Is Screen Printing For you ?

Screen printing is the most versatile form of printing and also is very affordable compared to embroidery, however its not as durable and it wont have the same feel of luxury and authenticity as embroidery does (Im totally not a biased embroiderer).

As screen printing requires burning a screen, or multiple, depending on your design, it might not be suitable for projects that you don't require much product from, this form of printing is best in bulk order of 100+, however if you would want the same effect of screen printing but much less items, follow this button to find out about my services i can provide for you with Screen printing transfers !

Screens

Screen printing involves pushing an ink through a mesh screen to print a designated design that was initially burned onto the screen.
Having done different styles of screen printing such as puff print, large blocked colours and halftones, i know what screen size and mesh to use for optimal printing.
The Screen Mesh varies in sizes, and these sizes are based on how many lines of threads are in the fabric per inch or Centimetre. So a 43T (cm) Mesh screen is a 110(in) screen and it has 43 lines of thread per centimetre and 110 lines per inch.
Higher the number = more lines = smaller holes = less ink pass through = able to capture higher detail
When creating a bitmap of an image for your halftone artwork, rule of thumb is to divide the screen mesh size you have by 4 and the number that you get should be you LPI (lines per inch) to get the optimal print

Inks

There are different inks that are perfect for different projects. All these have different temperatures to cure at and also have different techniques to be used, otherwise you can compromise your garment, product or ever screen.
Water based inks are really good for a smooth finish that feels like the print has soaked into the fabric rather than sitting on top. These are tricky to work with from the start as the screen has to constantly be flooded to prevent ink drying and thus creating blocked pieces within your print.
Plastisol ink is the most commonly used and doesn't need to be constantly flooded as it doesn't dry that fast ! These do sit on top of fabric and if al ot of layers are used, it can feel bulky, however with the right screen mesh and artwork, they are the best and most affordable option.
There are other inks that allow you to print on poly-mailers, and other items that are not related to the fashion industry, and can cure just by them selves!

Film Positives

Digitising your designs for screen printing is just as important as digitising for embroidery. Your art work needs to be vectorised and perfect in order for the artwork to burn onto the screen and have crisp lines and edges.
Film positives are transparent sheets of paper which are used to print your design using black ink and then block out any UV light in the process of burning your screen to then reveal your design. Each colour of your design needs its own film positive unless you print a CYMK design and use only 4 screens !