Silk-screen printing, we print on paper and LDPE, on bags, catalogues, business cards, covers, folders. Our printing house is located in Moscow and we can print any edition cheaply. Silk-screen printing is one of the ways to produce stylish, original, beautiful printed products. Silk-screen printing with gold, silver, metallized, fluorescent inks due to the large thickness of the paint layer there is a metallic effect, the color is higher than with other types of printing, we print on paper and LDPE, on bags, catalogs, business cards, as well as covers and folders, etc. .
Can be produced on any surface and paper of any thickness, which helps to create unique products that are not similar to others. For example, the popular printing of business cards on plastic is done only by silk-screen printing. Silk-screen printing is also called screen printing, since in this case fabric or metal meshes are used as the forming material. This silk-screen printing method allows you to print not only on paper, but other interesting materials.
Several photographs of business cards printed using silk-screen printing; the photographs show transparent UV varnish, which is also applied by silk-screen printing
We will screen-print a wide variety of products for you. These are stickers and decals, bags, business cards, leaflets, catalog covers, calendars and postcards, etc.
Rest assured, professional silk-screen printing can satisfy any request and create high-quality products. Our priority is the creation of any batch of printed products within any time frame. Our printing house “MoscowBrand” produces products using silk-screen printing for clients in Moscow and the Moscow region. We have a flexible cooperation policy, offering the application of drawings and text using silk-screen printing at an affordable price.
Silk screen printing capabilities
In order to explain in more detail how we can make such a print, we will talk about silk-screen printing technology. In general, this is not even one technique, but a combination of several. Thus, the concept of “silk-screen printing, also known as silk-screen printing,” includes the technology of form tension; choosing the screen fabric that is suitable; emulsification of printing plates. As well as other technologies, such as choosing paint, drying in a special way, etc./p>
Photo silk-screen printing
Photo of a manual silk-screen printing machine
Photo of a rotary silk-screen printing machine
Using silk-screen printing, you can apply thick ink onto several thousand types of substrates, as large as you can imagine.
— How thick is the paint? – you ask.
We assure you that the thickness of the layer applied using silk-screen printing is difficult to compare with the thickness of paint using other printing methods. So, during offset, a layer of paint up to 2 microns is placed on coated paper. With silk-screen printing (screen printing), the layer ranges from 10 to 500 microns (it all depends on many factors).
If we talk about the variety of substrates, we assure you that our silk-screen printers will name a list of many thousands of names of different types of plastic, metal, paper, glass. Every day our specialists work with inks to find the one that is best suited for printing on this particular type of material.
Screen printing paint
The companies that produce silk-screen inks are small, small industrial firms (compared to Japanese offset ink manufacturers). At the same time, they must produce many different accessories that are sold in a specific way, because everything depends on the materials on which the screen is applied.
Now let's look at the shape of the substrate being printed. Our silk-screen printers will be able to print almost any type of item (in general, we did not bring to our printing house an item that our specialists could not decorate using silk-screen printing). So, we have already printed on pens, watches, umbrellas, trays and plates, car windows, instrument panels and other objects.
The secret of silk-screen printing is quite simple. This process involves the technology of making a print through a special stencil using a certain paint. Printing using this method allows you to apply a bright, wear-resistant image to almost any material. At the same time, thanks to the technical equipment and ownership special technologies, the MoscowBrand printing house allows you to create good printed products of the most impeccable quality.
History of silkscreen printing
It so happens that most people think that silk-screen printing was invented in China. This is not true, since silk (which was invented in China) was involved in silk-screen printing technology about 2000 years after the invention of this material. Silk-screen printing itself appeared approximately 800 thousand years BC. However, modern screen printing is not particularly similar to the original technique.
If you believe some excavations, silk-screen printing most likely originated in the Mediterranean region, approximately between Phenicia and Mesopotamia. Most likely, the keeper of the features of this method was the Phoenician people. At that time, this method of transferring paint to any material was considered great art.
Although it is possible that the Phoenicians themselves adopted this method from other peoples, there is not yet enough historical data to support this conclusion. But it could very well be. After all, the Phoenicians were great sailors and engaged in trade.
The Phoenicians extracted purple from the secretion of a mollusk gland, and it was this red substance that was most likely used to dye fabrics. Moreover, according to archaeological researchers, this dyeing was not manual, since the fabrics were dyed using the method of repeated printing.
That is, there was an assumption that the Phoenician people or their neighboring partners from other countries found a method by which a design could be reproduced on material. Their technologies, naturally, had nothing in common with in modern ways printing, but they can be called the first multiple image repetition systems.
But at the same time, it is worth considering the fact of the birth of silk-screen printing not as an art that comes from printing on fabrics (silk, linen, etc.), but as a technology that is based on repeating simple images using stamps onto which paint is rolled with tampons. Tampons are made from a variety of materials.
Primitive printing using stamps had many disadvantages due to the insufficient layer of paint. If used on thick fabrics and absorbent materials, the application will not be very clear.
