Screen printing, also known as silk screen printing or serigraphy, is a centuries-old art form popularised by Andy Warhol and other pop artists in the 60s which is used to create printed images, posters or signs. The process involves pushing ink through a mesh screen onto the paper, fabric or wood beneath using a squeegee to leave an even coverage of colour on the surface. 

Using UV light to expose a stencil onto a screen coated with photosensitive emulsion, it's possible to block certain areas of the mesh so that the ink is directed through specific areas. This is repeated for each colour (or layer) and the printer requires different screens with the relevant stencil artwork exposed. Starting with the lightest colour first, the layers are printed individually, leaving time to dry between. This can be a lengthy process, and registering the layers so that they look seamless can often be challenging.


The beauty of screen printing is that is often done entirely by hand, so although intensely laborious, the number of printed articles will be limited, sometimes quite rare, as they have not been mass-produced. It is not a sterile process, like digital printing, and imperfections and slight variants are hard to avoid but it's a nice reminder that the prints are hand-made and crafted creatively. 


To learn how to screen print yourself, contact Sarah Mei via the contact page.