How a Silk Screen Printer Works
How a Silk Screen Printer Works
A silk screen printer is someone who uses a technique called photo-reactive stenciling to print designs on fabric and other items.silk screen printer The printing process uses a mesh-covered frame and various stencil patterns that include shapes, words, and images. The printer rests the screen above a canvas, like a shirt or paper, and pushes ink through the stencil using a squeegee. This creates the desired image on the canvas. Specialty inks are often used for silk screen printing, as they tend to be more resistant to fading and wear than standard inks.
The first step in creating a screen for silk screening is to print the required design onto a transparent acetate film.silk screen printer This film is then coated with a light-reactive material, called emulsion. There are different types of emulsion, such as Diazo and SBQ-based, which vary in their cure time, price, and suitability for use in creating complex prints.
Once the emulsion has been coated, the screen is placed into a dark room and left to sit for a short period of time. When the time is up, the acetate film and the emulsion are separated. The areas of the emulsion that are covered by the acetate film will have hardened, but those that remain exposed will be washed away. This leaves the screen with a stencil of the required design for the printer to use in creating the prints.
Each color of a screen-printed item requires a separate screen. This is because the emulsion used to coat the screens can only harden in one direction, so the acetate film must be positioned in exactly the right way for each colour of the final product. This is a labor intensive process.
After each colour has been printed, the screens are cleaned before the next application of emulsion is made. The squeegee is also washed at this point, as it will have been used to apply the ink to the screen and must be clean to make sure that it applies an even coat of paint across the entire surface of the object.
A squeegee is a rubber blade attached with a long wooden, metal, or plastic handle. The printer will usually select a squeegee that is the same size as the frame of the screen. This will give the best coverage and ensure that all the nooks and crannies of the stencil receive ink. The printer may also choose a firmer squeegee for detailed prints, as it will help to ensure that all the lines of the design are sharp and clearly defined. A softer squeegee is often used for simpler prints or when printing on fabrics that are not too thick or dense, such as cotton.
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