Silkscreen printing in Japan
Printers made many strides forward in the following centuries. Thus, the screen printing method improved significantly in 1185. In the city of Kamakura, which was the capital of Japan, various types of art flourished, and samurai armor was decorated with the help of printing. At first, the Japanese used the stencil method. Then they invented ingenious innovative technologies - the reserve of the image, which was obtained by cutting out the material, did not hold the entire drawing together. The entire image was cut out and pasted onto a mesh, which consists of threads made from hair that was stretched over a wooden frame. That is, the image was printed, but the hairs of the mesh themselves were not displayed, since they were thin and the swab, which was soaked in the pigment, was pressed only against the fabric.
Examples of Japanese stencils, which are made from thin fabrics, indicate that silk-screen printing began to take on the features that we now see in its modern methods.
In 1907 there was a global leap in this regard. Thus, the practically unknown Simon from Manchester patented the method of silk-screen printing through a special silk fabric. This method was amazing - the fabric was very resistant to tension and had stable dimensions. With this method, you could use rubber rollers (followed by rubber squeegees) to apply the paint. The invention was called SILKSCREEN PRINTING (silk sieve printing).
So the name “silk-screen printing” appeared quite recently, when screen printing took on its modern form. This happened in the 30-50s of the last (20th) century.
Silk-screen printing on mother-of-pearl majestic paper, whitewash
Photo of a beautiful smooth silk-screen printing die, touchover paper
Greeting card photo, silk screen printing
Since that time, silk-screen printing has become a method for printing substrates of any kind, from posters to labels, from fabrics and postcards, even license plates for cars! At the same time, such a completely commercial use of silk-screen printing led to the fact that this method was no longer perceived as new graphics. Silk-screen printing did not become a real printing process, it had a kind of subordinate position, because of this it was considered a secondary method, a special type of printing.
Now the range of use of this printing method is wide, it is associated with the specific features of silk-screen printing. Screen printing today is used not only in the production of printed products, but also in the automotive, ceramics and other industries.
Classification of types of silk-screen printing
We will tell you how widely the silk-screen printing method is used in this section. So, silk-screen printing is used for textile printing (fabric printing). Essentially, this is printing on reels, pieces of material. Tabletop printing techniques, mechanotextile carpet looms and rotating cylinder machines used for printing indicate that this is a purely industrial method.
Textile printing on products is silk-screen printing on T-shirts, small items clothes, which are provided by quite a few printing houses in the city. Printing is carried out using “carousel presses”.
Printing on small items. This is the decor of a pen, lighter, keychain, and other souvenirs. If the object is round, then in this case a rotary semi-automatic machine is used. Of course, when printing on small objects there is competition from pad printing, but it should be noted that the image printed using silk-screen printing is resistant to abrasion and is more durable.
Let’s take a closer look at “screen printing” itself. Screen printing is what the Moscow Brand printing house specializes in. This printing is carried out on various substrates, for example, paper, cardboard, PVC. The print format is no more than one meter by one and a half or more than this size. In the first case, such screen printing is called small-format, in the second – large-format. This method is used for printing those printed products that require high quality execution.
Screen printing can be done on signs and metals, on glass, on bottles, on printed circuit boards. Printers also have a term for “additional screen printing”. In this case, these are the applications that were not mentioned above.
Silk-screen printing on a non-industrial scale
The West has always set the tone for screen printing. Thus, silkscreen printing was never aimed at a large market such as the paper market. It was used to print on something that is not paper.
Nowadays, the silk-screen printing method is used to print everything that requires a denser layer of ink than with other printing methods, so silk-screen printing is used for printing that is resistant to external influences (scratches, splashes).
Screen printing has strict rules that unite the various methods of its application. These rules relate to the scientific side of this technology, and are often used by silkscreen artists not as rules, but as secrets. All silk-screen printers, including those working in our printing house, are masters who have gained experience from practice. Now there are no textbooks or schools that would somehow combine all the rules of silk-screen printing in one. In addition to practice, our craftsmen learn about technologies from publications by equipment and paint suppliers, as well as while attending exhibitions. At the same time, all silk-screen printing technologies still have to be tried in practice, since each of the specialists has a subjective view of what is happening: each silk-screen printer is the bearer of his own habit-features of work. Of course, he will be an ardent supporter of his idea, technology. It turns out that even at industry exhibitions one specialist praises a certain paint, while another denies it. Or, for example, light sources for exposing forms are very different: quartz lamps, sodium, mercury, iodine, metal halide lamps and others.
Concepts used by silkscreen printers
From the description of the technology posted above, you might think that the main thing in silk-screen printing is the passage of paint through the fabric. However, if this were the case, then silk-screening would be considered passing tea through a strainer or filtering flour. So the uniqueness of the process lies elsewhere - the principle by which the paint is squeezed out through the sieve fabric is based on the basic rule - the paint can pass through the cell opening only when a thixotropic effect occurs with a suitable squeegee with the correct pressure.
