P.I.T.

Our youngest Printer In Training - Ainsley. If you've been around the shop since 2020 you've seen this cute little face. Most of the time, she's a great help and does great work for a sucker or freeze pop.

Printing Process

  1. Prepare the screen

    A mesh screen is stretched onto a frame. We buy our screens already stretched and applied to aluminum frames. The mesh needs to be coated with a photo-emulsion, which is a light-sensitive material. This emulsion will harden when exposed to light, forming a stencil. The screen can be used multiple times so this process might mean cleaning off ink, removing old emulsion and degreasing.

  2. Create a design

    A transparency is created with the desired design. This transparency is placed on top of the emulsion-coated screen and exposed to light for a set amount of time.

  3. Expose screen

    The screen is exposed to a strong light source, usually a specialized exposure unit. The light causes the photo-emulsion to harden in the areas exposed to the light, creating the stencil. 

  4. Develop the screen

    After exposure, the screen is washed with water. The unhardened emulsion washes away, leaving only the hardened emulsion to form the transparency, revealing the design on the screen.

  5. Prepare the shirt/apparel

    The material you want to print on the screen printing platen under the screen.

  6. Apply ink

    A squeegee is used to push the ink through the open areas of the design on the screen. The squeegee forces the ink onto the shirt, creating the printed image. 

  7. Repeat for each color print needed

    If you want to print a multi-colored design, you'll need a separate screen for each color and repeat the process, aligning the screens precisely to ensure accurate registration of the colors.

  8. Cure & dry the shirt

    Depending on the type of ink and shirt, you need to cure the ink at a certain temperature (usually around 250-300 degrees) for a set amount of time. 
    As I was writing this, it makes it look like quite the process... And it is! Even though this is a long process we believe it is the superior option when compared to DTG or DTF for larger orders and long-term durability. It produces vibrant, long-lasting prints that can withstand many washes without fading or cracking. Unlike DTG and DTF, which are better suited for short runs or highly detailed full-color images, screen printing is more cost-effective and delivers bold, high-quality results on a wide range of fabrics. Its versatility and durability make it the go-to choice for professional, long-lasting apparel printing.

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