LESSON 13
THE BASICS OF SCREEN PRINTING
STRUCTURE 13.0 OBJECTIVES 13.1 INTRODUCTION 13.2 HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF SCREEN PRINTING 13.3 THE BASICS OF SCREEN PRINTING 13.3.1 FEATURES AND CAPABILITIES OF SCREEN PRINTING 13.3.2 W HAT MAKES SCREEN PRINTING DIFFERENT
13.4 ASSIGNMENTS 13.4.1 CLASS ASSIGNMENTS 13.4.2 HOME ASSIGNMENTS
13.5 SUMMING UP 13.6 POSSIBLE ANSWERS TO SELF-CHECK QUESTIONS 13.7 TERMINAL QUESTIONS 13.8 REFERENCES AND SUGGESTED FURTHER READING 13.9 GLOSSARY
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13. THE BASICS OF SCREEN PRINTING The role of a textile designer is to prepare designs for ornamentation of fabrics. Screen printing is one of the most specialized techniques of creating wonderful designs on textiles. In this lesson, we will be studying the screen printing technique for surface designing. So that screen-printed fabrics, as shown in Fig.13.1, can be produced.
13.0 Objectives After going through this lesson, you will be able to know about: •
The historical background of screen printing process
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The employment opportunities in the area of screen Printing.
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The basics of screen printing.
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What makes screen printing different. Fig. 13.1 Screen Printed Fabric
13.1 Introduction Screen-printing can be pursued as a hobby or can also be developed into a business, as there is always a market for exclusive items. Besides selling the fabric, there is also the potential for designing and making up items such as banners, cards, posters,
key chain clothing, bed linen, table linen, and soft furnishings etc. Apart from the opportunity to earn livelihood while still being at home, working with colours and fabrics is so fascinating and satisfying that one can barely keep away from the laboratories, looking at magazines and books for new ideas, or devising new Fig. 13.2 Screen printed textiles ways of overcoming design or printing problems. The creative challenge of screen-printing seems never-ending (Fig. 13.2).
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13.2 Historical Background of Screen Printing Screen printing is basically an offshoot of the stenciling process of craftsmanship of which the Japanese have been supreme masters for hundreds of years, creating amazingly intricate and beautiful designs. They developed a means of applying stencils to a fine silk mesh, a technique that became the foundation of modern screen-printing. Towards the end of the 19th century, Japan was quite advanced in the technique of screen printing. In 1907, a framed screen with a stencil attached was first patented in England. The idea was quickly seized upon and soon exploited commercially for printing posters, displays and advertisements. In the 1920s designers began to realize the importance of this method. Exclusive designs could be screen-printed faster. The same trend is noticeable today. Many entrepreneurs are doing small material screen printing for a unique range of articles. Today design preparation provides a large number of opportunities in textile mills for artists, tracers, camera technicians and layout personnel who may be employed in preparing the artwork of design for printing. Every screen-printing operation is dependent on the quality of screen. Therefore, it is necessary to train and gain knowledge in screen making and stencil preparation. Printing operations employ a set of specialists, dye paste makers and printing operators, to complete the printing process. Finishing procedures often require manpower for cutting, trimming, inspection, packaging and shipping of finished goods. There are also careers in the administration and management of screen-printing business, to attend to the sale and delivery of finished products.
13.3 The Basics of Screen Printing Screen-printing is a process (Fig. 13.3), which looks very complicated at first, but is actually very simple once you make a start. A versatile printing technique that is widely used, it can be applied to a wide variety of patterns or to almost any surface from bottles and circuit boards to wallpaper and textiles.
Fig. 13.3 Screen printing process
Its basic principles are simple. To begin with, a screen is made by stretching fabric on to a frame. There are different screen bolting fabrics that may be used-from silk and nylon to polyester and organdie. The framing material is usually wood or tubular aluminum which is designed to secure the fabric.
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Once the fabric is stretched and attached to the frame, a stencil is required to complete the screen. Blocking out portions of the screen fabric and leaving other areas open produces a stencil. The areas left open allow print paste to pass through the screen which results in a printed image. To complete the procedure, the screen is kept over the material to be printed, the printing paste is applied to the screen and the printing process is completed with the aid of a squeegee. A squeegee is a flexible rubber blade attached to a wooden handle. Downward pressure is applied to the squeegee as it is drawn across the screen. This forces the paste to pass through the open areas of the fabric and produces a screen-printed image.
