Did you know screen printing first appeared during the Song Dynasty (960-1279 AD) in China? It’s a printing technique where a mesh stencil is used to apply layers of different colored inks onto fabric. If you’re ordering darker fabrics and want to make sure your logo pops against the background, screen printing is the way to go due to the thickness of the ink, which results in brighter colors.
In screen printing, an image is transferred onto the product – often a garment – by squeegeeing ink through the holes of a silk screen in the shape of your design. The screen stencil is created using a hard gelatin-like liquid emulsion. First, the emulsion is spread over the screen and dried. Your logo is applied to the emulsion by a printer and then exposed to UV light, which hardens the substance everywhere except the design.
Screen printing is ideal for soft fabric surfaces or products with hard, even surfaces such as t-shirts, tote bags, and pens.