General Information About Printing
Welcome to the nuts and bolts side of the process. Anyone who is fascinated
with mechanical or industrial processes should find ours to be engaging in
its outward simplicity and inner complexity. This section should be helpful
whether you are just a curious student who wants to print some shirts for
your dorm or are an executive nervous about contracting half of your company's
promotional budget to some swamp Yankee with a squeegee. This guide is not
intended to delve into all of the finer points of the craft but give a concise
and complete overview.
Below is a rudimentary synopsis of the process with links to the more detailed
explanations.
Screen printing begins by creating the artwork, which is comprised of a piece
of clear film that has the image to be printed
in black. The screen is created by stretching
thin but durable fabric over a wood or metal frame. The fabric is then coated
with a light sensitive emulsion. The film is
taped to the screen and exposed to a bright
light. The dark areas of the film block the light from hitting the areas
of the screen that are to print, and the transparent areas allow a photo-chemical
reaction to harden the emulsion. When the screen is rinsed with water the
emulsion washes out of the areas that are intended to print. The screen is
then clamped into a frame that holds it steady
while printing. Ink is forced through the
fabric by the use of a rubber bar, called a
"squeegee", that is pulled across the stencil,
and the shirt is held in place by adhering it to a flat board with spray
adhesive. Once the inks have been applied the shirt is placed on a conveyor
belt that cycles it through a dryer. The dryer fuses the components of the
ink together, causing it to become "cured"
and durable. Then you put it on and scream really loud because it is still
about 900 degrees.
All material designed and copyrighted by
Mirror Image, Inc.
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