Who would have ever imagined back in the early 1900’s when screen printing was invented as an industrial technology that one day this process of squeezing ink through a mesh screen stencil onto a substrate would evolve into one of the most widely used processes to decorate custom apparel and a multitude of other items?

The screen printing process is a wonderful way to decorate apparel, mugs, mouse pads, hats and more.  However, I imagine that most of us associate screen printing with custom t-shirts.  What better way to express yourself, advertise your event or promote your business than with a t-shirt that has been totally customized just for you?

The screen printing process itself has probably not changed much over the years although many additives have been created that embellish screen printing.

Once screen print art has been created, it is prepared for printing.  The graphic artist prints each layer of the art (each ink color) onto a transparent overlay film.  The film is placed over an emulsion-coated mesh screen, and then exposed with an ultraviolet light.  The UV light passes through the clear areas and creates a hardening of the emulsion.  The screen is thoroughly washed.  The areas of emulsion that were not exposed to light dissolve and wash away, leaving a negative stencil of the image on the mesh.

The screen is then “set up” on a printing press, locked in place over the item to be printed and ink is pulled through the screen with a squeegee depositing a layer of ink onto the garment.  This step is repeated with each color until the complete design is printed on the shirt.  The shirt is then removed and placed on a conveyor belt that carries the shirt through a dryer set at temperature and conveyor speed that will cure the ink.  Once the ink has been cured, the shirt can be laundered and enjoyed for many years.