Therefore, only with the factor of viscosity variability we produce silk-screen products. When other materials that are not silk-screen printing pass through the screen form, the cells are immediately clogged and coloring does not occur.
What is meant by the expression “thixotropic effect”? Tiscotropy is the ability of a liquid to change its viscosity when heated or stirred and return to its original state when the temperature drops or stirring ends. That is, thixotropy in silk-screen printing is a forced change in the silk-screen ink, allowing it to pass through the fabric in the printed block in the correct way and accurately reproduce the desired printed image.
Temperature matters a lot in the screen printing process. It is with its help that specialists control the passage through the cells of the screen-shaped fabric. Also, viscosity helps not to stick the substrate to the stencil form, and they are easily separated from one another. If the process is incorrect, then the substrate is very difficult to separate; it remains in a glued state. However, the specialists of the Moscow Brand company are professionals in their field, so the “sticking effect” does not happen to them.
It should be noted that this sticking effect occurs quite often, as it can arise from various factors. For example, the paint may be very viscous and not thinned correctly. The image may be blurry and the ink may come out of the edges of the gelatin as the ink adheres to the stencil. Also, the sticking effect can occur if the paint is too cold, and also because the printing speed is not suitable, the paint thinner is not suitable or the substrate is poorly bonded, the sieve fabric is poorly tensioned, the squeegee is too rounded and other errors.
Silk-screen printing packages, packaging
Silk-screen printing creates excellent conditions for the production of souvenirs, branded engraving on textiles, glass and products made from other materials. Silkscreen printing – good method creation of advertising products.
For example, one of the areas of goods in which the silk-screen printing method is often used is bags. They are in demand among the population and will be able to promote your company’s brand. And silk-screen printing applied to bags using our equipment holds up well and does not change color - the colors remain bright for a long time.
The photo shows paper bags printed using silk-screen printing in our Moscow printing house
Red horizontal paper bag silk screen printing
Vertical paper bag silk screen printing
Vertical paper bag silk screen printing, white paint.
Vertical paper bag silk screen printing, bright, beautiful red pantone 485C
Bags made in our printing house using the silk-screen printing method, with the right selection of colors and image relief, look much more presentable and of higher quality than standard ordinary plastic bags.
We also produce gift packaging using silk-screen printing. And our paper bags will appeal to even the most demanding customers: for example, we individually work on the design of the illustration on the packaging, think over the color scheme, making very durable paper bags with paint that adheres firmly to them.
Cost of silk screen printing paper bags differs from standard printing for the better.
Silk-screen printing on business cards and stickers
Modern silk-screen printing is popular among manufacturers of clothing, CDs, shoes, and flags. But most of all, silk-screen printing is used in the production of printed products. Thus, we recommend printing business cards using this screenography method. We offer the production of such business cards using silk-screen printing urgently and cheaply, using a modern technological equipment, high-quality dyes.
The production of business cards, packages, and catalogs by silk-screen printing will also allow you to show your imagination, creating the deepest and most saturated in color designs. Millions of shades and color intensity using screen printing will give the product quality, such as expressiveness and the ability to stay on paper for a long time.
The peculiarity of printing by the Moscow Brand printing house is the ability to obtain an even layer of paint with a bright color scheme. Our company uses the latest special effects of screen printing (glitter, imitation rubber, three-dimensional printing).
Making business cards on paper using screen printing is very profitable for small runs and when using corporate colors. We also recommend using silk-screen printing if you need to print on dark paper, since silk-screen printing inks are thick and matte.
On business cards created using the silk-screen printing method, you can use post-printing processing - coat them with varnish, use thermal lifting, giving them a more presentable look.
You can use the widest palette of colors possible. These are colored paints that have the ability to change the thickness of the paint layer on the material, making it possible to achieve the desired color intensity. Our specialists use opaque white, which produces interesting graphic effects when, when applying white on dark paper, the white covers the base.
Varnishing with silk screen printing
As we said, silk-screen printing can allow any post-printing processing. The most interesting area of application of screen printing for decoration is varnishing.
Photo silkscreen UV varnish
Photo silkscreen UV varnish
Photo silkscreen UV varnish
UV varnishing in silk-screen printing
Screen printing can allow for continuous varnishing, where the entire surface of the product is covered with varnish. Varnishing will protect the image from minor damage, giving the product a respectable appearance. Matte varnish gives a special velvety feel.
Selective varnishing is also possible, when you need to varnish only that piece of the image that you want to draw attention to. special attention. So, you can enhance the highlights, conveying the shine of metal and precious stones, or you can highlight an illustration on the page or draw attention to contact information.
Silk-screen printing allows you to create a combination of glossy and matte varnish, varnishes with a matte laminate. Decorative varnishing can also be used. There are many additives used that are included in stencil varnish. It is possible to apply different effects, color, shine, rainbow effect. Additives will help change the look of the polish, giving it a pearlescent shine as well as a tactile feel. Thus, the varnish can even make it rough, like sand.
