Modern screen printing technology utilizes photosensitive materials and photographic plate-making methods to produce the printing screen. Its comprehensive process involves steps such as screen stretching, degreasing, drying, film stripping, exposure, developing, drying, retouching, and edge sealing. During printing, a squeegee applies pressure to force ink through the mesh openings corresponding to the image areas, transferring it onto the substrate to reproduce the original design. A complete screen printing system comprises core components such as the screen, squeegee, ink, printing table, and substrate.
Screen printing is characterized by high adaptability, thick ink layers with a strong three-dimensional effect, a soft and elastic printing surface, compatibility with various ink types, low printing pressure, excellent lightfastness and vibrant colors, and the capability for large-format printing. It can be applied to flat, curved, spherical, and irregular surfaces, as well as both rigid and flexible materials. The ink layer thickness in screen printing typically reaches around 30 microns-far exceeding the approximately 5 microns found in offset printing and 12 microns in gravure printing-while specialized thick-film screen printing for printed circuit boards can achieve thicknesses of up to 1,000 microns. The printing screen is soft and elastic, accommodating various ink types such as oil-based, water-based, synthetic resin emulsion, and powder-based inks. The low printing pressure employed makes it suitable for printing on fragile items. Screen-printed products offer superior lightfastness and vibrant colors, and the process supports large-format printing, with maximum dimensions reaching 3 meters by 4 meters or even larger.