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TABLE OF CONTENTS What is Screen-Printing?
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Timeline
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The History of Screen-Printing
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Basic to Advaced Techniques
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Current Uses of Screen-Printing
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Sources
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Colophon
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What is Screenprinting?
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creenprinting is a process of printing an image onto a substrate through woven mesh and an ink-blocking stencil. A squeegee is used to push ink through the open areas of the stencil and passed the threads of the mesh to create an image onto the substrate. Screenprinting is among one of the top three printing processes of all-time, the other two being Letterpress and Lithography. Screenprinting is also known as silk screen printing and serigraphy which is the combination of two Greek words, “seicros” meaning silk and “graphos”, meaning writing. From beginners to advanced printing professionals, screenprinting is fun and easy to learn which enables individuals to interact with the printing process first hand. Screenprinting primarily produces images in CMYK format when during in its development, people weren’t concerned about what colors to use. Screenprinting plays a big role in the printing and color world, but most people aren’t aware of this. Today, most of things we encounter are screen-printed such clothing, decals, posters, road signs, product labeling, coffee mugs, etc. — I will go more in depth on the topic in the ‘Everything in ScreenPrint’ Chapter of this book. The advantages of producing prints by screenprinting are its large areas of flat color, sharpness of edge, brilliance of color (in opaque as well as transparent ink), a mobility of image, quick color changes and general speed in setting up a print and in taking the edition. A poster being screen-printed
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The Hundreds Factory | Screenprinting apparel for their clothingline
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TIMELINE: S Song Dystany: China
Otto Mergenthaler: USA Samuel
J. Gutenberg: Europe
900: First Reported Screen Prints
1850-1880: Linotype
1907: First Patent 1450: Moveable Type
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SCREEN-PRINTING Computer: USA
John Pilsworth: USA Simon: USA
M.Vasilantone: USA
1960: Patent for Rotary Screen-Printing Machine 1910: Chemical Screen-Printing Process
ted Screen-Printing Process
1950: First Computer Debut
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The History of Screenprinting
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o one is certain when screenprinting first took shape, however it started to become noticed during the 900’s in China by the Song Dynasty. Even before then, examples of stenciling were found to be a common process by the ancient Chinese and Egyptians for decorating fabrics, wallpaper and walls. Later, Japan and other parts of Asia acquired the technique of screenprinting and started implementing the process on various substrates such as clothing and linens. The Japanese took a different approach of this process by using strands of human hair for the screen which worked shockingly well. Moreover, the results of this innovative procedure produced well-defined prints that people couldn’t tell the difference from original styles of printing. During the 18th Century, the development of screenprinting took its course in Europe, but wasn’t entirely praised until the 19th Century when the use of silk as a screen came to mind. As silk become widely accessible for trade, Germany and France started experimenting with ways of using the material as a stencil for screenprinting. This idea migrated its way towards England where a man named Samuel Simon believed silk screenprinting was the next big thing to happen in the printing world. Samuel Simon was an English craftsman who first patented silk screening in 1907. Simon studied the various reasons of using silk as a screen and found that it was quite durable and strong. Thus, after extensive use and great amounts of pressure, silk defeated any task it was given. “The Simon patent covered the use of the screen as a carrier for the stencil but did not include a squeegee. Simon used a bristle brush instead of a squeegee to force the paint through the silk”. The initial purpose of using the
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screenprinting process was to explore new colors and patterns for wallpapers and fabrics, but further became an advertising and commercial form of art in the United States Printing companies started to take notice of this process and practiced multiple techniques of screenprinting which they’ve kept for themselves due to competition. By the time the craft of screenprinting made its way to the U.S, the process became highly effective and much closer to being finalized. In 1910, printing professionals; Roy Beck, Charles Peter and Edward Owens experimented with chemicals that would enforce the process of screenprinting to produce photo-imaged stencils. According to Photoshoppemula. com, “This trio of developers would prove to revolutionize the commercial screen printing industry by introducing photo-imaged stencils to the industry, though the acceptance of this method would take many years. Commercial screen printing now uses sensitizers far safer and less toxic than bichromates, currently there are large selections of pre-sensitized and “user mixed” sensitized emulsion chemicals for creating photo-reactive stencils”. The materials that these individuals where testing with were available in stores which allowed others the chance to mimic this innovative method of screenprinting. A few years after, commercial artist, John Pilsworth of San Francisco, developed the mechanism of multicolor screenprinting. Pilsworth was granted a patent for screening several colors from a single screen which known as the Seletasine method and was developed into a prospering business. By the 1920’s, the first automatic screenprinting machine was patented. However, processors wouldn’t adapt to using them for specific reasons. First, the inks were not drying fast enough to keep up with the machine itself. Thus, the possibility of mass-producing prints by using this method was derailed. Secondly, even though the significance of having a machine do the work ten times faster was convenient, it wasn’t enough to produce prints that didn’t look like they were done manually. In result, the automatic screenprinting machine wasn’t capable of serving its purposes which left letterpress and lithographic printing the dominant processes in the printing world. Today, screenprinting is practiced all over the world and its methods has advanced gradually. Individuals are of computing their images through software such as Adobe Creative Suite which printers didn’t have the priviledge of using before.
