If you’re going to do any screen printing, you have to at least know the basics of it. You can print posters, t-shirts, and a lot more, but only if you do it right. At a minimum, you have to have screens, a scoop coater, squeegees, light sensitive emulsion, an exposure light source, and ink.
The screens can have either metal frames or wooden ones, and they are covered with a fabric mesh that has been stretched. Holes in the mesh let ink go through the screen. How many of these holes exist and how big each hole is will affect the flow of ink and is used to rate the screens.
The squeegees are used to push the ink through the screens and onto whatever you are printing on. The ink then has to cure, which is where the UV light source comes in. By using it and the light sensitive emulsion you can cure the ink – which actually isn’t ink but a chemical compound – and it will remain on the t-shirt through many washings or on the poster for many years to come.
Tags: basics of screen printing, screen printing
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