Guide de l’équipement de sérigraphie

Guide de l’équipement de sérigraphie

To get a clean, sharp print, a screen printer needs to have the right tools for the job. Here, we’ll talk about every piece of screen printing equipment, including what function they serve during the printing process.

Screen printing Press
While it is possible to screen print with just a mesh screen and a squeegee, most printers prefer to use a press, as it allows them to print lots of items more efficiently. This is because the press holds the screen in place between prints, making it easier for the user to swap out the paper or clothing being printed.

There are three types of press: manual, semi-automatic, and automatic. Manual presses are operated by hand, meaning they’re quite labour intensive. Semi-automatic presses are partially mechanised, but still require human input to swap over the items being pressed, while automatic presses are completely automated and require little to no input.

Businesses that need to print items in large quantities will normally use a semi- or fully automatic press, as this allows faster, more efficient printing and minimises mistakes. Smaller companies, or those who do screen printing as a hobby, might find that a manual table-top press (sometimes called a ‘handbench’ press) is better suited to their needs.

The Inks
The ink, pigment or paint is pushed through the mesh screen and onto the item being printed, transferring a coloured imprint of the stencil design onto the product.

There’s much more to choosing an ink than just picking a colour. There are lots of specialist inks, which can be used to create different effects on the finished product. For instance, a printer may use glittery inks, texturised inks, or puff inks (which expand to create a raised surface) to create a unique look or feel. The printer will also take into account the type of fabric being screen printed, as some inks will work better on certain materials than others.

When printing clothing, printers will use a type of ink which becomes machine washable once it has been heat-treated and set. This produces a colourfast, long-wearing item that can be worn again and again.

The Silk Screen
The silk screen in silk screen printing is a metal or wooden frame with a fine mesh fabric stretched over the top. Traditionally, this mesh was crafted from silk thread, but nowadays this has been superseded by polyester fabrics, which offer the same performance for a lower price. The thickness and thread count of the mesh can be chosen to suit the texture of the surface or fabric being printed, with smaller spaces between threads allowing for greater detail in the print.

Once the screen has been coated in emulsion and exposed, it is ready to be used as a stencil. After the screen printing process has finished, it can be washed and re-used.

The squeegee
A squeegee is a rubber blade attached to a long wooden, metal or plastic handle. It’s used to push the ink through the mesh screen and onto the surface being printed. The printer will usually pick a squeegee that is a similar size to the frame of the screen, as this will give better coverage.

A firmer rubber blade is better for printing intricate designs with lots of detail, as it ensures all the nooks and crannies in the stencil receive an even layer of ink. A softer, more yielding rubber squeegee is often used when printing less detailed designs, or when printing onto fabric.

The Washing Station
The screens need to be washed to remove all traces of emulsion after use, so they can be reused again for future prints. Some larger printworks may use large tubs of special cleaning fluid or acid to remove the emulsion, while other printers simply use a water trough or sink and a power hose to clean their screens.