The development history of screen printing technology

Screen printing technology is widely used for textile printing, package printing and many other industries now. Today, let us know more about the screen printing technologies.

Screen printing is the process of transferring a design onto a surface using the screen printing screen which is made by screen printing mesh and screen printing frame, ink and screen printing squeegee. Fabrics and paper are the most common surfaces for screen printing, but with special inks, it can also be printed on wood, metal, plastic and even glass. The basic method involves creating a mold on a fine mesh screen and then use the squeegee to pass ink through it to leave a design imprint on the lower surface. In the process of making mesh screen, waterproof milky inkjet film has a vital role.

Screen printing technology has a long history. Actually, screen printing technology is originated in China first. It went through technological improvements during the Sui, Tang, Song and Yuan Dynasties, and was modernized through industrial innovations in Europe and the United States from the late 19th century to the late 20th century, and eventually became an important printing process widely used worldwide.

Screen printing technology has over 2000 years history in China. In Sui Dynasty, people began to use frames stretched with screen printing silk mesh for printing, which is also called silk screens now. It began to be used for cloth printing in Tang Dynasty. By the Song Dynasty, screen printing had further developed. People added starch into oil-based ink to make the color more vivid.

During 18th century, Europe people came into contact with screen printing technology. However, due to the high cost of screen printing mesh at that time, its popularization as a fabric printing method was very slow. Until the opening of the Silk Road, the silk became cheaper. Screen printing gradually became a popular and profitable way to print fabrics. At that time, screen printing is also used for wallpaper and shop-sign printing.

In the 1930s, more artists began to experiment with screen printing as an artistic medium and named it "screen printing" to distinguish it from industrial printing. And it is deeply loved by the artists because of its unpredictability. The final effect of any work cannot be predicted until it is completely completed. In the mid-1950s, many artists' Pop art works such as "Marilyn Monroe" were mostly completed by hand using the screen printing method.

By the early 20th century, printers had developed photosensitive emulsions, which enabled artisans to create complex template designs more easily. After the end of World War II, research and application of new screen printing technologies were strengthened in the rocket, artificial satellite and many other non-civilian industries. By 1950, screen printing had been widely used in civilian industries, but it was still only in the early stage of the development of screen printing technology.

Traditional screen printing is carried out by hand to print patterns on fabrics. In the 21st century, semi-automatic and full-automatic screen printing machines were invented which highly improved the efficiency of screen printing. With the wide application of digital technology, screen printing machines have gradually achieved digitalization and networking. This makes the screen printing process more precise and efficient, and also reduces costs. In addition, the continuous emergence of new materials also provides more possibilities for the development of screen printing machines.

In recent years, screen printing has developed rapidly and is known as "universal printing". It can print on curved surfaces, which is one of its advantages that other printing methods cannot match. Screen printing products feature bright colors, thick ink layers, strong three-dimensional effects, and can be preserved for a long time. Therefore, it is increasingly recognized by more and more industries and popular through the whole world. Whether it is circuit boards, textiles, ceramics, glass, or super-large outer packaging and product shape decoration, all can be accomplished through screen printing. It is closely related to our lives.

Undoubtedly, screen printing technology will be highly developed in the future. With the continuous improvement of technological levels, screen printing is expected to have huge development in new fields, such as advanced computer design, automatic industries and electronic industries. It have been more and more widely applied internationally.

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