Many people have never learned about commercial screen printing! Get to know more about the process of your order!
1. Acquiring Art
First, we get your art whether it be our screen printers bringing your vision to life or your logo. These are all vector files to ensure the screen printing is smooth! We also in this step we pick your colors for the print.
2. Placement
Then, we will verify the placement of the logo/file. Above are the most common print areas we see. You can always pick wherever you want and we can do it! Just communicate to our team where you want it to ensure your vision is brought to life.
3. Proofs/POs
Once we have figured out the basics, we then put it in our production queue. After that is done we create a purchase order and a run sheet. Once everything is put together we will send you a proof(mockup) of what ink, how many pieces, and design size.
4. Creating the Screens
Once approved, we then make CUSTOM screens. We will then burn part of a logo onto a film. We take a mesh screen and coat it in emulsion; put the film in the exposing unit to burn the film onto the mesh. Each individual color needs an individual screen.
5. Start of print
We then take the custom screen(s) and load it into the auto press. Sometimes there are many colors and screens then we will load each of them in different arms with small ovens to cure it between each color. Then we load the screen with the ink it needs to get the process going!
6. adjusting screens
Once the colors are loaded, we have to make sure each screen is in the same place. We take samples and line up the crosses on each screen. We keep printing it until the colors are all together. If we don’t so this, some colors wont layer right and we can’t ensure the placement is correct.
7. Teaching
Now that the manual stuff is done, we teach the auto press. “Teaching” is telling the machine things like speed of the whole process, what heads to go down, how many times to spread the ink onto the screen, and when to turn on the heat flash. We then load the shirts onto the machine and start it!
8. Running it
For the first round of the machine, it is just loading each arm with a garment. Then when we start it, a garment gets taken off and another put on. We set the speed in between each shirt to ensure we can load it. The shirts then get loaded in the oven to fully cure the ink!
9. Final touches
Once the shirt is loaded in the oven, it then cures for a different amount of time depending on the ink and garment. Surprisingly, the video is slowed down. It is most commonly ran at 325 degrees for about 1 minute 35 seconds. Once it is properly cured, we double check everything looks good then we fold and box them up for you!
Now you know how it’s done!
Isn’t it super cool?! Be sure to contact us with any questions or inquiries with screen printing! We’re here to help!