HOW IT WORKS.

Screen printing (sometimes called “silk-screening”) transfers images and/or lettering onto a variety of materials by pressing colored ink through a stenciled mesh or screen.

The screen is coated and treated with a light-sensitive emulsion. Solid black images of the lettering or design on clear film called “positives” are put in contact with the emulsified screen and exposed to strong ultraviolent light.

The area exposed to this UV light becomes waterproof and hardened in the process, while the area protected by the black portions remains soft and pliable.  The exposed screen is then sprayed and washed thoroughly with warm water.  This serves to dissolve the emulsion left untreated by exposure to the UV light.

The result is a screen imprinted with a stenciled design which allows the ink to flow onto the garment being screen-printed.   A blade or squeegee is run across this screen, pressing the ink through the mesh and onto the garment.

A different screen is used to print each color, replicating the process each time the color screen is changed.  As each separate color is screened, it’s allowed to dry before the next color is applied.

The final product is then sent through a conveyor belt gas dryer to cure all the ink for a durable, long-lasting impression.

As mentioned above, National Sportswear has raised the screen printing bar, creating a next generation process which has set the standard in the industry.