Screen printing
Vivid, opaque and durable for logos with few colours. One screen per colour; very economical as quantity grows.
In screen printing, ink is pushed through a fine mesh screen onto the product with a squeegee. Only the areas of the logo are open on the screen, so the ink passes through there. A separate screen is prepared for each colour.
Why choose it?
- Vivid, opaque colours: especially on textiles and bags, colours come out bright and rich.
- Durable: with the right ink and curing it stands up to washing for a long time.
- Economical in volume: the screen is made once; over hundreds or thousands of units the unit cost drops.
Which products?
T-shirts, cotton and paper bags, umbrellas, flat plastic and metal surfaces. Flat or slightly curved surfaces suit it best.
Limits
- Number of colours drives cost: each colour is a separate screen and pass; logos with 1–3 colours are ideal.
- Photos and fine gradients are hard: halftones give an approximation, but not as smooth as digital methods.
- Can be expensive in small runs: the screen cost is spread over a small job; for small runs DTF or UV may suit better.
File tips
A vector logo and Pantone codes give the most reliable result. Printing a light colour on dark fabric may need a white underbase, which means one more pass.