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ABSTRACT
This method of printing uses screens consisting of a very fine mesh. The part of the design to be
printed in a specific colour requires its own screen. Photographic techniques are used to transfer
the images on to the screens.
In hand screen printing the fabric is stretched out on a long table. The screens are moved
methodically along the fabric. When a screen is in position the dye paste is pressed through the
open mesh with a squeegee blade. The screen is moved to each pattern area and the process
repeated.
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CONTENT
1. 1. Introduction 04
2. 2.Literature Review 05
2.3 Process 09
2.3.1 Material 09
2.3.3 Squeeze 09
2.3.5 Registration 10
2.3.6 Printing 11
3. 3. Conclusion 23
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4. 4. Bibliography 24
1. INTRODUCTION:
Important decision in the creation of a textile product must be made when its design and/or its
colour are chosen. Although many thousands of yards of fabrics are processed in solid colours,
thousands more yard of fabric have designs applied through printing.
The application of a pattern to fabric by the use of dyes, pigments, or other coloured substances
may be effected by a variety of hand or machine processes. Freehand printing of designs on
fabrics is probably the oldest technique for applying ornament, but hand printing is a time-
consuming procedure. Furthermore, it does not always result in a uniform repeat of a motif that
is to be used more than once. If a design is transferred to a flat surface that can be coated with a
dye and then stamped onto the fabric, the same design can be repeated many times over simply
by pressing the decorated surface against the fabric. This process is known as printing. Over
many centuries a variety of technique for printing designs has evolved. Printing can be applied to
warp yarns, to fabrics, or to apparel pieces- for example, slogan or pictures on T-shirt.
In general, printing is a cheaper way of creating designs on fabric than weaving or knitting with
different colour yarn. (3)
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2. LITERATURE REVIEW:
In the mid-19th century, French printers introduced the use of a woven silk fabric to provide a
continuous support for the paper stencil. For the best results the support fabric was stretched
across a frame, and the combination became known as a screen. The development was important
because in this way not only were ties automatically provided, but the amount of colour paste
applied could also be controlled. Soon after, the paper stencil was replaced by a durable paint on
the screen fabric.
From this time onwards the advantages of screen printing became increasingly appreciated,
especially in fashion houses. Designs are relatively easy to transfer to screens and the frame size
can be readily varied. The designer, freed from the restrictions of copper rollers, thus had far
greater freedom to choose repeat sizes. In addition, the pressure applied in screen printing is
much lower than in roller printing with the result that surface prints with an improved ‘bloom’ or
colour strength are obtained, and textured surfaces are not crushed.
The development of screen printing to its modern, highly productive form ran parallel with
improvements in the screens themselves. Accurate printing of 19 multicoloured designs requires
stable screens. Screen fabrics made from hydrophilic yarns, such as silk, cotton, viscose rayon or
cellulose diacetate, are apt to sag when in contact with water-based print pastes. The introduction
of hydrophobic synthetic fibres such as nylon and polyester, especially the latter, made it
possible to manufacture stable screens that maintained tension when wet. Their high tensile
strength also allowed the fabric to be stretched more tightly over the screen frame, thus
improving the accuracy that could be attained. Further improvement came with the introduction
of metal screen frames to replace the wooden ones used hitherto, which tended to warp when
subjected to a regime of continually alternating wetting and drying. Strong, stable screens
enabled the hand screen-printing process to be mechanised.
The first development was the introduction of a movable carriage, in which the screens are
mounted one at a time. The squeegee (a flexible rubber blade used to spread the printing paste
across the screen and force it through the open areas) was driven across the screen by a motor
attached to the carriage. In this method, which is still in use, the fabric being printed is stuck
down on long tables and one colour is printed at a time, just as in hand-screen printing.
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The practice of hand screen printing is now mainly restricted in the UK to colleges of art, small-
scale units and the high fashion industry, as it is a craft rather than a productive method of
printing. Printing is carried out on a flat, solid table covered with a layer of resilient felt and a
washable blanket (usually coated with neoprene rubber).
Heat for drying the printed fabric may be provided either under the blanket or by hot air fans
above the table.
Fabric movement or shrinkage must be avoided during printing in order to maintain registration
of the pattern. The fabric to be printed is laid on the table and stuck to the blanket directly, using
either a water-soluble adhesive or a semi-permanent adhesive. In the latter instance an absorbent
fabric is stuck to the blanket and the fabric to be printed is pinned down on top of it.
