Screen printing: Traditional process in Custom Printed Velvet
1. Basic principles of screen printing
The basic process of screen printing is to transfer the design pattern to the target fabric through a screen. This process can be divided into several steps:
Plate making: Transfer the design pattern to the screen, usually using a photosensitive film or paint to mask the pattern on the screen. The screen is usually made of materials such as polyester or nylon, and it has many fine mesh holes. The unmasked part allows the ink to pass through, while the masked part prevents the ink from passing through.
Ink coating: The ink is squeezed through the pores on the screen by a special scraper and printed directly on the velvet fabric. In this process, the role of the scraper is to push the ink to be evenly distributed on the surface of the screen.
Drying and shaping: After printing, Custom Printed Velvet needs to be dried. The purpose of this link is to solidify the ink to ensure the durability and clarity of the printed pattern. Usually use drying equipment or natural drying.
2. Advantages of Screen Printing
One of the main reasons why screen printing is widely used for custom printed velvet is its unique advantages:
High color saturation: Screen printing can use a thick layer of ink, which makes the color of the printed pattern particularly bright and has a high saturation. Screen printing is an ideal choice for velvet designs that need to show bright colors. Compared with other printing technologies, screen printing is more vivid and durable in color expression.
Durability: The ink of screen printing has strong adhesion and durability, which means that the printed pattern will not fade or wear easily. Especially for velvet fabrics that need to be used for a long time, the long-lasting effect of screen printing is difficult to match with other technologies.
Suitable for mass production: Screen printing is suitable for mass production, especially for large-scale orders, screen printing can provide an efficient and low-cost solution. For custom printed velvet, screen printing can achieve fast production while maintaining high quality to meet market demand.
Advantages of simple patterns and large color blocks: Screen printing is particularly suitable for simple designs with clear pattern boundaries and large color blocks. If the design needs to cover a large area of a certain color, screen printing often has better results than other technologies. Large color block design can minimize errors and improve printing efficiency.
3. Limitations of screen printing
Although screen printing has many advantages, it also has some limitations:
Not suitable for designs with complex details: For designs that need to show fine details, gradient colors or complex patterns, screen printing may not be the best choice. Due to the thicker ink layer of screen printing, fine lines or complex gradient effects are difficult to accurately express.
Limitations of printing colors: Although screen printing can use a variety of colors, its color selection is not as flexible as digital printing. Especially when performing gradients and multi-level color mixing, the effect of screen printing may not appear to be delicate enough.
Requires a long preparation time: Screen printing requires a certain amount of time and labor costs in the plate making process. For small batch customization, the plate making process is expensive and may not be as cost-effective as other printing methods (such as digital printing).
4. Application scenarios of screen printing
Although screen printing has certain limitations, it is widely used in custom printed velvet, especially in some products that require high color performance, screen printing is the first choice.
Fashion clothing: Screen printing is often used in fashion clothing of custom printed velvet, especially when there are large color blocks or simple patterns in the design. Its bright colors and excellent durability enable the printed pattern to maintain its original effect for a long time.
Home decoration: Custom printed velvet is also widely used in the field of home decoration, especially as curtains, sofas, cushions, etc. Screen printing can create lasting and vivid patterns on velvet fabrics, enhancing the beauty of home decoration.
Luxury goods and high-end custom clothing: Screen printing is also often used in fabrics of high-end custom clothing or luxury goods. Due to its excellent color effect and long-lasting printing effect, it can meet the strict requirements of luxury goods for high quality.
5. Future development of screen printing
With the development of technology, the application of screen printing in custom printed velvet is also constantly innovating. For example, the emergence of new environmentally friendly inks and advanced screen materials has enabled screen printing to further reduce its impact on the environment while retaining its traditional advantages. In addition, the combination of screen printing with other printing technologies (such as digital printing) also provides new possibilities for the realization of complex designs.
In the future, as the demand for customized and personalized products increases, screen printing will continue to have a place in the fashion industry and home decoration.