The MoscowBrand printing house will help you produce any printed products using the silk-screen printing method, create any inscription on souvenirs, as well as carry out post-printing processing, for example, varnishing.
A screen printing plate is a ready-to-print template consisting of a frame, screen fabric and a copy layer. Proper production of the stencil form is a basic condition maximum performance, high quality and economic efficiency silkscreen printing. Regardless of technology, main task printing consists of transferring an image onto a material with perfect reproduction of the original.
must meet the following requirements:- ensuring maximum accuracy in image reproduction
- Can be used for large print runs
- resistance to printing inks and reagents
- simple mold manufacturing technology
- Possibility of regeneration when reusing the mesh
Printing forms are divided into two groups: printing forms made manually, and printing plates made photomechanical way.
Screen printing forms, made by hand, are rarely used because their graphic capabilities are limited. Photomechanical printing plates are produced direct, indirect And combined way.
Originals and photo forms
When developing originals for subsequent reproduction using screen printing, you need to take into account the unique artistic characteristics:
- high brightness and saturation of prints due to the large thickness of the paint layer
- presence of image detail in high colors and deep shadows
As photoforms in screen printing, a transparencies are used, which have a direct image in relation to the original. High-contrast photosensitive films are used to make transparencies.
For reproduction in tones and halftones, raster transparencies should be used, not forgetting the limiting influence of the base grid on the reproduced image. On the one hand, the base mesh limits the lineature of the reproduced image, on the other hand, the regular structure of the screen fabric in combination with the regular structure of the raster image can cause moire, that is, a shimmer of color shades. Therefore, in practice the following recommendations should be followed:
- The lineature of the reproduced image in relation to the number of threads on the sieve fabric should be in the range from 1:4 to 1:6
- To reduce or eliminate the resulting moire, it is necessary to apply appropriate raster rotation angles
Preparing the mesh surface when making a printing plate
In the manufacture of screen printing forms great value has a preparation of the surface of the sieve fabric, which becomes contaminated during the preparatory stage. Even a small amount of grease or dirt will cause a defect in the printing plate. Therefore, degreasing and cleaning the surface of the mesh should be carried out immediately before applying the copy layer. To degrease sieve fabrics, you can use a 10-20% alkaline solution or caustic soda. After degreasing, the mesh is washed with water and neutralized with a 5% acetic acid solution, and then thoroughly washed again with water.
Direct method for making printing plates
The copying solution is applied to the base mesh, pre-stretched on the plate frame, dried, the image is exposed from the slide, and the blank areas are hardened, and then the printing elements of the image are washed out with water. Copy solutions are colloidal solutions various polymers, and sometimes these are subtle variances solids in liquid. The physical and chemical properties of copying solutions, methods of their application and subsequent processing have a significant impact on the technological capabilities and quality of screen printing forms.
After applying and drying the copying solution, a copying layer is formed on the mesh, which has the following properties: photosensitivity, hardening ability, solubility, thickness.
The maximum light sensitivity of the copy layer cannot be achieved until the copy layer is completely dry. Copy layers are hygroscopic, they are able to absorb moisture from the surrounding air. Therefore, in the room where the printing plate is made, it is necessary to maintain constant climatic conditions, and after being in the drying cabinet, the copy layer must be kept for some time in the workshop room.
The ability of the copy layer to harden depends on the composition of the copy layer and exposure time. It should be noted that the quality of screen printing forms depends on the degree of hardening.
The ability of copy layers to absorb moisture and their solubility depend on the degree of hardening obtained during exposure. The main reason for swelling of the copy layer during copy processing is insufficient exposure. Under the influence of moisture, an insufficiently hardened copy layer increases the volume. Therefore, to obtain good quality and stability of stencil forms, the copy layer must be tanned to its full thickness.
The ability of unexposed and untanned areas of the copy layer to dissolve depends on its structure (particle size), thickness and the influence of reflected and scattered rays during exposure.
The thickness of the copy layer depends on three factors: the thickness of the mesh, the viscosity of the copy solution and the method of its application. The thickness of the copy layer has great influence on the ability to reproduce image details. Naturally, the thicker the copy layer, the longer the exposure time should be.
The washing out time of the printing elements of a thin copy layer is less. However, when applying a thin layer, the copying solution dries only in the cells of the stencil mesh. The hollow spaces between the threads do not ensure full contact of the form with the surface to be printed. Printing ink gets into these spaces and greatly distorts the edge of the image outline.
A thick copy layer ensures more complete contact of the screen form with the printed surface, which ultimately reduces the distortion of the edges of the contours of the images during printing. Unlike a thin copy layer, a thick copy layer provides better formation of the edge of the printing element and allows you to get even relief images on the print.
