Silk screen printing is one of the latest printing technologies that have been introduced in the market. As the name suggests, it is mostly used in cloth related prints i.e. in textile industry. It is used in the artistic sector where printing of the ink is applied on t-shirts, bags, wrapping clothes, balloons and tote bags. Although it is considered to be a very demanding printing technique presently but the way and the process it is need experience and should be professional. There are many instruments needed for the task and some of them are as followed-
- Printing frame, the main tool
- Mesh, movable woven fabric
- A rubber blade or squeegee
- Inks like acrylic or oil based colored inks
- Tape, which is used to prevent ink from leaking
- Spatulas to remove the excess ink coating after drying of the fabric
- Towels, used to prevent slipping of the fabric
Using these kind of tools, the process of silk screen printing can be made possible and with right procedures. The use of these tools would be very helpful in the process and missing of any of tools might not lead to correct printing. Nowadays, different designers prefer this kind of printing because of certain reasons which would benefit both the designer and the retailer. Some of the pros to mention are-
- more productive than any other kind of printing
- cheaper
- tools used and not so expensive and easily washable
- can be used over many kinds of surfaces like cloth fabrics, metals, glass and plastic
- the ink used in this printing method can withstand regular washing and pressure of water
Thus, printing can be done easily at home as well with correct and precise technique and details for the procedure. This kind of process needs a lot of patience and control. These are cost efficient. Although the process needs time to complete but at the end, the results are extraordinary and fabulous.