Custom Screen Printing in Edmonton, AB

What Is Screen Printing?

Screen printing transfers a stenciled design onto a product using ink, a mesh screen, and a squeegee. Many customers love the screen printing technique because it produces vivid colours with lasting effects. The printer quickly reproduces a design multiple times, making screen printing an effective and efficient process for producing large batches of custom clothes.

Screen Printing Steps

The screen printing process involves using a unique light-light-reactive emulsion to create a custom stencil. The screen printing process includes:

Creating the Design – The printer prints out a design onto transparent acetate film that will be used to create the stencil.

Screen Preparation – The printer will choose the mesh screen that matches the complexity of the design and texture of the fabric. The mesh screen is coated with a layer of light-reactive emulsion that hardens under bright light.

Expose the Emulsion – The acetate sheet with the design is sat on the emulsion-coated screen and exposed to bright light. The bright light hardens the emulsion, allowing the screen parts covered by the design to stay in liquid form.

Creating the Stencil – The uncovered areas will harden after the screen exposure. The places on the emulsion that are not set will be carefully rinsed away, leaving a clear imprint of the design on the screen. The screen is dried, and the printer makes any touch-ups to ensure the imprint is as accurate as possible. The stencil is ready for use.

Printing Preparation – We place the screen on the printing press and lay the product onto the printing board under the screen.

Ink Pressing – The ink is added to the top of the screen as the squeegee pulls the ink along the length of the screen. This process imprints the design on the product.

FAQs About Screen Printing

Screen printing allows us to produce many multicoloured designs with one machine. There is no limit to the number of colours or stunning designs we can create. We'll answer some of your most frequently asked questions about screen printing.

Does screen printing ink fade?

As trained professionals, we ensure your products are made with heat-treated washable ink. We ensure the drying temperature and time are set according to the manufacturer's guidelines.

What is your turnaround time if I'm in a rush?

Our turnaround time depends on the size of your order. Most times, we can make specific deadlines for you. We have in-house decoration departments to help us provide high-quality imprint options for any job size.

What is the difference between digital printing and screen printing?

Direct to garment (DTG) digital printing utilizes a special type of fabric computer to transfer an image onto a product. There is no stencil involved, allowing the application of multiple colours at one time instead of separate layers. Screen printing ensures a texturized effect and very intense colours due to the use of solid blocks of ink.

What's the difference between screen printing and heat transfer?

Heat transfer printing uses heat to combine a design and fabric. When a heat press is applied to transfer paper over a design, the adhesive reacts to the heat and binds to the product's surface.

Can you create multicoloured design products?

We can bring almost any design to life with our screen printing process. Products travel multiple cycles on the machines because each ink colour must be thoroughly dried before adding the next colour. We have no problem using up to 10 ink colours to create any design.

What is your minimum screen printing order?

We have manual and automatic screen printing machines that allow us to print as little as 12 products and as many as over 1,000 products in one order.