The factors that determine the exposure time required to completely harden the copy layer are: photosensitivity and spectral sensitivity of the copy layer, its thickness, the spectral composition of the light source radiation, the power of the light source, the distance from the light source to the glass of the copy frame, the nature of the slide (photo form) .
Indirect method of producing printing plates
The image from the slide is copied onto a special material, the untanned printing elements are removed from the copy, and then transferred to a prepared mesh stretched over a frame. The transferred copy is dried and the temporary backing is removed. Copying materials for the production of stencil forms indirectly have a paper or film base. The material can be felt or intangible. Copy layers can vary in thickness, light sensitivity, durability, and ability to adhere to the screen mesh. The ability of the copy layer, tanned on the blank elements, to adhere to the mesh is a decisive factor for ensuring the circulation resistance of the printing form.
Sensing of copy material is usually carried out with a solution of ammonium dichromate. It can be done either wet or dry. With the wet method, sensing is carried out in an aqueous or alcoholic solution of ammonium bichromate for 1-3 minutes, and then the slide is exposed without drying the copy material. With the dry sensing method, an aqueous-alcohol solution of ammonium bichromate is poured onto the copying material, kept for 2-3 minutes, and then dried at a temperature not exceeding 30 o C. The slide is exposed to the dried copying material.
With any method of sensing copy material, a higher concentration of ammonium dichromate solution or a longer sensing time will provide a shorter exposure. Aqueous solutions of ammonium dichromate give less photosensitivity than alcohol solutions. The temperature of the sensing solution has a significant effect on photosensitivity; sensing is usually carried out at a temperature of 18-20 o C.
The light sensitivity of copying material in the manufacture of screen printing forms indirectly depends on the climatic conditions in the printing shop. Optimal conditions: temperature 18-22 o C with relative humidity 60-65%. Too low humidity in the work area makes the copy material brittle.
With a slight improvement in print quality, the indirect method of producing printing plates is more complex in the manufacturing process and more expensive, while the circulation resistance of printing plates is significantly less than with the direct method.
Combined method for producing printing plates
The combined method of producing printing plates combines the advantages of direct and indirect. For this method, a special kit is made, consisting of copying material and copying solution. They are made from one type of polymer, and the copying material is made without a sensitive component. The specificity of this method lies in the method of covering the mesh with a copy layer. The copying material is placed on a flat surface, base down, a mesh stretched over the frame is placed on top, and then the copying solution is applied. The copying solution coats the mesh, passes through it, and is partially absorbed into and sensitized by the dry copy material underneath.
Next, the copy layer is dried, the temporary substrate is separated from the copy material, and the printing form is made as in the direct method. Such forms have high adhesion of the copy layer to the mesh, which ensures greater durability and a clear edge of the printing elements.
In progress production of printing plates In any way, as well as during the screen printing itself, various defects in the form of lumbago, cavities, dots and others that need to be retouched may occur on the blank elements. This operation can be performed by applying a copying solution with a brush, which should be dried and then exposed.
Silk-screen printing is the most popular and universal technology for applying images to business gifts and promotional products. With this method, a logo or other advertising message can be applied to almost any material - cotton, nylon, polyester, plastic, glass, artificial leather, wood and paper.
Silk-screen printing is used for printing on almost all types of promotional products from T-shirts, windbreakers, umbrellas and bags to keychains, lighters and cardboard packaging.
Silkscreen technology
First, a mesh is stretched over the frame, and a photosensitive emulsion is applied to the mesh. Then an image is applied to the mesh and illuminated with special lamps, and the remainder of the emulsion is washed off. This is how a stencil is created. During the printing process, ink is forced through holes in the stencil using a moving squeegee, which disperses the ink across the surface.
When the image cannot be reproduced by silk-screen printing, that is, printed directly on the product, it is applied by silk-screen printing with a transfer: first it is printed by silk-screen printing on special paper, similar to a sticker, and then fixed on the product using a heat press. This method is used to print logos on textile products: T-shirts, polos, shirts, baseball caps, windbreakers, as well as bags and balls.
Video: silk-screen printing on T-shirts and corporate gifts
Applying logos to gifts using screen printing
Silk-screen printing on products made of plastic, wood, cardboard, artificial leather
(application code SH)
On most objects with a flat, smooth surface, the image can be applied by direct screen printing - with a squeegee through a mesh. This is how logos are printed on packaging, especially on cardboard and wooden boxes, flat plastic products, and artificial leather folders.
Direct and transfer silk-screen printing on textiles: clothes, bags, umbrellas
(application codes B and D)
Silk-screen printing on textiles is applied either by direct printing - this is convenient for large images and flat surfaces, for example, when applied to the back of a T-shirt - or by silk-screen printing with subsequent transfer, when the logo printed by silk-screen printing on special transfer paper is cut out and heat pressed onto the sleeve, frontal part of the baseball cap, pocket, bag flap, etc. In the same way, using the thermal image transfer method, logos are printed on balls. We inflate the balls before application, then release the air again to make transport easier.
