Screen Printing

The process of screen printing paper and fabric is very similar, but what are the differences:

• Printing on the different stocks, fabric is absorbent and the ink soaks into it, where as with the paper the ink tends to sit on top of the stock. When the ink is not absorbed in the case of paper, the screen needs to be raised 3-5mm off the paper so not to smudge the image this is called Off-Contact.
• The mesh count of the weave is very important, this refers to the tightness of the weave. A higher mesh count means the fibres of the mesh are closer together and a lower count means the fibres are more loosely woven, so more ink can pass through the screen. If you are printing on paper, you want a screen with a mesh count of about 230. A screen that tight will allow you to print images with finer details and thinner lines. Since fabric is generally more absorbent than paper, you need a screen that lets through more ink when printing on t-shirts, totebags, or anything cloth. For fabric printing, you should use a screen with a mesh count of 110 or 160.