Screen
Printing
Screen, Block (or Roller) and
Transfer Printing Techniques
Screen Printing
- 3 colour design using one screen per colour
Equipment
A 4 colour carousel for t shirts
A flat bed printer for fabric
A squeegee
A printing screen with polyester
mesh 90 threads per cm
One stencil per colour
Screen
Prints
Work by Andy Warhol, Laura McCafferty and a
part of a repeat for a furnishing design.
Advantages of
Screen Printing
Cheap to set up
Economical for short
to medium runs
Versatile will print
onto different
materials
Good for flat areas of
colour and line detail
Easy to repeat as
many times as
required
Disadvantages of
Screen Printing
One screen per colour
Image size limited to
size of screen
Difficult to register
complex designs
Time consuming for
long runs
Method In School
1. Produce one stencil per colour using thin stencil
paper or acetate.
2. Select the darkest one first.
3. Tape it face down onto a clean screen.
4. Place the screen in position onto fabric.
5. Spoon acrylic printing ink across the top of the
design.
6. Using a squeegee pull the ink towards you, once
gently to flood the screen and once smoothly and
firmly to push the ink through the mesh.
7. Repeat image as many times as required.
8. Take off stencil, wash up all equipment and leave the
print to dry.
9. Repeat for each colour registering the screen
carefully.
Differences In Industry
Larger screens used
Automated screen
registration
Purpose built tables,
carousels and rotary
beds to print onto.
More complex designs
with a greater number
of colours
Automated control of
squeegee
Faster more accurate
production
Block or Roller Printing
Equipment Needed
A block or roller
per colour with a
raised surface
into which the
design has been
carved or etched.
Printing Inks
A printing table or
surface
Block printed cloth
Roller Printing
Roller Printing
Advantages
Once set up its
very fast
Economical for
long runs
Complex designs
can be produced
Disadvantages
One roller required
per colour
Not economical for
short runs as its
expensive to set up.
Specialist equipment
required
Width of design
limited to width of
roller
Block Printing Methods In School
1. Create a raised surface on a piece of card or carve a
design into the surface of lino or suitable block material.
2. Roll out printing ink onto a flat palette, then transfer ink
to the surface of your block.
3. Press the block onto fabric or paper and repeat as
necessary.
TRANSFER PRINTING
Photographic images can be printed onto cottons or polyesters
Equipment Needed In Industry
TC TRANSFER PRINTING
CALENDERS
Dyes are transferred
from transfer paper to
textile by the effects of
heat.
This technology
assures a reliable and
compact system,
transfer printers allows
the required
temperature to be
maintained to within
only +/- 1C.
Twin transfer calender
to print up to 3200 mm
wide fabrics.
Method in school
EQUIPMENT
Flat iron (not steam)
Computer with Photoshop &
Propaint software
Ink jet printer
Transfer paper
Tracing or grease proof paper
Method in school
1. Edit image in Photoshop
2. Use Propaint to produce a repeat pattern A4 or smaller
3. Use ink jet printer to print onto transfer paper
4. Peel backing off
5. Place on fabric with tracing paper on top.
Iron to transfer the print.
Transfer Printing
Advantages
All colours can be
printed at once
Complex designs
can be produced
Good for prototypes
and short & medium
runs.
Designs can be
emailed to be
printed elsewhere
Disadvantages
Expensive to set up
industry
Expensive for long runs.
ICT equipment required.
Limited to size of printer
Transfer paper is
expensive
The final garment needs
to be treated carefully
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