Silk-screen printing with transfer to chevron and ribbon sewn onto the product
(application code CK)
It is best to sew a chevron with a logo onto knitted items, and especially knitted items from the teplo° collection. For chevron we recommend fabric tape or a soft PVC nameplate with silk-screen printing and subsequent thermal transfer.
Advantages of direct and transfer silk-screen printing
- variety of colors and textures;
- printing on both flat and curved surfaces and products of complex shapes;
- long-lasting application;
- large application area;
- low cost per product for large quantities.
Variety of colors and textures
Screen printing, or silk-screen printing, allows you to choose a variety of paints for advertising, both in color and in properties. Printing with metallic, luminescent or fluorescent inks makes the image even more noticeable. And foamed silk-screen printing creates the effect of volumetric application.
Spot colors (pure colors of the Pantone color model) appear bright and saturated on the product. To achieve maximum compliance with Pantone colors, the image is printed on a substrate.
Silk-screen printing can also apply a full-color image, but this process is more labor-intensive and expensive. At the same time, it will not be possible to achieve photographic quality using screen printing, which is due to the technological features of the method itself.
Print on both flat and curved surfaces
The ability to apply an image to curved surfaces and various elements of complex shape is the main advantage of silk-screen printing with transfer. This is the method used to print logos on baseball caps, pockets and flaps of bags, and sleeves of T-shirts.
Our production has special equipment that also allows us to apply transfer to balls. If the same image needs to be printed on several sectors of the ball, each printing location is considered as a separate application when calculating the cost of application.
Long lasting application
The silk-screened image is highly resistant to abrasion, does not fade, and withstands washing well, which is why products with silk-screen printing are so popular among customers. The strength of the application depends on the type of paint and the material of the product, so this indicator is individual for different items. On average, for silk-screen printing on fabric, with careful use of frequently washed items, such as T-shirts, the image looks presentable for about a year!
Silk-screen printing with thermal transfer is a slightly less durable application than silk-screen printing. Frequent washing, rubbing and squeezing may cause the sticker to crack. Products with this application require more careful care.
Large application area
On a flat surface you can print an image up to A3 format, which is especially important for silk-screen printing on clothing - T-shirts, jackets, windbreakers, sweatshirts and vests.
Technological limitations do not always allow silk-screen printing on plastic, glass and wood from which this or that promotional product is made. The possibility of application is indicated in the card of a specific product.
Low unit cost for large runs
Silk-screen printing allows you to print even small runs, while such printing becomes economically affordable for runs of 50 products, and profitable - from 100.
The cost of application depends mainly on the number of colors applied and the circulation.
When printing on colored products, the substrate is counted as a separate color.
Prices for silk-screen printing of logos
How to order silk-screen printing
If you want to order silk-screen printing of your logo on our website, add the item to your cart, place your order and. The site will offer you - and she will take over the fulfillment of the order.
You will learn more about placing orders in “Project 111” in the “” section. And in the “” section you can get answers to frequently asked questions.
Screen printing (alternative name “Silk-screen printing”) – unique technology image printing that combines ancient origins and modern technology. Silk-screen printing originated in ancient China, where a fine-mesh fabric made of silk threads stretched over a wooden frame was used to create a stencil, which gave the technology its name. Nowadays, special fabrics made from synthetic threads (rarely metal) are used to create stencils; as a rule, an aluminum profile (less often steel) is used as the material for the frame, but there are also wooden frames, but they do not provide the stable structural rigidity that is necessary for high-quality screen printing.
The essence of silkscreen printing.
In short, the essence of screen printing is to press paint through a stencil, using a squeegee, onto the surface to be printed (T-shirts, cut, paper, plastic and much more).
Learn more about screen printing technology.
Let's analyze silk-screen printing into printing stages, from preparing the layout to receiving the finished product:
- The first stage is image preparation.
The layout for silk-screen printing is prepared in specialized graphics programs. Raster images are usually made in Adobe program Photoshop, and vector ones in Adobe Illustrator or Corel Draw. When preparing a finished layout for printing, the designer divides the resulting layout into colors and places marks to match the colors during the printing process. The result is a number of files equal to the number of colors in the layout. Each color is ultimately a separate stencil. In the case of printing on colored T-shirts or other surfaces, a white backing is also added to the layout for the entire image, which accordingly entails the need to prepare another stencil.
- The second stage is film output.
The files obtained at the first stage are printed on transparent film in black and white format.
- The third stage is the preparation of stencil forms.
On at this stage screen printing, a photo emulsion is applied to a screen mesh stretched over a frame and dried in special drying cabinets. After the photoemulsion layer has dried, the film obtained in the second stage is attached to the mesh. Then the stencil is placed in a copy frame with a vacuum clamp, where the stencil form is illuminated with special lamps. In the place where there was no image on the film, the photo emulsion layer finally hardens, and where there was an image, the photo emulsion does not harden.
