b'Printing methodsSilk Screen Silk screening is a manual style of printing that uses ink blocking stencil burned into a mesh screen to transfer an image.Silk screening is done on a wide variety of Page 368 materials and finished products.Silk screening is very labor intensive and has color and image size limitation but does offer bright, saturated colors. Silk screening printing has 4 basic steps: printing the film, creating the screen, printing and drying.Printing the film If the graphics are more than one color, you need to separate the graphics into single color files. Shrink/Enlarge the graphics to 100%.The files need to be the same size as you want your final graphic to be. Print each color file on a OHP film (or other clear film).Creating the Screen Use a wooden frame appropriate for your graphic size. Tightly stretch the mesh fabric over the frame. Treat mesh with light sensitive emulsion, allow to set in a dark room. Once dry, lay treated screen in a light box. Place film on top of the screen. Close light box and let screen expose completely. Once the image has been burned into the emulsion, using high pressured water, clean the screens. Repeat if printing more than one color graphic.PrintingP R I N T I N G M E T H O D S On a large flat surface, lay out your fabric.Ensure the fabric is flat and wrinkle free.It is important to secure the fabric so that it wont move during the printing process. Lay screen on fabric, and ensure that your graphics are in the correct place. Pour a small amount of ink onto the screen. Flood the image by simply dragging the ink across the entire screen without applying pressure. Move the squeegee back to the bottom of the screen and while holding it at a 60 degree angle drag it across the screen applying a good amount of even pressure.Most of the ink should have moved to the top of the screen. If you are printing more than one color you will need to let the first color dry almost completely.Then you can lay the second screen on top, aligning the graphic, and squeegee the ink the same way as with the first color.Drying Lay your fabric out to dry in a clean, cool place.The ink can stay tacky for an hour or longer so avoid dusty or high humidity areas.368There are two basic styles of silk screen printing: plastisol and screen sublimation.Plastisol is ink that sits on top of the material. It is used mostly for small runs and when you want to start with a colored fabric.You can tell if something is printed with a plastisol ink by running your fingers over the graphic; if you can feel the graphics it is plastisol.While this ink is very bright it can crack and peel over time. Also, the graphics are only visible from one side of the flag so it is not the best option for outdoor flags.'