DOCUMENT

ON SCREEN
PRINTING
AND
TRANSFER
PRINTING
 SCREEN PRINTING AND
TRANSFER PRINTING

SUBMITTED TO: PROF. T. SRIVANI

SUBMITTED BY: i) ANANYA UNIYAL (03)

ii) SHWETA RANJANA (24)
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

We would like to express special

gratitude to our fabric science for
apparel (FSA) faculty professor T. Srivani
for her able guidance and seniors for
their support in completing our
assignment. We got to learn a lot, which
will be very helpful to us.
We would also like to thank her for
teaching us with such patience and
providing us with all the facilities
required.
 CONTENT
TOPIC PAGE NUMBER

1. Introduction 01
2. Introduction to Screen 02
Printing
3. Hand Screen Printing 03-05
4. Flat Bed Screen Printing 06-07
5. Rotary Screen Printing 08-11
6. Transfer Printing 12-15
7. Bibliography 16
 INTRODUCTION
Screen Printing is one of the oldest methods
of printing words and images. Its origin can
be traced back to early Egyptians and
Chinese civilisations. In this document, we
have covered various methods of screen
printing such as hand screen printing, flat-
bed screen printing and rotary screen
printing. We have also included their
advantages and disadvantages, preparations
etc. With all the new processes and
advancements, we come in contact with
these everyday. Furthermore, we have also
covered the topic of transfer printing and its
methods, advantages and disadvantages.
 INTRODUCTION TO
SCREEN PRINTING
Screen printing can be considered a development of
stencilling process that has been practised in Japan since
the 8th century. it is one of the most versatile patterning
techniques and can be used to produce anything from
simple stenciled, wax or gum resist patterns to complex
photographic images. it is not difficult to master and can
be used for most types of dye, pigment, discharge, resist
and texturing effect
The main difference between the screen printing and
the stencil printing is that in screen printing, the
ordinary stencil plate is replaced by a tightly stretched
screen of thin silk gauze on which the pattern is painted
in such a way that the unpainted parts corresponds to
the perforations in the stencil plate and perform exactly
the same function i.e they allow the color paste to pass
through them freely on to the cloth placed beneath. In
stencil printing, color is usually applied by brush, but in
the other it is applied by means of a rubber or wooden
sqeegee which is almost as white as the screen. The
structure of the screen permits pattern of almost any
size to be handled with ease and certainity.
 HAND SCREEN PRINTING
When screen printing was first developed, it was done entirely
by hand. A frame of wood was stretched tightly with fine silk or
organdi, onto which the pattern was transferred. A fabric
known as Bolting Silk which had been created for floor-milling
sieves was used for a number of years. The warp threads in
this special silk were fixed in positions between two twisted
weft threads, so ensuring a completely stable base on which to
engrave a pattern. This transference of the pattern was, and
still can be done in a great variety of ways- from the extremely
simple one of painting out the background with varnish to the
most advanced of photomechanical techniques.
EQUIPMENTS REQUIRED:-
The main items of the equipment are screen, squeegees, and
wooden or concrete tables. The tables are usually 75cm high, 120
to 160cm wide and 30 to 60m long, the top being in an inclined
position with the gradient of 2.5cm. The table is covered with the
woolen felt cloth about 6mm thick. On this a cotton backgrey is
used if the cloth ito be printed is to be fixed with pins, if it is to
be gummed with an adhesive, then a waterproof cover is used.
When the cloth is gummed, regumming for the next piece is not
required, and upto 20 layers can be put down. A guide rail is
fitted along the side of the table to ensure correct registration of
the design. Adjustable metal stops or pegs are attached to the
rail and fixed in place to fit the width of each repeat. The bottom
of the table often has an arrangement for electrical heating to
dry the cloth.
The screen resembles shallow trace and consist of bolting
cloth stretched tightly over and fixed to strong wooden or
metallic frames which are usually 15 to 20cm wider than the
cloth to be printed and also 15 to 20 cm longer than the
vertical repeat of the pattern. A separate screen is required for
each color in a multicolor pattern. Usually the size of the frame
is 165cm, 138cm and 157.5 or 130cm. The side pieces of the
frame are bevelled at a slight angle so that when the screen is
laid flat on the table only the minimum area touches the table
and prevents marking of on the following repeat.
PROCEDURE:- The color paste is first poured at the bottom
end of the shallow trough of the screen and drawn over with
two or three strokes of the squeegee with uniform pressure
whereby the color is transferred to the cloth underneath. The
screen is then lifted from the position(1) to the position(3)
repeating the operation and then to the position(5) and so on
to avoid marking off of color until the whole table length is
covered. the cloth is then dried by heating the tables or by
blowing hot air and printing is carried out in positions(2),(4),(6)
etc until the whole length is printed with the first color. Each
screen is washed with a jet of water immediately after use
because if it is left to dry with the color paste on it, it becomes
difficult to clean it later and can even block the mesh of the
screen rendering it useless. The printed cloth after drying is
removed and given appropriate after treatment.
METHODS EMPLOYED FOR PREPARING SCREENS:-
1) Direct Painting Method
2) Profilm Method
3) The Resist Method
ADVANTAGES OF SCREEN PRINTING:-

