Screen printing has evolved from the ancient art of stenciling that took place in the late 1800s and over time, with modifications, the method has evolved into an industry. Chhipa community of artisans in Jaipur, the capital city of Rajasthan practice the art of screen printing. Chhipa community is also well known for creating hand block printed clothing products.
What is Screen Printing?
Screen Printing makes use of screens that are made of a piece of mesh stretched over a frame. The mesh could be made of a synthetic polymer, such as nylon. The mesh is mounted on a frame made up of wood or aluminum.
A stencil is formed by blocking off parts of the screen in the negative image of the design to be printed; that is, the open spaces are where the ink will appear on the substrate.
Basically, it is the process of using a mesh-based stencil to apply ink onto a substrate, whether it be t-shirts, posters, stickers, vinyl, wood, or other material. It is also known as silkscreen, serigraphy, and serigraph printing. It is also referred to as Sanganeri Print as Sanganer(an area in Jaipur, Rajasthan, India) is the main hub in Jaipur for apparel printed by screen print.
The prints that are made through screen printing look regular, but they are clean and cheap also.
Manual Process Flow
Screen printing is a stencil-based printing technique in which a design is imposed on a screen of polyester or other fine woven mesh(screen), with blank areas coated with an impermeable substance.
- The attached stencil forms open areas of mesh that transfer ink or other printable materials which can be pressed through the mesh to get the desired image on fabric.
- Ink is placed on top of the screen, and a floodbar is used to push the ink through the holes in the mesh. The operator then uses a squeegee(rubber blade) to move the mesh down to the substrate and pushes the squeegee to the rear of the screen. A floodbar is moved across the screen stencil, forcing or pumping ink through the mesh openings to wet the fabric during the squeegee stroke. As the screen rebounds away from the substrate the ink remains on the substrate.
- The ink that is in the mesh opening is pumped or squeezed by capillary action to the substrate.
- One screen (mesh stencil) is used for each color to be printed. Screens are lined. Inks are then pushed through the screens one color at a time onto the apparel. So several screens can be used to produce a multi-colored image or design.
Screen Printing Press
Amateur and professionals use the screen printing press to print multiple copies in an efficient manner. Many companies offer simple to sophisticated printing presses. These presses come in one of three types, Manual (also referred to as Handbench), Semi-Automatic, and Fully Automatic. Most printing companies will use one or more semi-automatic or fully automatic machines.
Screen printing does not involve any handwork as you find in Hand block printing. Due to this fact, the printing process achieves automation easily than hand block printing. Further, it also helps in mass production at a fast pace.
You can read about Hand block printing in this article –
Hand Block Printing – A traditional art in Jaipur
Difference between Screen and Hand Block Printing
It is important to understand the difference between hand block print and screen print. It helps you to identify the correct apparel which is authentic.
Hand block printing is a traditional way of printing designs on fabric. It relies on the artistic talent of the craftsperson who stamps a wooden block on the cloth to be printed. Whereas Screen print has nothing to do with the talent of the printer. Therefore screen print is fast and useful for mass production to produce cheap products. Although screen printed products are cheap, they fail to give an authentic ethnic and traditional look.
Hand block printed fabric is a fashion statement for your ethnic and traditional look. It is the real product that becomes a masterpiece, thanks to the artistic talent of the craftsperson. Since this art of hand block printing needs to be learnt, the hand block printed products are costlier than screen prints.
The hand block print is like a cup made of real clay whereas screen prints are plastics that look like clay. They look the same but the feel is different. Hand block printed products are elegant and simple. So make sure you buy an authentic product, whichever your choice may be.
I hope you like this concise article on screen printing and how it is different from hand block printing. Please share this article with your family and friends.
