Intro to Screen Printing
Screen printing is a technique where a mesh is used to transfer ink onto a printing material (textile or piece of paper). A stencil is used to block the ink in certain areas that form the design.
Conventional Screen Printing Materials
The most common method of creating a stencil is with a polyester emulsion. This process requires special equipment so in this class we’ll be making stencils by hand using paper or acetate.
Example of screen emulsion
Conventional screen printing inks are usually either plastisol or water-based and mixed with a pigment to create the colour, or they come pre-mixed.
Plastisol inks are PVC based and sit on top of the fabric whereas water-based inks sink into the fabric and have a softer texture when handled. For dark coloured garments, discharge inks are also often used, which remove the shirt's dye before applying the desired color on top
Many of these conventional inks contain hazardous chemicals and require harsh solvents to clean the screens after printing. Water-based inks and plant-derived pigments require less chemicals and can be more eco friendly to use.
In section 2, we’ll dive into more details about how to create a motif, turning your design into a stencil and step by step instructions for printing with our natural indigo ink.