metal frame.
We have two manual presses for smaller jobs as well as an automatic press that can print over 400 shirts an hour!The screen printing process starts in the art room. Designs are first color separated meaning that each color is printed by its self on a piece of transparent film.
The separations are then attached to a screen that has been coated with a special light-sensitive emulsion. The screen is exposed to a high power UV light, or burned and then carefully rinsed with water. Each screen then must be mounted on the press and lined up by hand. Ink is then pulled across the screen with a squeegee - either by hand on a manual press (right)or with hydraulics on the larger automatic press (left). It is very important to maintain a constant pressure and angle on the squeegees so that each shirt comes out exactly the same.
Art for screen printing must be created in a program that allows for color separations. See our FAQ page for more details on acceptable art formats.
Pricing for screen printing is based on the number of colors in the design as well as the number of shirts to be printed. Because the set up on screen printing is such an involved process, smaller runs of multicolor designs can be expensive. Call us today to get a personalized quote on your ideas.