Self-check Questions 1. Which material is generally used for making the frames for manual screen printing? (a) Wood
(b) Aluminium
(c) Metal
(d) all of the above
2. Name some of the items, which you can make with the help of Screen Printing. 3. What is the use of squeegee in the screen printing technique? 13.3.1 Features and capabilities of screen printing •
It is simple to operate and does not require expensive equipment. New patterns can be developed quickly and without initial experience. Screen can be produced cheaply, e.g. a 12”X14” wooden frame may cost approximately Rs.18.
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A variety of fabrics can be printed easily.
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This method is economical in production and less labour oriented than block printing.
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Larger repeats are possible.
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Many colours can be used.
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Prints are brighter and more intense and appear natural (Fig. 13.4).
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Fig 13.4 Bright & clear prints
Sharp lines, effects and fine mesh effects can be produced easily.
Activity 1. Draw and sketch ten designs on paper on three or four themes, keeping the colour palette and the end use of each of them in mind, (e.g. The theme ‘Sea 146
Beach’ will have a colour palette of beige, golden-yellow, sea-green, aqua blue, turquoise-blue and coral). 13.3.2 What makes screen printing different? Screen-printing has many characteristics that make it a unique printing process. These characteristics have also contributed to the industry’s continued growth. For example, screen-printing requires very low setting-up cost. Due to the small initial investment required, screen-printing appeals to numerous schools, social groups and entrepreneurs for vocational training and self-employment. The screen-printing process can achieve results, which may not be achieved by other printing techniques. For example, the colour coverage possible through screenprinting allows for colour brilliance and capacity. Another significant advantage of screen-printing over other principal methods is found in the flexibility of this process. The screen-printing process is very flexible and cost effective, than other printing techniques.
13.4 Assignments 13.4.1 Class assignments i) Collect materials that can be screen printed. Print at least one such material. 13.4.2 Home assignments i) Look for some screen printed materials in the market and observe them.
13.5 Summing Up Screen printing is a manual method of applying colour locally. It is a versatile printing technique which is widely used; it can apply a variety of patterns to almost any surface, from bottles and circuit boards to wall paper and textiles. The importance of hand screen printing as an industry is that it affords the creative and imaginative designer the means of putting on cloth extremely varied ideas and effects (Fig. 13.5). Fig. 13.5 Girl wearing screen printed fabric
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13.6 Possible Answers to Self-check Questions 1. A 2. Posters, banners, Cards, Key Chains, Cushions, Bedsheets, Bed Cover, Table Cloth, and Furnishings etc. 3. The use of the squeegee is to push the printing paste through the mesh on to the fabric.
13.7 Terminal Questions 1. Describe briefly the process of screen printing? 2. Compare the screen printing method with other methods of printing you have read so far. 3. Write about the historical background of screen printing process. 4. Write the advantages of screen-printing. 5. What are the career opportunities in screen printing?
13.8 References and Suggested Further Reading 1. Allen, J. 1980. Colour Craft. The Hamlin Publishing Group Ltd, England. 2. Bhatnagar, P. 2000. Screen Printing Techniques for Unemployed Educated Women. Govt. of India, Ministry of SSI & ARI, New Delhi. 3. Browne, T. (Ed.) 1977. Dyeing & Printing. Excalibur Books. 4. Clarke, W. 1974.An Introduction to Textile Printing. 4th Ed. Newness Butterworth, U.K. 5. Miles, L. W. C. (Ed.). 1981. Textile Printing. Dyers Co. Publication Trust, U.K. 6. Storey, J. 1979. Manual of Textile Printing. Thames and Hudson, London. 7. Yates, M. Textiles: A Handbook for Designers. W.W. Norton & Co., New York.
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13.9
Glossary
1.
Entrepreneur
A person who undertakes a personal venture
2.
Fascinating
Attractive
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Ornamentation
Decoration
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Potential
Powerful
5.
Vocational
Occupation oriented
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