Screen preparation includes a number of steps. First the client provides the screen printer by objects, photographs, text, ideas, or concepts of come again? they wish to have printed.
The printer must then transfer a “picture” of the artwork (also called “copy”) to be printed into an “image” (a picture on film) which can then be processed plus eventually second-hand to prepare the screen stencil.
One time the artwork is transferred to a positive image that determination be chemically processed onto the screen fabric (applying the emulsion or stencil) plus eventually mounted onto a screen frame to be then attached to the printing press and production begins.
Screen Printing Presses
There are three kinds of screen printing presses. The flat-bed (probably the majority widely used), cylinder, and rotary..
Until relatively recently every one screen printing presses were manually operated. At the present, however, nearly all commercial and industrial screen printing is done on single and multicolor automated presses.
Screen Reclamation (post-press)
Why reclaim screens?
Polyester fabric costs $10-40 per square yard.
Failure to get back screens and ruined screens cost on average $5,000-$10,000 per year. The average monthly cloth cost $360. One study showed chemical reclamation price between 2 plus 10 dollars per average screen, as screen disposal cost just shy of 50 dollars.
The process of reclaiming screens generates solvent waste plus waste water. Solvent waste generated from screen cleaning and waste water is generated through the process of emulsion removal. The waste water resolve contain particulates comprised of ink pigment, emulsion plus emulsion remover (periodate).
Screen Printing Inks
Screen printing inks are fairly viscous inks which exhibit different properties when compared to other printing inks such as offset, gravure plus flexographic inks though they have similar basic compositions (pigments, solvent carrier, toners, and emulsifiers). There are five different types of screen ink to comprise solvent, water, plus solvent plastisol, water plastisol, and UV curable.