Discharge Screen Printing

Discharge Screen Printing

So let’s talk screen printing.  Firstly, what is it?  Screen printing, at a glance, is applying ink to the surface of a garment through silk screens.  The screens have designs etched out in an emulsion that covers the holes in the mesh.  Once all the layers of the design have been applied, the garment can be dried and it is ready to hit the market.  If you’ve been researching around, you might have heard about discharge screen printing.  You may be wondering what that might be and how it is different than other screen printing.

Discharge Screen Printing

Originally, practically all screen printing was done with plastisol inks.  Plastisol inks are made from PVC and contain virtually no solvent, which means that they won’t dry up when left exposed to the air.  They are user-friendly inks that can be re-used over and over again with no degradation in quality.  For some, however, the ‘hand’ that plastisol inks leave behind is unappealing.  Also prints printed with plastisol inks cannot be ironed as it will re-melt the ink.  Luckily, screen printing with plastisol inks isn’t the only option around anymore.  With discharge screen printing, you can get a whole new look for you custom goods.

Discharge screen printing is a method of printing that uses water-based inks to create the image.  The ink is specially formulated to remove the existing color in the garment, the ‘discharge’ step, and then apply a new color in its place.  This method leaves behind a very soft ‘hand’ which many people like for their prints.  If you are interested in having your own custom discharge screen printing projects done, I urge you to come visit us at AMBRO Manufacturing.  You can contact us to place an order, or to find out more about our company and services, by email or by calling us at (908) 806-8337.

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Silk Screen Printers

Silk Screen Printers

Have you ever wondered how some of the garments you see in outlet stores came to be?  How are they able to create such eye catching prints on clothing?  How can they still look so good after many washes?  Well, it is all possible through silk screen printing.  Silk screen printers are just like any other artists that need to know the ins and outs of the medium they work with.  Knowing how to create high quality prints takes time, finesse, and expertise.  When done correctly, silk screen printing will produce a long lasting, beautiful custom garment for any occasion.

Silk Screen Printers

Screen printing gets its name from the silk mesh screens that are used in the printing process.  These screens are coated in an emulsion that completely blocks the tiny holes in the mesh.  The artwork is separated into layers that contain only one of the colors in the design per layer.  The layers are then individually etched into the screen, exposing the holes in the pattern of the design.  The screens are mounted onto a printing press in sequence and then loaded with the appropriate ink color.  The silk screen printers then load the blank garments onto the press and lay the screen over the fabric.  A squeegee will pull the ink across the screen, depositing a layer of ink onto the garment.  When all of the screens have had a pass of ink, the design is complete and it is ready to be dried and set.

It’s a lot of steps to accomplish at home so that’s why it’s best to let the professional silk screen printers handle the work.  At AMBRO Manufacturing we are more than happy to take on the work so you don’t have to.  You can contact us to place an order, or to find out more about us, by email or by calling us at (908) 806-8337.

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