Silk Screening

Also known as screen printing and serigraphy, silk screening is a technique used in printing, which involves the use of a very finely woven silk screen mesh and an ink-blocking stencil. In the method of screen printing when the ink is passed through this screen (with the help of a squeegee), the mesh which has an image or design made in a particular way, is pressed against the surface (to be printed on), and the design is printed. The screen used for holding the design mesh can either be made from silk or any other fine material, but is usually silk and thus, it is commonly known as silk screening.

The prints which are created can be made on various types of materials like fabrics, paper, wallpapers, etc. and can be used as a wonderful creation of fine arts in interior decorating, on clothes, or as paintings. Even though there is one basic process of doing this, there are many alteration in the techniques used. So, take a look and find out some ideas and tips in the paragraphs mentioned below.

Silk Screening: How to Print With It

As it is considered to be one of the easiest and elegant ways of printing, silk screening or screen printing can be used in arts and crafts for children as well as adults. If you want to make a painting, design a tablecloth or a bed sheets, or even print a pillow cover the easiest option can be to buy a plain cloth and print a design on it at home! There are various designs and ideas found in these stencils which can be printed with different color combinations and schemes. So, if you too want to learn silk screening at home, take a look at the following steps put together just for you.

Materials Needed

• Clean screen
• Squeegee
• Ink
• Emulsion
• Transparency (film) of image desired

Directions

• The first step of these silk screening tips for printing is to coat the screen which you have with a photo sensitive emulsion. This step should be carried out in a dark place because the emulsion is light-sensitive. After coating the screen, place it in a place where there is not much light.
• The next step includes the transparency that has the desired image on it, which needs to be placed on the outer portion of the screen. While placing it on the screen, keep the right side down and stick it on the screen with a clear tape.
• Now, expose the screen to direct light so that the image on the transparency burns and imprints itself on the light-sensitive emulsion. This step is very important as every detail of your image has to be captured on the emulsion, so that when the squeegee is run over the screen, the image comes out well and undistorted.
• After this, remove the clear tape carefully and peel out the transparency slowly, and wash it with water. Then with a spray water bottle, gently rinse out the image from the screen, so that the outline of the image is free from any emulsion. Keep the screen aside to dry after this entire process is done.
• Once the screen has dried, tape up all the edges of the screen, because in the next step, you will be adding the ink so there might be chances of leakage. These are also used in the silk screening machines which are used professionally. If the screen has holes near the pin holes, the ink can run down the screen and spoil the design, so make sure all these pin holes are sealed well. Also verify whether the emulsion has been washed out from every part of the image so that there are no distorted areas in the outline of the picture while printing.
• Now place the screen over the fabric, paper or the desired surface for the print and pour the ink over the screen. With the help of a squeegee, spread the ink all across the screen more than once so that there is a clear print of the image formed on the surface. Do not separate the screen and surface at this time, as the exact location of the image might be lost.
• Once you are sure the image is printed, remove the screen and let the image and the surface dry for a few hours. You can make various attractive designs and cool images with these silk screen supplies on shirts, linens, walls etc., with this silk screening technique.

Now that you known how useful and easy it is to practice silk screening on your own, hope you have found yourself a new hobby! Well, then get to work and come up with great ideas for the same.