The method is simple to operate and does not require

elaborate and expensive equipment.
The method enables new patterns to be produced quickly
and without a large initial expense since the screens can
be produced cheaply.
The method is useful for printing knitted rayon fabrics
which can not be manipulated satisfactorily on the roller
printing machine.
The method is economical in production and manually
less exacting then block printing.
Blotch designs can be printed by this method which can
not be printed by block or roller printing further it is
possible to produce larger repeats than those in roller
printing.
As many as 16 colors can be printed in one pattern by this
method.
Print obtained by this method are more intensed, more
bright and possess natural bloom.

DISADVANTAGES OF SCREEN PRINTING:-

For high production, a large number of tables have to be
used requiring huge space with incidental over heads.
Delicate shading and gradation of color are difficult to
obtain by this method and the joint marks at the repeats
are often perceptible.
Fine mesh screens used for shop line effects often get
choked rendering the screen redundant.
FLAT-BED SCREEN PRINTING
Almost from the beginning of its development as an industry,
screen printing, although in many factories entirely an exclusive
hand process, was in other assisted to varying degrees by
mechanical aids. These aids consisted of, for example, automatic
printing tables, various means of screen lifting, assisted
squeegees of different types and mechanized cloth movement.
Finally, in 1954, the first fully automatic flat-bed machine came
into operation. This machine mechanized every single process,
from the feeding-in of the cloth through gumming rolers and the
printing with varying numbers of squeegee movements, to the
controlled liftinf of cloth from the table and ending with passage
into drying cabinet.

The machine consists of a printing table, an endless conveyor

belt to bring the fabric on to the table under the screens
periodically, a number of screens , a special mechanism for
lowering the screen on the required parts of the fabric,
squeegees driven by motor, a special conveyor under the table
to collect extra paste, an arrangement for gumming the fabric to
the conveyor belt and drier.
When printing, the fabric is brought on to the printing table
through a feeding arrangement and gum to the conveyor belt
on the table. For gumming, a two shaft pedder is used in which
the bottom shaft rotates in a gum box and transmits the gum
on to the top shaft which transfers it to the conveyor belt. The
conveyor brings the fabric periodically under the screens and
stops while the screens are lowered on the required parts of
the fabric by a special mechanism. The squeegee makes one or
more strokes over the screen after which the screens are lifted
again as required by the color in the design. Extra paste is
collected by a special conveyor running under the table. After
printing the fabric is dried by passing through a hot air
chamber. The conveyor returns to its original position where it
is washed and dried and a new fabric is gummed on it. In this
machine example in the buser screen printing machine 8 to 10
colors in a design can be printed.
Greater production of printed cloth can be achieved by this
machine as compared to ordinary hand screen printing and
exact registration of prints with different repeats is possible.

