Silk screening consists of three elements: the screen which is the image carrier; the squeegee; and ink. The silk screening process uses porous mesh stretched tightly over a frame made of wood or metal. The mesh is made of porous fabric. A stencil is photo-chemically produced on the screen. The stencil defines the image to be printed. Silk screening ink is applied to the substrate by placing the screen over the material. Ink with a paint-like consistency is placed onto the top of the screen. Ink is then forced through the fine mesh openings using a squeegee that is drawn across the screen, applying pressure thereby forcing the ink through the open areas of the screen. Ink will pass through only in areas where no stencil is applied, thus forming an image on the substrate. The diameter of the threads and the thread count of the mesh will determine how much ink is deposited onto the substrate.

Contact Acme to determine if silk screening can bring added value to your finished product.