WHAT IS SCREEN PRINTING
Screen printing is one of the early methods of printing. It involves the passing of ink or any other printing medium through a mesh or ‘screen’ that has been stretched on a frame, and to which a stencil has been applied. The stencil openings determine the image that will thus be imprinted.
HISTORY OF SCREEN PRINTING
Screen printing was a technique first used by the Chinese almost 2000 years ago. They used human hair stretched across a wooden frame to form the screen. To that they attached a stencil made from leaves stuck together into different shapes. This was probably the first application of screen printing ever.
Subsequently, the Japanese adopted the screen printing process and used woven silk to make the mesh and lacquers to make stencils. The use of silk is where screen printing got its alternative name – Silk screening or silk screen printing.
In 1907, it was Samuel Simon near Manchester who patented the first ever industrial screen printing process. Many years later close to the First World War, John Pilsworth of San Francisco developed the Selectasine method, which basically introduced the concept of multi-color printing using the same screen. Different areas on the screen were blocked out for different color inks, thus resulting in a multi-colored image. This technique became hugely popular for printing signs and posters in large quantities.
From using hair to silk to polymer meshes, screen printing has come a long way today. The basic technique remains the same but with innovation and the introduction of electronics and computers, screen printing is no longer recognizable as the technique Simon patented.
If you are looking for sublimation printing, Pennline offer a high quality screen printing service across a full range of prducts. Please call or contact our team today to discuss your requirements.
