What is Screenprinting?

Screenprinting is a printmaking medium in which ink is passed through a stretched mesh onto a surface such as paper or textile.

First used in China during the Song Dynasty between 960-1279 AD, screenprinting developed further in ancient Japan before making its way to The West later in the 18th century. However, screenprinting was not popularised and in its recognisable form until the early 20th century.

Nowadays, screenprinting is used for commercial reasons, such as packaging or advertising. In the 1960’s it was popularised through the Pop Art movement, led by artists such as Andy Warhol. 

In this article:

1. What does screenprinting involve?

2. What is screenprint used for?

3. What equipment is used in screenprint?

4. What are the benefits of screenprinting compared to other methods?

5. Screenprinting courses at City Lit

In its most basic term, screenprinting involves dragging ink over a stretched mesh, using a squeegee onto a material, such as paper. However, dig a bit deeper and there is much more to it.

Producing images and screens that make for successful prints is a much more involved process. Screenprint encompasses skills in colour, photographic, collage, and drawing/painting techniques.

Learning how to clean and prepare screens is a necessary part of the process too. This requires patience and knowledge of some technical equipment and machinery.

Screenprinting is mainly used within a commercial context, such as advertising or package printing. Although in many cases, it has been superseded by offset litho machinery and digital printing, screenprinting is still in common use within the commercial world.

It is often used to print on t-shirts, bags, bottles, glass and much more. It is used by artists and graphic designers because of its striking aesthetic qualities such as bold colours.

Because of the versatility of the process, screenprinting is very appealing to contemporary artists too. Artists such as Robert Rauschenberg and Peter Blake used screenprint to great effect, realising that the process was as important as other traditional techniques, such as painting and sculpture.

Over the years, screenprinting has developed into a highly skilled and nuanced process. There are many gadgets and gizmo’s available to help assist with the process, however the most common pieces of equipment used are.

• A screen — This is a mesh tightly stretched over a frame, or stretcher. These can come in a variety of shapes and sizes.
• A squeegee — This is the tool we use for creating the print. It is a rubber blade held in a handle and can move back and forwards over the screen to apply even pressure in the printing.
• Ink — Speacialist screenprinting inks have been developed over the years that provide a range of finishes, such as gloss, matt, metallic, etc. Screenprinting inks also tend to stay wet when being massed through the screen, compared to conventional paints.
• A printing table — This is a special area designated for screenprinting. On its most fundamental level, it will consist of a smooth surface with clamps that hold the screen in position. 
• Screen emulsion — This is a light sensitive material, applied to the screen that when developed, is used to fix images and photographs to the screen.
• UV box — An ultraviolet light box is used to develop screen emulsion to the screen, fixing the image for printing.
• A pressure washer or power hose, with cleaning materials — This is used in the cleaning of the screen at the end of the printing process so that screens can be reclaimed and used for new images and prints.

At City Lit, the printmaking room is used for many other traditional printmaking processes such as etching, lino cutting and wood block printing. These processes have their own unique qualities, but screenprint can be a more beneficial process for the following reasons.

Screenprinting is faster

Once the screen prep has been completed, screenprinting is a much faster process. This is useful when creating large runs of prints, known as editions. In etching it can take long periods of time to ink up and print a plate, whereas a single print can be completed in seconds in the screenprint process.

Shifting between layers and changing colours is much quicker in screenprinting. This allows greater flexibility and opens wider scope for variable editions of prints.

Screenprinting is colourful!

Because of its ties to commercial packaging and advertising, screenprint is typically associated with vibrant areas of strong colour. In other processes, such as etching and lino cutting, achieving similar effects can be more challenging.

Screenprint on anything!

Unlike lino, woodblock and etching, screenprinting presents opportunities to print on a variety of surfaces. This is useful for people looking to print on canvas, t-shirts, tote bags and anything more experimental.

City Lit is a great place to come and learn about the process of screenprint. The City Lit Printmaking Studio is a comfortable and safe environment that helps people from complete beginners to professional artists.

A wide range of courses are available at City Lit including one-day courses in t-shirt and tote bag printing, short introductory courses and our longer six-week course.

The shorter courses are suitable for people with no experience or seeking a refresher. After completing a beginner course, or if you have some experience already you can take the longer course which is held every term.

The longer course is designed to help you build your practice over a longer period during where you will learn a comprehensive range of techniques and ways to improve your skills and prints. This includes making multiple layer prints, printing onto textiles and learning the CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow, key) techniques. You will also learn how to coat, expose and prep your own screen and learn a myriad of secrets and tricks of the trade.