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Screen printing is a printing technique that uses a woven mesh, a squeegee
is moved across the screen forcing ink past the threads of the woven mesh
in the open areas.
Screen printing can be used for many applications including: Posters and
point of sale displays, watch dials, key pads, transfers, electronic circuits,
car windscreens, road signs, glass, tableware, nameplates, labels,
ceramic tiles, vehicle instrumentation, office equipment, textiles,
containers, playing cards, scratch cards, sports equipment, clocks,
fine art, laptops and home entertainment systems.
A screen is made of a piece of porous, finely woven fabric called mesh stretched
over a frame of aluminum. Most mesh is made of materials such as steel, nylon,
and polyester. Areas of the screen are blocked off with a non-porous material to
form a stencil, which is a negative of the image to be printed.
A squeegee is a flexible polyurethane blade (sometimes rubber) held in a rigid
mount and carries out two functions. It deflects the stencil and brings it into
contact with the substrate. The squeegee is held at an angle of 75 degrees
During the printing action the squeegee is moved across the Screen,
forcing the ink through the open mesh.
The screen can be re-used after cleaning. However if the image is no longer needed,
the screen can be "reclaimed", that is cleared of all emulsion and used again.
The reclaiming process involves removing the ink from the screen then applying
stencil remover to eliminate all emulsion. After applying the stencil remover the
emulsion must be washed out using a pressure washer.
Screen Print Press Types:
Flat bed press. (Further split into hand bench, semi and fully automatic)
Cylinder press
Rotary screen press
Container (cylindrical) printer
Carousel textile press
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