Before a design can be printed, it must be reproduced on the screens in a suitable form. One
screen is required for every colour in the design, except when the fabric is dyed to the
background colour (known as the ground) before or after printing, or when a third colour is
produced by one colour falling on another. When the background colour is printed it is termed
the ‘blotch’.
The printing process consists of forcing a viscous print paste through the open areas of the
screen with a flexible, synthetic rubber squeegee. The rubber blade, which is contained in a
wooden or metal support, is drawn steadily across the screen at a constant angle and pressure. If
the screen is too wide to allow one operator to reach all the way across it, two operators may
work together, one on either side of the table. The pressures exerted by the two must be as
similar as possible.
The amount of print paste passing through the screen can be controlled in several ways.
Factors affecting this are:
The ‘mesh’ (threads per inch) or ‘raster’ (threads per cm) of the screen fabric; generally a
coarse mesh allows more paste to pass through than a fine one.
The fraction of open area in the screen fabric; this depends not only on the mesh but also
on the yarn diameter and the effect of subsequent treatments, such as calendaring.
The hardness and cross-section of the squeegee blade; a hard rubber squeegee with a
sharp cross-section is suitable for outlines, whereas a soft, rounded blade applies more
paste and is suitable for blotches.
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The hardness of the printing table; if the top of the table is firm a soft squeegee is
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probably necessary, whereas with a resilient table surface a harder squeegee is preferable.
The viscosity of the print paste; within the constraint of the requirement for good
definition, the viscosity can be varied, thinner pastes passing through the screen pores
more readily than viscous ones.
The number of squeegee strokes; from two to four strokes are usually applied.
The squeegee angle and pressure.
The speed of the squeegee stroke.
All these variables should be taken into consideration, in conjunction with the nature of the
design, when printing the chosen fabric.
Before printing begins, the screens must be carefully positioned on the fabric. The area printed
by a screen (screen repeat) must fit exactly alongside the adjacent one, a slight overlap being
preferable to a gap.
As a further aid, repeat crosses known as ‘pitch marks’ may be incorporated at one or both sides
of the screen and the positions of the following screens checked against the first pitch mark.
Often registration marks are printed along the selvedge.
When screen printing is carried out by hand, alternate repeats are normally printed along the full
length of the table and then the gaps are filled in. This allows time for the print paste to penetrate
the fabric and partially dry before the frame falls on the next printed area. If the design includes
an outline this is printed first, to achieve maximum smartness and as an aid to accurate fitting.
The screen is then washed and the second screen introduced to print the second colour.
Fig: 3 One colour T-Shirt Fig: 4 Six colour T-Shirt Fig: 5 Four colour T-Shirt
Printer Printer Printer
2.3 Process:
The following directions are can be visualize very clearly what the fundamental procedure to
make a hand screen printing:
2.3.1 Materials:
One design on transparent paper in dark colour.
One square or rectangular frame, size should be more than the selected design (wood or
metal).
One screen (which is fitted on the frame evenly stretched).
Photosynthetic polymer.
Dark room.
UV light.
Wash bath.
A table to turn on.
Small door Hinges.
Screen coater
Squeegee (flexible synthetic rubber on steel blade).
Fabric to print.
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2.3.3 Squeegee:
Used to move the printing ink from the top of the inside screen to the bottom. Press the ink
through the image and screen onto the glass or paper.
Preparation of Design
Drying
2.3.4 Print on fabric:
Now lets assume that the screen is all prepared and ready. 1st- we attach the 2 x 4 to the table
using nails or wood screws. Then take the wood screen and lay it flat on the table, push the back
up against the 2x4, now attach the door hinge to the 2x4 and the wood screen using wood
screws. We will need 2 hinges one for the top left side and one for the right top side. Now the
screen can move up and down. Now to keep the screen up while we are registering the glass or
whatever we will be printing on, we will need to add a kickleg (see drawing). Now lay down the
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screen on top of the glass, and move the glass around until the print image is right over top of it
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or is in the desired position. Now take some masking tape and tape 3 pieces onto the table right
up to the glass, this will be our registration marks which we can then after printing our first piece
of glass or paper can place another in the same place and print it in the exact same spot.
