Screen Printing
2021.09.22
What is screen printing?
The traditional screen printing is to stretch the silk
fabric, synthetic fiber fabric or metal wire mesh onto the screen frame, then make
the screen-printing plates with hand-carved paint film or photochemical
plating-making. The present screen printing technique is the method of photoengraving
on the photosensitive materials.
The screen Printing Process in Honpe Workshop
The theory of screen printing
Screen
printing consists of 5 elements, silk printing plate, scratchboard, ink,
printing desk and carriers. The carriers mean the artwork we would like to print,
like paper, glass, ceramics, plastics, wood, etc.
The
theory of screen printing is to sink the ink onto the carrier via the mesh
hole, while the ink can’t sink onto the non-image-text areas of the carriers. At
the beginning of printing, pour the ink onto one end of the plate, use the
scratchboard to move to the other end with pressure. During the moving process,
the ink is squeezed onto the carrier.
The ink is fixed in a certain range thank to its stickiness. The
scratchboard is always in line contact with the screen plate and the substrate,
the moving contact line moves with the scratchboard. Because there is a certain
gap between the screen plate and the carrier, so that the printing of the
screen plate through its own tension and produce a reaction force on the scratchboard,
and the force is called resilience.
Because of the resilience, the printing plate and the carriers
are in line contact, and the other parts of the plate is separated from the
carrier, ensuring the printing dimensional accuracy and avoid any containment
onto the carrier. When the scratchboard is lifted after it moves to the other
end, while the screen plate is also lifted, and the ink is gently scraped back
to the initial position. This is a whole printing run.
The advantages of screen printing:
1. Not limit
to the size and shape of the carrier;
2. The plate
is soft with low pressure;
3. Powerful
adhesion onto the carriers;
4. A wide series
of inks are suitable;
5. Little
fade with sunshine so no need of the extra lamination;
6. Flexible
printing methods;
7. Convenient
printing-plate making, eco-friendly cost and easy-to-master technology;
8. Printed both
manually or by machine;
9. Long-time
exhibition, especial effect for outdoor ads.
The applications of screen printing:
The screen
printing is of low cost, bright colors, long storage, short lead time, so it is
adopted by more and more industries. Oil paintings, prints, posters, business
cards, binding covers, product packaging, commodity signage, printing and
dyeing textiles, glass and metal and other flat surfaces.
1. Paper
printing: art printing, logo printing, transfer printing, package printing,
construction material printing, etc.
2. Plastic
printing: Soft plastic film, plastic scale plate, instrument parts, etc.
3. Wood
printing: wooden craft, semi-finished products, etc.
4. Metal printing
5. Glasswork
and ceramic printing
6. PCBs
7. Textile printing and dyeing
8. Leather
printing
At Honpe, screen printing is a key element of our surface treatments. We are pleased to work with clients to create or reproduce the markings or logos that best meet their needs. Please reach out with your inquiries.