After illuminating the stencil in the copy frame, the mold is placed in a washing bath, where the unhardened photographic emulsion is washed out with water under high pressure.
At the end of the third stage, the stencil is retouched, that is, all accidentally washed holes in the stencil form are closed with a special solution.
- The fourth stage is printing.
The resulting stencils are attached to printing equipment (carousel or flatbed printing machine). Before printing the entire circulation, the printer must print several test prints (adjustment); during the adjustment process, the printed product is positioned on the table and the colors are matched using the marks placed at the first stage. Due to the need for makeready, it is required to have a certain number of spare parts for printing.
Immediately before printing, the marks on the screen forms are sealed.
Actually, the printing process itself occurs, as mentioned above, with the help of a special squeegee, which pushes the paint through the stencil onto the product.
- The fifth stage is washing the stencil forms.
After printing, the screen forms must be washed off, this happens in the washing chamber, using specialized solutions (soften the photoemulsion layer) and water.
As a rule, so-called phantom images remain on screen forms, which leads to the need to use special chemicals during the washing process to remove them.
Pros and cons of silk-screen printing.
Pros
- The advantages of silk-screen printing include:
- Brightness. Thanks to a large layer of paint, the image is bright and saturated.
- Versatility. Screen printing allows you to print, with some reservations, on almost any flat object: T-shirts and T-shirts, fabric cut, polyethylene, plastic, metal, glass, paper and much more.
- A large number of special effects. Silk-screen printing makes it possible to use various additives in printing to achieve special effects: thermal rise, glitter, light-accumulating paints, paints that glow in ultraviolet light, aroma paints and so on, you probably can’t count them all.
- Durability of the print. When used correctly, finished product will last for years.
Equipment used in silk-screen printing.
- Copy camera. Used to illuminate screen forms in preparation for printing.
- Washing chamber. Used for washing screen forms in preparation for printing and after printing to remove the emulsion layer from used stencils.
- Carousel machine. Used for printing on T-shirts, sweatshirts and other textiles. Carousel-type machines can be either manual or automatic. On automatic machines, the printer, after adjustment, is only needed to place and remove products from the machine and, of course, he must monitor the quality of printing on T-shirts and other materials. The printing itself is done automatically by the machine.
- Flatbed printing press. Used for printing on paper (business cards), polyethylene (bags) and other sheet materials. Like rotary presses, a flatbed printing press can be either manual or automatic. Automatic machines can be equipped with devices for automatic feeding and removal of materials.
- Intermediate IR drying. Required as auxiliary equipment for intermediate drying of paint layers when printing on rotary presses.
- Tunnel IR drying. Used for final fixing of plastisol and water-based paints on textiles.
- Tunnel UV drying. Used to cure UV paint.
- Racks with folding shelves. Necessary for saving space in the screen printing workshop. For example, it is very convenient to place plastic bags on them to dry the paint between layers.
Screen printing is a method of reproducing an image using a stencil - a special printing form through which printing ink penetrates onto the printed surface in those places that correspond to the printing elements.
Silk-screen printing is a type of screen printing in which special low-thickness polyester, nylon or metal meshes with a high thread frequency are used as the material for making the printing form.
Silk-screen printing took its name from the English name of the patent of the beginning of the last century for the screen printing process “Silk Screen Printing” - literally can be translated as “printing with a silk sieve” - silk-screen printing. It is believed that this method of printing originated far in antiquity, but silk-screen printing technology acquired its modern appearance and widespread demand already in the middle of the 20th century.
Silkscreen printing is, in fact, an improved screen printing method; instead of the term “silk-screen printing” in printing, a more precise concept is used - screen printing.
Screen printing or silk-screen printing has a long history and is a method of reproducing texts, inscriptions and images, monochrome or color, using a screen printing plate through which ink penetrates onto the printed material.
Screen printing method
Screen printing method has higher artistic capabilities compared to other types of printing. In addition, the range of materials for silk-screen printing is almost limitless: paper, cardboard, fabrics, metals, glass, wood, synthetic film - printing on any surface. Silk-screen printing is applicable not only on flat surfaces, but also on three-dimensional and even embossed ones. The thickness of the paint layer can vary from 10 to 100 microns, which ensures high image quality. Only in screen printing is it possible to use fluorescent and pearlescent paints to achieve various special effects.
- 1 - sieve fabric
- 2 - paint
- 3 - squeegee
- 4 - white space element
- 5 - printing element
- 6 - colorful image
- 7 - printed material
- 8 - support table
A feature of the screen printing method is the structure of the printing form, its printing and whitespace elements. The material or product on which the image must be applied is located on the side opposite to the one from which the paint comes. The ink is fed through the printing elements of the form, which makes it possible to apply a layer of ink of different thicknesses. The flexibility of printing forms and the use of elastic squeegees allows you to repeat the shape of the printed products with minimal pressure.