2.3.5 Registration:
To simplify registration we are showing the top view without the screen. (Of course the screen
should be there when registering our item that we are going to print.) Once we have completed
registration pencil around the glass onto the table, then remove glass then place paper all around
pencil area on the outside so we will not overspray the hold down adhesive. Now spray the
adhesive onto the table and let dry 5-10 minutes. This process will help hold down the glass to
the table while we will print so the glass will not move and we will get a good print.
2.3.6 Printing:
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In step 3 starts to print holding squeegee with 2 hands press down with angle and come toward
me.
In step 4 printing are finished.
After step 4, if we have to continue printing, then flood screen again for next print in step 5 or
STOP.
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In step 6 Remove object (Glass) that we have printed and let it air dry.
Fig: 13 Step 5
Fig: 14 Step 6
Once we have finished printing then we must clean up our screen. It is very important not to let
ink dry in screen. The longer we wait the more chance we will have of our screen getting
clogged up and we could mess up our screen forever.
Use paper towels and mineral spirits to clean up. Depending on what kind of ink or printing
paste we use will determine what type of clean up solvent.
Fig: 15 Screen
Fig: 16 Screen
Now take the screen and spray it on both sides with water, now while it is still wet apply the
bleach on both sides, (it does not take much) Now using a wet cotton rag or cloth scrub the
screen on both sides, clean it very well. Now take a water hose and spray out all the bleach.
THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT! Spray both sides of the screen. Each side should take about 2 - 3
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minutes per side to spray out. If all of the bleach is not sprayed out then it will cause problems
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with the photo emulsion, it will not stick good in spots. Bleach will take out exposed photo
emulsion; this is what the old timers used to clean out the photo emulsion after they were done
screen printing with the screen.
Now set the screen aside and let air dry or use a fan to dry it with. (Put screen in a place where
not allot of dust is located.) Once screen is dry we are ready for the photo emulsion. It will need
a very low light area, 1- small bottle of photo emulsion (Follow the instructions on the bottle. )
and 1- plastic or metal screen coater. Make sure the photo emulsion is very well mixed before
each use. Now take the photo emulsion and pour it into the screen coating spreader. Now take
the screen coater with hand while holding the small screen with the other. Starting from the
bottom, place the screen coater onto the screen; now angle it so the emulsion will start to slowly
run out. Now slowly move up and over the screen coating the back side with one coat. Now flip
screen over to the other side and coat it the same way. It should now have a nice smooth thin
coat of photo emulsion on both sides of screen, wait 70 seconds, and now coat just the back side
of screen one more time. Now we are done. Place the coater on a flat table and take a small
square piece of card board and smooth out the build ups that were made by the edge of the
coater. Now take the screen and lay it flat away from the floor and apply a fan.
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250-Watt Bulb
Screen Size Lamp Height Exposure time
prepared before you start to print. Another way is to remake or revise the original screen for
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To calculate line counts for halftone screens, simply divide the mesh count by four. The result
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will equal the highest line count that should be used. The artist must have an understanding of
mesh counts and their effect on the press. For instance, when a fade is needed in a design, the
artist may be tempted to put it in a high mesh. However, if that same colour also consists of
large, open print areas, the printer will require a mesh in a lower count.
When the design is ready to be separated, it may be printed directly from the program, or may
split the channels to create individual files to be printed later. The program creates individual
files for each colour, giving the artist the option to go back and change a colour individually if
the print performance is not satisfactory. It is important to label each colour and to make sure
that each piece of film is complete with registration marks. Most programs offer these options on
the separation screen, but some programs require the artist to incorporate the colour names and
registration marks with his or her designs. The artist must type each colour name in its own
colour and colour the registration marks with the "registration" colour option. Image output
refers to the method in which a computer prints art or separations. One way of printing
separations is on a laser jet printer. An artist may choose to print out directly on vellum, which
exposes well, or on paper, which is then shot by a camera to render the films. In addition to laser
jet printers, an image setter may be used to output separations. This equipment enables the artist
to print out his or her art directly onto film (and can totally replace a darkroom).
