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PRINT NZ HELPING HAND: SCREEN PRINTING DELIVERS QUALITY AND VALUE TO PRINT BUYERS
Screen printing delivers quality and value to print buyers
Timeless process remains at the forefront of print industry innovation.
IAIN MACINTYRE
Screen printing, a process which reportedly dates to the Chinese Song dynasty of 960-1279, continues to produce bespoke, high quality work that other forms of print cannot replicate.
Understood to have spread to Western Europe by the late 18th Century, today this sometimes overlooked sector of the industry provides value to discerning print buyers.
Artrite Screen Printing managing director Glenn Taylor, whose firm’s high quality work claimed the prestigious 2023 Pride In Print Supreme Award, considers the process to have particular strengths in versatility, colour vibrancy and affordability.
He says, “We have the ability to print small or large formats on many surfaces and substrates, all shapes and sizes, to a very high quality. Having the ability to laydown solid layers, we can achieve many looks, metallics, fluoros, high glosses, and glitters, to name a few.
“We can print high quality photo process reproductions as well as solid spot Pantone colours, with UV lightfast inks. This makes our process durable and able to withstand outdoor environments without fading. No other process can match this.
“We offer clients a strong, longer lasting product for their investment. And in screen printing, the setup costs are the same for small or long runs. This means the longer the runs, the unit price reduces dramatically, offering better pricing on large volumes.”
Dylan Southan, director at Southan Print, endorses Glenn’s sentiments, emphasising how screen printing commands a strong demand for jobs that other printing processes can’t achieve. He says, “An example of this is how we print a number of outdoor signs that could require a vibrant orange. CMYK digital couldn’t get the same result or cosmetic finish.
“We can adjust this manually by printing our ink through a coarser mesh to get a heavier laydown and add a stronger pigment into the ink to give it more punch.
“Screen printing still has a strong place in the printing industry as it is becoming more of a niche form or style of printing.”
Top Kiwi quality
At Colour Evolution, general manager Mike Mossman says that the process is not only here to stay but is also thriving globally for the most part. He says, “Screen printing as a process from a
consumer perspective has a distinctive feel, longevity, opacity and often solves problems with mechanical stretch, adhesion, UV stability and washability, and delivers cost savings in long runs that digital can’t.
“Companies are investing in new machinery development and automation, and it is the decoration of choice on hundreds of thousands of different substrates.”
Having spent considerable time overseas attending tradeshows and conducting print business transactions, Mike says New Zealand screen printers produce world class quality. He explains, “On the knowledge, machinery and consumables side, we draw from Europe, the United States and Asia and, being far away from the suppliers, we have developed our own training and standards, driven by a market that is possibly the fussiest in the world.
“So, our line in the sand in terms of quality is higher. We decorate a far more diverse range of products and are far more flexible than big countries that can afford to be more niche. Doing so many more items to such a high standard of print quality has meant our skillset and equipment has to be top notch.”
Dylan adds, “I do feel as Kiwis, we take quite a lot of pride in the quality of what we are producing, as we are much smaller in comparison to volumes in other countries. It is great to see what is still getting produced in our country within the screen printing sector.”
However, he laments that the process is sometimes overlooked in favour of other forms of print which may have the allure of significant recent technological advancement. He says, “For example, there could be a job that the end customer is looking to produce that would naturally go to digital CMYK, but it could actually be cheaper, and a better result screen printed.
“This could be a signage job, decals or corflute, in which the artwork is two colours and a quantity of 1000. This would be more cost-effective to be screen printed for the volume and the print would be much more durable with better density and longevity for the spot colours themselves.
“The advanced range of substrates coming through the market is also exciting to see. It gives us an opportunity to think outside the square to get better results to deliver to customers that are more sustainable."
Noting the range of variables that screen printers master in their process, Mike concurs that the sector remains in good stead. He says, “There are not really other options for decoration in many instances. So, it is here to stay and will continue to grow, even if it’s in a business that offers multiple forms of decoration.
“Constant marketing of the digital process lends some print buyers to potentially forget that screen printing is here and still a very viable option.
“Our quality and colours are ‘in’ and superb, and we are very competitive on price. A lot of people think that all we can produce is t-shirts. This is far from the reality. We can still screen print high quality photo images using the CMYK method.”
Constant evolution
Glenn Taylor emphasises that New Zealand screen printing firms are constantly evolving and still learning.
He says, “As a company, we are always finding and working on new techniques and methods, from prepress through to print, to offer visual effects and looks that others can’t achieve. Development for us is also reintroducing to the market what our capabilities are, re-educating people on the benefits of screen printing.”
Acknowledging that the screen printing process is one of the oldest printing styles around, Dylan says, “There is still good technology going into screen printing machines, such as self-registering print heads and automatic inline machines.
“As screen printing is still a manual style of printing, the craft remains the same. At Southan Print, we are using more eco-friendly inks such as water-based. Customer feedback is they are loving the sustainability.”
Similarly, Colour Evolution continues to invest heavily in the latest screen printing accessories and consumables such as jigs, clamping systems, special effects inks and stock substrates. Additionally, the company actively pursues new, cutting edge machinery, alongside an ongoing realignment of its business model.
Mike Mossman says, “Colour Evolution has always been at the leading edge of technology and some of our machines have high specifications. Some are among the first couple of dozen manufactured globally.
“However, in terms of the essence of the print form, my team members still really enjoy screen printing as a process. Screen printing comes down to the skill level of the operator. It is more of a craft and hands on style of printing. So, when you get to the result of a job, it is quite rewarding to see what you have brought together, especially if it is a multi-colour printed job.
“Having been in the screen printing sector for a long time, I also feel training is definitely important in our trade. It is awesome to see young trainees still coming through to learn the art.”
Screen apprenticeships
A full screen printing apprenticeship remains available in New Zealand. Ruth Cobb, chief executive of PrintNZ, says,
“The screen printing apprenticeship reinforces the skill that is involved in this special sector of our industry.
“The high quality and distinctive work that screen printing produces remains much in demand in this country and globally. This fact is no better evidenced than by virtue of five outstanding screen printing jobs having claimed the coveted Supreme Award over the Pride In Print Awards’ 31-year history, including as recently as last year.
“Screen printing is a special, niche sector of our industry and it should not be underestimated.”