Printing using screen forms can be carried out on almost any type of screen printing equipment, from the most primitive devices to fully automated machines capable of creating up to several hundred thousand copies. Screen printing can be done even at home.
Naturally, screen printing cannot compete with classical printing in publishing. And why? Silk-screen printing should be used where it is impossible to do without it. Currently, small businesses are developing widely. And most of the small firms and private enterprises need only some types of printed materials: envelope, sticker, letterhead, advertising brochure, business cards etc. The order's circulation may be only a few dozen or hundreds of copies. And the simplicity of the technology for manufacturing screen printing forms makes the use of silk-screen printing even on manual machines quite cost-effective.
Our screen printing house “Print For You” offers screen printing and other printing services at low prices with the possibility of printing any, including single, circulation, piece printed products, experimental and exhibition copies of products.
Currently, interest in the screen printing method has grown significantly in Russia. The fact is that the capabilities of classical printing methods are quite limited in terms of format, printed materials and ink layer thickness. Screen printing has almost unlimited possibilities. In addition, screen printing is a printing technology that is a relatively cheap and easy way to produce printed plates. Nowadays, using a semi-automatic method, you can print in 3x5m formats, and with an automatic method – 1.5x2.5m. And the thickness of the paint layer can be adjusted over a wide range. A significant disadvantage of screen printing, perhaps, is its still low productivity.
Silk-screen printing differs from other printing methods in that the ink is pressed through mesh cells on the printing elements, in which the mesh is both the basis of the printing form and the ink reservoir. Another difference is the ability to easily move the form and apply little pressure during the printing process. The quality of prints depends not on investment, but on the skill of the performer.
Today, the world market offers a wide range of equipment for screen printing with varying degrees of automation and specificity, which is an undoubted advantage of screen printing, because enterprises can choose what suits them in terms of technology and available means. For example, large businesses will need to use automated equipment, while small businesses will need manual or semi-automatic machines.
Screen printing can be used not only in publishing, but also in the production of special products, for example, industrial silk-screen printing products. The silk-screen printing method is suitable for printing on glass, plastic, porcelain, various types packaging, CDs, three-dimensional objects of various configurations, as well as when varnishing any type of product.
Screen printing with appropriate inks can be carried out on almost any material: paper, plastic, PVC, glass, ceramics, metals, fabrics, leather, wood - printing on any surface. The inks themselves for screen printing and screen printing differ in the type of binder: water-based inks, solvent-based inks, ultraviolet-curing inks, plastisols, temperature-fixed inks.
Thanks to technological features Silk-screen printing allows you to print on both flat and cylindrical surfaces, so modern screen printing is used not only in printing, but also in textiles, electronics, automotive, glass, ceramics and other industries.
Both direct screen printing, printing directly onto the surface to be printed, and transfer, transfer screen printing, printing onto an intermediate medium with subsequent transfer to the product are possible.
Advertising on shop windows, images and inscriptions on clothing, branded bags with a logo, divisions on measuring scales of devices, designations on the front panels of devices, patterns of keys on film keyboards, volumetric stickers to order, production of stickers, emblems, nameplates - all of the above are united by one technology printing – this is a silkscreen.
What do all of these items have in common? The similarity is that it is very difficult, and sometimes even impossible, to apply an inscription or logo to these products and materials, or to print an image using common printing methods. To print ink from the mold onto the surface to be printed, a certain pressure is required, which is practically inapplicable, for example, when printing on thin, fragile material. Silk-screen printing is available not only for printing on any surface, but also for applying a thick ink layer of high covering power, which allows you to cover any colored or black background, as well as apply silk-screen printing, filling the rough and textured surface of the product.
Halftones and multicolor images cause some difficulties in screen printing. This is caused by the very nature of screen printing, which does not make it possible to obtain reproductions with the screen lineature of letterpress or offset printing. The limit of raster image reproduction in screen printing technology is determined by the fact that the grid cells cannot stably hold the copy layer, especially in deep shadows. But in lately there has been significant progress. Screen raster printing is becoming increasingly widespread, thanks to the use of modern color separation technology, new methods for processing copy layers and the use of modern mesh bases for the manufacture of printing forms.
Screen printing has a bright future. And although it is inferior in some respects to other printing methods, this is more than compensated by the significant advantages of the process and the huge variety of applications of silk-screen printing. What is silkscreen printing? The future of silk-screen printing technology is, first of all, a significant improvement in the quality of printed products, expanding the range and increasing productivity, which can be achieved with:
- improvement of printing forms and printing process technology
- development of new types of paints, including accelerated methods for their fixation (introduction of UV-curing paints, conductive and water-borne paints
- improving printing equipment that does not require a long time for preparatory operations, creating a new generation of machines that combine screen printing, for example, with flexo printing, etc.
Today the development trend screen printing method is leading to a revolutionary turn, and in the near future, the silk screen printing method will not only expand its applications, but also significantly increase its productivity.
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