ADVANTAGES:-
The colors of the flat-bed screen printed design are
characterised by their cleanliness and they exhibit the
natural bloom and brilliancy.
the unprinted white portions do not get tinted.
The total design exhibits the individualistic appearance
unobtainable with any other style of printing.
Large repeats and blotch designs can be obtained by
screen printing with comparative ease and comfort than
by any other methods.
ROTARY SCREEN PRINTING
The rotary screen is the screen in a cylindrical form. The
color is applied from inside while the rotary screen is
revolving. Rotary screen printing uses cylindrical screens
as oppose to flat screens. Again a separate screen is
required for each color of the design being printed. More
complex designs require the application of many different
colors and typical rotary screen printing machines have
the capacity for up to 20 screens. The screen rotates in
contact with the substrate and the print paste is fed from
inside the screen. The paste is forced from out of the
inside of the screen by means of the metal squeegee
blade. Again the fabric is adhered to a continuous
washable rubber blanket, although in rotary screen
printing the fabric and substrate run continuouly through
the machine as oppose to a start/stop motion in flat
screen printing. The printed fabric is again taken of the
end of machine and dry whilst the rubber blanket is
washed and regummed.
The first rotary screen was developed by a Portugese but
the first rotary printing machine was introduced by STORK
of Holland in 1963. The heart and soul of this machine is
the hollow perforated thin shell of a nickel without a
repeat join. The squeegee lies inside the circular screen, it
is a rod type or flexible blade type activated by an
electromagnet.
The machine is usually built for 6, 9, 12, 15 or 18 colors for
printing a maximum width of 160, 180, 240, or 320cm. It is
suitable for printing any type of fabric of any construction
including knitted fabric. The main features of the machine are:
each screen is independently driven, printing paste is fed by
special pumps individually to the different screens and the
print paste level inside the rotary screen is automatically and
constantly controlled, the transfer of the printing paste
through the perforations of the screen on to the cloth is
governed by specially designed squeegee blades, the pressure
of the squeegee on the inside of the screen as well as the
individual pressure and positioning of the different rotary
screens can be controlled at will. It is also possible to lift the
screens automatically whenever the machine stops so that no
stop marks are produced. At the time of starting the machine
again, it is enough to lower the screens and start printing. All
screens fit in perfectly, independent of the movement of the
fabric or the blankets so that a perfect fitting of the design is
obtained at all times. The speed of the machine can be adjusted
from 10 to 100m/min. The other details of the rotary printing
machine vary considerably as for instance, the feeding system
of the print paste, the end rings of the rotary screens, the
gumming device, the rubber blankets, etc.
PREPARATION OF ROTARY SCREENS:-
A matrix of steel cylinder is first prepared. It is then coated
with the chemical which will withstand the action of
electroplating.
The coated matrix is electroplated with nickel with
hexagonal perforations of the required size and mesh.
The electroplated shell of required thickness of 0.08 to
0.2mm is then removed by immersing the steel matrix in a
solution whereby the shell is loosened from the surface of
the matrix.
The perforated shell is then cut to required width and fitted
with patented rings.
The shell so prepared is then lacquered and engraved and
is ready for use as a rotary screen.

ENGRAVING OF ROTARY SCREENS:-

Cleaning or Degreasing of the perforated screens.
Coating or sensitizing with photosensitive polymerising
immersion or lacquer.
Drying of the lacquer.
Exposure of the senstise screens to light and retouching
wherever necessary.
Hardening of the lacquer.
Gluing of the end rings. Correct glueing of the end rings
ensure good stability and long life for the screens which
are costly. There are called galvanoscreens.
ADVANTAGES OF ROTARY SCREEN:-

Production of printed material by this method is the

highest as compared to roller printing or automatic flat-bed
printing methods.
As many as 24 colors can be printed by this method but 8 to
10 colors can be printed easily.
Joint marks which are perceptible in flat-bed and
handscreen printing methods are totally absent in rotary
printing.
Half tone effects and vertical lines can be produced very
successfully by this method.
The prints produced are free from smudging effect which is
quite severe in roller printing.