2.7 Important Features and advantages:
1. Best method for low yardage; samples; exclusive, limited quantity designs.
2. Large repeat sizes (upto120 in.) possible.
3. Acceptable to all woven and knitted constructions.
4. Rapid preparation of screen and pattern change over is possible.
5. Ability to print cut garment parts and small items.
2.8 Disability or disadvantages:
1. Half tone designs not possible.
2. Lengthwise stripe designs not possible.
3. Slow production uneconomical for large production yardages.
2. Thickeners
3. Binders, cross linking agents
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All the different methods of printing normally require a liquid vehicle, in which the colorant is
carried, and only in exceptional cases has it been possible to print dry colorant. In textile
printing, the liquid is usually aqueous but in paper printing, as high-speed drying is necessary,
more rapidly evaporated no aqueous solvents have been used. The components of the liquid
printing paste must include all necessary wetting, dispersing and fixing agents, in addition to the
colorants, and may be soluble or insoluble. No separation of insoluble components must occur,
and the incorporation of viscosity-increasing protective colloids helps in this respect. Finally, as
the viscosity of the print paste must be suitable for the method to be employed and the substrate
to be printed, appropriate amounts of thickening agents must be used. ‘Viscosity’ is a key word
in this chapter and we have to consider why it is important, how it can be measured and how to
achieve the required viscous properties. These are questions that, in the past, have been
answered on the basis of experience rather than of scientific understanding, but with the
availability of new materials and the need for improved productivity and reproducibility,
experience alone is inadequate and understanding is required.
There are two essential reasons for the importance of the viscosity, and hence the flow, of a print
paste. It affects the amounts of paste applied as well as the spread of paste, on the surface of the
textile material and into its structure. For example, the paste in an engraved roller is completely
transferred to the fabric pressed against the roller only if there is time for it to flow into the
fabric structure. Highly viscous pastes flow slowly, so that at high speeds the time is often too
short for total transfer to occur. Even at low speeds, transfer is viscosity-dependent. If only a
small volume of viscous paste is applied it may not spread to cover all the fibres of the three-
dimensional fabric surface. The appearance of the print will be unsatisfactory if only the high
spots of the fabric surface are coloured and those parts of the yarn surfaces that are visible, but
which lie at a lower level, are left uncoloured. The use of pressure helps in this respect, but the
amount of pressure must be controlled for other reasons.
In practice, therefore, the upper limit of the viscosity is determined by the flatness of the fabric
surface and the conditions of the printing process. The lower limit also depends on the process
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conditions, but is mainly determined by the need to keep the print ‘smart’, that is, having a sharp
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printed mark. All textile substrates are assemblies of fibres, and the spaces between fibres –
especially where three fibres are parallel and in contact – have the dimensions and properties of
capillaries. Liquids that wet the fibres are drawn by capillarity along these spaces, and the
smartness of the print is lost if the viscosity is not high enough to control the spread.
It is clear, therefore, that some spread of print paste is inevitable, and indeed desirable, but that
the extent must be controlled. Before considering in more detail the flow requirements of ideal
pastes, it is important to recognise that the choice of materials for the production of viscous
pastes will affect not only paste flow but also colour yield, because of their physical and
chemical properties. Some knowledge of these properties is therefore desirable.
2.9.1 Thickeners
Chemicals used as thickeners
Viscous pastes used for textile printing usually consist of either solutions of high molecular
weight polymers or emulsions of immiscible liquids. The chemicals used belong to various
chemical classes. Unbranched polymers give viscous solutions at low concentrations but the
viscosity falls with increasing shear. Branched chain polymers require higher concentrations to
give the required viscosity but are less sensitive to shear.
(2) Emulsions of oil in water. These emulsions consist of small droplets of oil dispersed in water.
The negative charges of the anionic emulsifier molecules adsorbed on the surfaces of the
droplets prevent their coalescence. In textile printing, a typical emulsion thickener has about
70% white spirit (petroleum distillate boiling at 150–200 °C) in water. Both components are
volatile and leave no residue after drying;
(3) Solutions of synthetic polymers. Slightly cross linked copolymers of acrylic acid derivatives
and acrylic esters disperse in water but remain insoluble. On addition of an alkali such as
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ammonia, the carboxylic acid groups dissociate forming the carboxylate anion and the
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hydrophobic polymer chains uncoil because of the repulsion of the negative charges. A colloidal
solution results with a substantial increase in viscosity. The polymer does not dissolve
completely because of the cross links between the polymer chains. The resistance to flow is a
consequence of the size of the polymer molecules and the large numbers of water molecules held
on their surface solvating the carboxylate groups. The ammonia is lost during drying.
