- Artwork Preparation:
- Many of our clients create their artwork before
contacting us but we do have clients who ask us to design their artwork.
The artwork is best when it is vectored and has the highest resolution
(min. 300 DPI) then it will be printed on special film with special ink
and printer.
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- Screen Making:
- It is done by coating a silk screen with a photo-sensitive emulsion,
essentially creating a large piece of film. The screen and artwork are
sandwiched in a large vacuum frame and exposed to light. Areas exposed
to the light become impervious; the other areas can be washed out. In
the early days we used silk on a wooden frame; today it's monofilament
polyester on a titanium frame
- Printing:
- Paint is forced through the stencil using a plastic-bladed squeegee.
Each screen lays down one color. If a pattern has eight colors it must
be printed eight times with eight different screens. On a short run, the
print is done on a manual machine and on high quantity orders the
printing is done by automatic machinery.
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- Plastisol Ink:
- The most common ink is Plastisol based print used in garment
decoration. Good color opacity onto dark garments and clear graphic
detail with, as the name suggests, a more plasticized texture. This
print can be made softer with special additives or heavier by adding
extra layers of ink..
- Water-Based inks
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These penetrate the fabric more than the Plastisol
inks and create a much softer feel. Ideal for printing darker inks onto
lighter colored garments. Also useful for larger area prints where
texture is important.
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- Discharge inks
- Used to print lighter colors onto dark background fabrics, they work
by removing the dye in the garment – this means they leave a much softer
texture. They are less graphic in nature than Plastisol inks, and exact
colors are difficult to control, but especially good for distressed and
vintage prints.
- Foil
- Consists of a glue printed onto the fabric and then foil is applied
for a mirror finish.
- Glitter/Shimmer
- Silver flakes are suspended in a Plastisol ink to create this
sparkle effect. Usually available in gold or silver but can be mixed to
make most colors.
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- Metallic
- Similar to glitter, but smaller particles suspended in the ink. A
glue is printed onto the fabric then a nanoscale fibers applied on it.
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- Expanding ink (puff)
- An additive to Plastisol inks which raises the print off the
garment, creating a 3D feel.
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- Caviar beads
- Again a glue is printed in the shape of the design, to which small
plastic beads are then applied – works well with solid block areas
creating an interesting tactile surface.
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- Gloss
- A clear base laid over Plastisol inks to create a shiny finish.
- Nylobond
- A special ink additive for printing onto technical or waterproof
fabrics.
- Mirrored silver
- Another solvent based ink but you can almost see your face in it.
- Suede Ink
- Suede is another great ink that is easy to print and gives the image
a textured leather, simulated suede look and feel. Suede is a milky
colored additive (much like a Plastisol base) that will work in a
regular Plastisol. It is actually a puff blowing agent that does not
bubble as much as regular puff ink. With suede additive you can make any
color of Plastisol have a suede feel. The directions vary from
manufacturer to manufacturer, but generally you can add up to 50% suede
additive to your normal Plastisol.
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