If you have any questions, check out our screen printing FAQ. Or, you can always contact Mission Screen Printing for more details. We’re happy to help!
screen-printing
/skrēn/prin(t)iNG/
- noun
the technique of creating a picture or pattern by forcing ink or metal on to a surface through a screen of fine material.
Screen printing is a printing technique where a mesh or screen is used to transfer ink onto a fabric or container surface. A screen is burned using a film to create a negative image. A squeegee is moved across the screen to fill the negative space with ink, and a reverse stroke then causes the screen to touch the surface. This causes the ink to wet the surface and be pulled out of the mesh as the screen springs back after the squeegee has passed. One color is printed at a time, so several screens are used to produce multiple colors. Each color is referred to as a “pass.”
Traditionally, the process was called screen printing or silkscreen printing because silk was used to create the mesh. Currently, synthetic threads are commonly used in the screen printing process, most commonly, polyester.
Screen Printing is the process where ink is directly applied to a surface by pressing ink thru a fine-mesh screen. Each color requires its own screen and a separate pass.
Digital Printing applies ink to paper. All colors print in one pass, similar to your home printer. Labels are then applied to the bottle using an adhesive in a separate step.
Direct screen printing not only provides a cleaner, more professional looking end product, but also provides better water and solvent resistance than applied labels.
Flaming exposes the container to heat without damaging the surface and allows ink to adhere better and hold up longer.
We recommend flaming all glass containers, which removes oils, dust and other debris left behind in the manufacturing process of glass bottles. This residue can interfere with the ink adhesion during the screen printing process.
We recommend flame treatment of most plastic bottles because it temporarily increases the surface tension allowing the ink to better adhere to the bottle.
Some manufactures do flame treat plastic bottles, but it deteriorates with time. Containers can sit in warehouses for months, sometimes years before they are purchased by you, so they usually must be re-flamed prior to printing. We test the dyne level of bottles prior to printing to determine if they need to be flamed or not.
In addition, some specialty bottles, such as Miron Glass, will require a Pyrosil treatment. This relatively new technology is NOT available from most printers. But Mission Screen Printing is at the leading edge of our industry and is always striving to further improve ink adhesion and overall longevity and quality to your labels.
Pyrosil works by adding an invisible microscopic layer of silica creating more surface area for the ink to bond to.
We do not recommend filling your bottles or containers prior to printing. This can limit our printing capabilities.
The extra weight can throw off the balance of the machinery.
Oils, lotions, alcohols and sauces can be effected by the flaming and curing process. Some of our inks require temperatures in excess of 300º F to cure. This heat can actually change the chemistry of some of these products causing them to melt, separate or taste wrong.
It can also add to costs since shipping is determined by weight.
If our screen printing FAQ didn’t address your question, you can contact us. A sales rep will be happy to guide you further through the process.