Screen-Printing Technique

The image to be printed is first colour separated using specialised software and each colour is reproduced in black on a sheet of acetate using an ink-jet printer. Each sheet is then placed in turn over mesh screens which have been coated with a photo-reactive emulsion and exposed with ultraviolet light. The UV light passes through the clear areas and creates a polymerisation (hardening) of the emulsion. The screens are then washed off and the areas of emulsion that were not exposed to light dissolve and wash away, leaving a negative stencil image on each mesh.


After the screens are dry they are clamped in place on the printing press...

A manual M & R 'Chameleon' Screen-Printing press -  we use the same model in the work-shop for small to medium print runs

The screens are then lined up (registered) and in turn lowered over the garments to be printed. Squeegees are used to force the different coloured inks through the open areas of the mesh on to the desired area.


When the design has been printed the garment is placed in a 'tunnel' dryer that is set to a specific speed and temperature for the ink to cure so it will not wash off the garment.


Click here for our screen-printing prices