Custom Screen Printing

Screen printing first appeared in China nearly a thousand years ago, and eventually arrived in Western Europe in the late 1700′s.  Screen printing was first patented in England, and was originally used to create wall paper.  The Screen printed t-shirt seems to have emerged in the mid 1940′s during world war II.   Since then, screen printing is still the most cost effective method of transferring multicolor designs on large quantities of shirts or other media.

The screen printing process is largely unchanged since the earliest days, a screen is stretched across a frame made of wood or aluminum, and areas of the screen are blocked off with a non-permeable material to form a stencil, a negative of the desired image.   The article to be printed on is then placed underneath the screen, and ink is forced through the screen in an even pattern onto the medium.   Additional screens can apply more colors to the image, making a more colorful design.

Modern Machines and methods, such as automatic rotary presses, have sped up the process of screen printing, and new ink compounds have given us more options in imagery, but the principle is the same.   Screen printing is a cost effective, versatile method for producing art or unique garments.

If you’d like to know more about the process or equipment needed to develop your screen printed t-shirts, call us at: 800.267.4914