Mixtures of different thickening agents are often used to give printing pastes with the desired
characteristics. For example, polyacrylic acid is sensitive to high concentrations of metal ions
often found in many dyes. Its compatibility with such dyes is greater in the presence of other
types of thickeners that do not precipitate with polyvalent metal ions. Emulsion thickeners are
often mixed with carbohydrate pastes to give so-called ‘half emulsions’. The film of natural
thickener left after drying ensures that the printed dyes do not rub off before fixation. In
addition, less white spirit is needed, drying is faster and the lower amount of natural thickener
results in a higher colour yield. Many suppliers provide pre-prepared paste components. The
final print paste is usually a blend of two pre-prepared components, the dyes having been mixed
into one of them. The final paste invariably contains a considerable number of chemicals.
2.9.2 Alginates:
Sodium alginates have become very important for print paste thickening because of their ready
solubility, even after high-temperature fixation treatments. They are especially important for
pastes of reactive dyes because the extent of interaction is very small. This is due to the absence
of primary hydroxyl groups and to the repulsion of dye anions by the ionised carboxyl groups of
the polymer under alkaline conditions.
must be no passage of paste through the screen before or after the actual printing transfer. The
hydrodynamic pressure developed is a function of the squeegee blade angle, the paste viscosity,
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the screen hole size and the screen speed, rather than the pressure applied to the squeegee.
(1) The print paste stability, particularly on storage. Compatibility of thickeners with respect to
the added dyes and chemicals is critical. Thus, anionic polymers are rarely compatible with and
readily coagulate in the presence of cationic dyes or multivalent metal ions from hard water or
added chemicals. The hydroxyl groups in most carbohydrate gums react with reactive dyes.
They are therefore excluded. Many print pastes contain naturally occurring thickening agents
that provide nutrients for bacterial growth. Addition of some anti-bacterial preservative avoids
bacterial contamination.
(2) The adhesion and flexibility of the printed paste film. The film of paste must not mark off
onto a screen or roller printing another colour. A film of reasonable flexibility and adhesion
ensures that it can withstand the mechanical handling required for drying and steaming without
flaking off the fabric. In those cases where the thickener or binder remains on the printed fabric,
the film must be completely transparent and not cause undue stiffness of the fabric.
(3) The colour yield of the printed area. During fixation, the dye must diffuse into the fibres
from the film of paste that has swollen in the steam. This process depends on the thickener.
Obviously, the dyes should have little or no substantivity for the polymeric thickening agent
used. Dye diffusion into the fibres is easier from thin synthetic polymer films with low solids
content. The colour yield also depends on the extent of penetration of the print paste into the
fabric structure. This is partly determined by the paste viscosity;
(4) The ease of removal of the residual film of paste remaining on the fabric after fixation. After
printing, the film of residual thickening agent is usually washed from the fabric.
(5) The cost of the thickening agent. The cost of the thickener and the costs associated with its
removal from the fabric should be as low as possible.
(6) The environmental impact of thickeners in the effluent leaving the print works.
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3. CONCLUSION
Screen printing, also known as serigraphy, is a method of applying ink to a surface through a
stencil supported on a fine mesh of synthetic fibres or metal threads stretched tightly over a
frame. The stencil provides a means to determine where the ink will be allowed to pass through
the mesh to create an image on the surface to be printed. Ink is applied to the screen and pushed
through the open mesh areas with a rubber or plastic squeegee to produce an image. No other
printing process is as versatile as screen printing. It can print on almost any surface, including:
metal, glass, paper, plastic, cloth, wood, etc. Machines for screen printing use the inside of the
screen frame to act as the ink storage area. The ink is then forced through the screen by the
squeegee pushing the ink in front of it.
Manual screen printing machines are used for some work such as limited runs or when printing
very thin or very thick pieces. Most screen printing today is performed by semi or fully
automatic screen press machines at rates of up to 5,000 or more prints per hour.
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4. BIBLIOGRAPHIES
1. Basic Principles of Textile Coloration Author: Arthur D Broadbent
Professor, Université de Sherbrooke, Département de génie chimique, Faculté de génie, Sherbrooke, QC,
J1K 2R1, Canada (Page No: 493)