Screen printing is an printing technique that has been around for thousands of years, became popular in the United States in the 1960's and has been used ever since.

     Screen printing can be done manually or by automatic machines, but the process is essentially the same. A mesh is used to transfer ink onto a substrate, except in areas made impermeable to the ink by a blocking stencil. A blade or squeegee is moved across the screen to fill the open mesh with ink, and a reverse stroke then causes the screen to touch the substrate momentarily along a line of contact. This causes the ink to wet the substrate and be pulled out of the mesh apertures as the screen springs back after the blade has passed. One color is printed at a time, so several screens can be used to produce a multicoloured image or design.

     Screen Printing can also be done as a transfer. Plastisol or Screen Print Transfers are screen printing on transfer paper and applied to apparel or other substrates using a commercial heat press. It is the same process as screen printing on apparel, except the the image is printed in reverse for the design and colors onto heat transfer paper, partially cured and saved for later application. 

     Screen Printing is a more traditional apparel customization method with bright vivid colors and excellent durability. Teams, organizations and businesses usually opt for screen printing because it’s more cost-effective for printing large custom apparel orders.