SILK SCREEN PRINTING

Silkscreen printing is the most recent printing method. It has been used only since the early 20th century. Its name derives from the Serian people to whom Europe owes the discovery of silk. In the beginning, raw silk gauze was used for the screens, today a fine-meshed polyester fabric has replaced silk. In silkscreen printing a metal frame, which has a polyester screen stretched across one side, serves as printing forme. The artist inks this screen (with pencils, a brush or a sprayer) with gum arabic, glue or cellulose varnish. For the printing process the artist covers all those parts on to which the ink is supposed not to penetrate. We can, thus, compare the screen to a stencil, which is partially covered. For the printing process the paper is put underneath the screen, leaving a gap of about 3 millimeters between the paper and the screen. The screen is covered with a little ink, which is spread by means of a squeegee, a handle with a rubber edge. The pressure exerted by the squeegee forces the ink to flow through the open parts in the screen and is then homogeneously spread on the paper underneath. As is the case in all printing methods, in silkscreen printing, too, the artist needs a new printing forme, ie a new screen, for every new ink he applies.

The example below of a silk screenprint is 'Harbour Gap' by Kathryn Mathews