Screen printing on promotional gifts

Screen printing is one of the most used of all the branding and marking techniques in the promotional and business gift market.

Screen printing is a stencil technique in which ink is forced through a mesh, originally of fine silk but now commercially more likely to be nylon. It’s an all-embracing process used on General Fabrics, Metal, Plastic Pens and PU (Simulated Leather).

Tee shirts, caps, polo shirts and sweat shirts have traditionally been printed by the screen printing technique although, in many instances, now overtaken for the more spectacular full colour designs that have become the norm for various designs. Nevertheless, there is still a place for single colour and spot printing where screen printing is still the personalisation method of choice...and will remain so for some considerable time yet.

However, the age-old problem is still there when compared to transfer printing; and that is extra charges for additional colours and screens.  There are some jobs where some sublimation printers able to quote an all-inclusive price without any add-ons for extra colours or additional screens. Notwithstanding this limitation, the screen printer still has one or two tricks up his or her sleeve and will often sell the prospect on the idea of a black or dark background..

Sublimation printing sometimes struggles on dark surfaces and some sublimation printers have given up on black altogether but not the screen printer. The screen printing technique is able to produce spectacular and vivid prints on any background...however dark and is especially effective on black and all very dark colours. So providing the design and the substrate are right there are many application where screen printing will continue to reign supreme.