Printing techniques are of many types, which is increasing the trend of custom printed clothing. Screen printing is one of these techniques, which was first used in making canvasses and posters, but now it is used in printing shirts. Screen-printed t-shirts are one of the best-looking clothing ideas. It is a bit older than digital printing, but it has its advantages.
WHAT IS SCREEN PRINTING?
It is a process in which stencils are used to transfer designs on a flat surface using ink and mesh screens. The flat surface can be of paper, fabric, wood, metal, or glass. The process starts with creating a stencil of design on a mesh screen after subjecting the mesh screen with ink so that ink passes through the mesh screen to the flat surface and creates an imprint of the design on it.
It is an amazing way of printing that offers printing on a variety of surfaces. But like all other printing techniques, screen printing also has many pros and cons. Let’s discuss the good and bad sides of screen printing.
PROS OF SCREEN PRINTING
GOOD FOR BULK ORDERS
Screen printing is budget-friendly when it comes to printing bulk orders. The more products you want to print, the lower its cost will be. It is ideal for high-volume printing. You have a brand and want to pint a high number of products for a brand to save the cost; none is better than screen printing. It will complete your order by saving you a lot. It can produce the same design accessories while using a single stencil, making it ideal for printing sports team uniforms or any other company’s workers’ uniforms.
VERSATILE
No other printing method can be so flexible and versatile as screen printing. You can use it for printing on surfaces like wood, fabric, paper, metal, plastics, and even glass. It is best for printing shirts and suitable for creating designs for signs, logos, and a lot more. Its versatility and flexibility make it useful in contrast to digital printing.
DURABLE
Although cost matters, quality, and products longevity are also required. Because low-cost products do not last long, but this is not the case with screen printing. Screen printing allows the printers to lay down the thick layers of ink. The ink absorbed by the materials makes the designs durable and attractive. The thickness of ink prevents the design from damaging. The color will not fade easily while in direct contact with the sun or with washing.
GREAT FINISH
Whatever the process or cost of the process, what matters is the end product. The screen printing process ends with producing beautiful, attractive colored designs and products. The use of multiple layers of ink makes the structure durable and gives it a great finish. It has vibrant colors at the end, which no other printing method can achieve. Its color effects are more vivid, even on darker fabrics. Its design remains perfect, and its colors do not fade.
CONS OF SCREEN PRINTING
COST MORE FOR VARIOUS COLORS
Screen printing uses stencils for print and can use only one color stencil at one time. While printing design, various colors need to be used, which is not an option in screen printing. For every new paint, new stencils are required, which makes the processing time-consuming and expensive.
SET UPTIME
Screen printing is a time-consuming process. Too much time taken by the process makes the process less effective. The setup time includes seven steps till getting the final product. The design needs lots of patience, from creating the layout to pressing the ink through the screen to developing the product. It is less effective for small orders because it will be the same for one shirt and 100 shirts.
NOT ENVIRONMENT FRIENDLY
Unfortunately, like other textiles processes and techniques, screen printing is also disastrous for the environment. It is playing a role in creating pollution and destroying the clean environment by disturbing the natural beauty of nature. The product of toxic chemical wastes and adding this to water is the cause of many water-based diseases, which undermine all the advantages of screen printing discussed above.
NOT SUITABLE FOR SMALL ORDERS
Screen printing works better for large orders, but it’s reciprocal for small orders. The process needs a lot of time to set up, so printing a few products is not cost-effective. It does not suit on-demand small demands because the money spent will be the same as for bulk orders due to t the complex and time-consuming setup process.
CONCLUSION
Although digital printing is getting famous day by day, screen printing is still the textile industry’s method. The reason for its usage is mostly its versatile nature and its durability. It is used to print on materials, from cotton to silk or organza and polyester. Its quick and cheaper process makes it used by most designers and companies. Although the long set up prices and cause of pollution are a great disadvantage, contaminating the natural water reservoirs is catastrophic, which needs to be solved immediately.