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Basic to Advanced Techniques
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lthough screenprinting has various techniques, it is adaptable to all levels of professions. Whether you are beginner or enhancing your current skills, screenprinting can be a fun and experimental experience. The basic technique of screenprinting requires the proper set of tools which are a screen frame, ink, squeegee, printing base and stencil. In addition, all these products are available at a local hardware store or an online catalog. However, it is necessary to pick a specific kind of frame, inks and other materials that suit to your needs. Thus, this plays a big role on how your prints are going to turn out. Screenprinting is a D.I.Y (Do-It-Yourself) process which allows individuals to print right in the comfort of their home. The process may seem intimidating at first, but with practice and patience comes a successful reward. Furthermore, your first print may not be an Andy Warhol success, but you are one step closer to being a potential candidate. Once you have a familiar rhythm of basic screenprinting, it’s time to take a closer look into advance techniques. The advanced technique of screenprinting specifically focuses on the how the image is properly implemented and color execution. Full-color images are created by using the four-color process method which is also known as CMYK. In addition, black is added to fabricate depth and detail to the images. An advanced screen-printer is aware of how much of each color is distributed between each screen and how long the photo emulsion should be exposed. Nowadays, we have machines that can do all of these procedures for us. Printing companies have rotary screenprinting machines which can print up to 8 or more substrates at a faster speed. However, physically printing your own work can be a fun and rewarding experience which will leave you feeling proud and accomplished.
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Basic Screenprinting Materials
Standard process for Screenprinting
JJ Benji’s Rotary Screenprinting Machine
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Current Uses of Screenprinting “THe time of getting fame for your name on its own is over. Artwork that is only about wanting to be famous will never make you famous. Any fame is a by-product of making something that means something. You don’t go to a restaurant and order a meal because you want to have a shit.
” BANKSY
Screenprinting has changed its methods drastically over the years, but it is still one of the most common processes of printing today. In addition, screenprinting is a universal technique that is used all over the world. Graphic designers and interior designers base their mechanisms on screenprinting due to its richness in color and flexible system. Screenprinting tends to capture the essence and beauty of how everyday products are designed than other styles of printing. Screenprinting can be applied on numerous substrates such as wood, fabrics, glass, plastics and of course, paper. Even though, screenprinting has became a commercialized style, it also is seen as a form of art. Notable screen-printers include the infamous Andy Warhol (known for his characteristic piece of Marilyn Monroe), Shepard Fairy (creator of President Obama’s “Hope” poster), Banksy (mysterious genius known for his piece “Love Is In The Air”) and Jim Fitzpatrick (artist of the Che Guevara screen-print).
Screen-printed apparel
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SOURCES Book
Biegeleisen, J. I. “Brief History Of The Process.” The Complete Book of Silk Screen Printing Production. New York: Dover Publications, 1963. 1-3. Print. Elliott, Brian. “Historical.” Silk-Screen Printing. Oxford UP, 1971. 11. Print.
Web
“The History of Screen Printing.” » Photoshop Pemula. Web. 27 Mar. 2012. <http://photoshoppemula.com/the-history-ofscreenprinting>. Lafler, Steve. “Advanced Screen Printing Techniques.” EHow. Demand Media, 19 Mar. 2011. Web. 27 Mar. 2012. <http:// www.ehow.com/info_8080821_advanced-screenprinting-techniques.html>. “Serigraphy, Screen Prints, Art,.” EarthLink®. Web. 27 Mar. 2012. <http://home.earthlink.net/~intothewoods/id28.html>.
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COLOPHON Booklet fully designed on a Desktop running Windows 7
Adobe Creative Suite CS5.5 Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Indesign, Acrobat X Pro Typefaces Adobe Garamond Pro, Arvil, League Gothic Paper Hammermill Text 7inch X 14inch 24lb Hammermill Cover 7inch X 14inch 65lb Output San Francisco State University Copy Center
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Anthony Buada Spring 2012 DAI 322.2 Design And Industry Department San Francisco State University