DISADVANTAGES OF ROTARY SCREEN:-

The method is not economical for short runs of the

fabric due to high cost of engraving of the screens.
The size of repeat of the design is limited to about
65cm which is less than that of hand screen printing.
 TRANSFER PRINTING
(INDIRECT METHODS OF PRINTING)

Transfer printing is the revolutionary development in

printing which is all together different from the conventional
methods of printing. It is an indirect method or printing in
which a sublimable dye is transferred from paper to a
thermoplastic fabric under controlled condition of
temperature, time and pressure. In fact, it is not a printing
process at all. In the real sense of the term and is actually a
calendering operation. The process was discovered by a
French engineer De Plassey in 1960 who, while hot pressing
polyester printed cloth on a white piece of polyester cloth
accidently found that the design had shifted from the
printed cloth on to the white piece of cloth. he patented the
process of transfer printing and was awarded the Perkin
medal for his discovery by the society of dyers and colorists,
uk. The sublistatic cooperation developed the process
commercially in 1965. Transfer printing is also known as
sublistatic printing, colourstatic printing, vapourphase
printing and dry heat printing.
According to Barton Shaw, any process that involves the
physical transfer of a design from one substrate to another is
termed as a transfer printing process.
PRINTING OF PAPER:-

Various methods are used for printing paper such as gravure

printing, flexography, lithography, etc, but most of the paper
is printed by the rotogravure printing machine which is similar
to roller printing machine. After printing one color, the paper
is dried immediately before printing another color. It is then
coated with the resin or lacquer called tacks. This coating is
essential for paper to stick to the fabric without leaving any
gap so that all the dispersed dye which sublimes at high
temperature is taken up by the fabric. After printing the paper
is rolled up and its edges are trimmed. It is then cut into rolls
of different widths and lengths as required.

MACHINE USED FOR TRANSFER PRINTING:-

Two types of machines are mainly used for transfer printing

viz. flatbed press transfer printing machine and continuous
calender or drum transfer printing machine. In flatbed press
machine, the process is batchwise or discontinuous and it is
mainly employed for garments like shirts as also for knitwear,
hose and ties. The continuous calender machine is used
mainly for fabrics whereas the flatbed press machine is used
for garments as well as fabrics.
WET METHOD:
The first technique employs a product called image maker
produced by dylon. This solution can be used to transfer any
standard photocopy but gives a rubbery feel to the fabric.
The photocopy will be reversed so avoid writing or numbers
in the design. To transfer your image place the photocopy
printed side up on to a peace of foil or plastic then paint the
surface of the photocopy with an even layer of image maker
solution. Lift the photocopy and transfer it face down on to
the fabric. Cover the back with a piece of absorbent paper
and the press the copydown firmly. A rubber roler or rolling
pen can be used to ensure that image has taken. Leave the
copy to dry for atleast four hours, and then soak the paper
back in thoroughly with water. Once softens it can be
carefully removed using a sponge and water. When the
image is completely free of any paper fuzz, leave it to dry.
The image can then be sealed with a thin layer of image
maker painted over its surface.

DRY HEAT METHOD:-

This requires a photocopy printed on special paper such as

paracopy and magic touch. The image is photocopied on to
the paper and placed image side down on to the fabric. Cover
with the clean piece of thin white paper or a silicon coated
sheet and slowly iron with the hot iron or heat press for
20seconds at 200C to transfer the image to the cloth. Leave
the photocopy to cool for a few seconds before peeling the
backing paper away and leaving the image behind.
ADVANTAGES OF TRANSFER PRINTING METHOD:-

The operation of transfer printing is very simple and

does not require expensive machinery.
There is no after treatment of the printed material. No
drying, washing, steaming, curing or developing.
As the operation is simple, no skilled labor or a color
chemist is required. The cost of labor is low.
The operation is quite clean ensuring freedom from
soiling of hand and cloths.
Faults do not occur in printing because the defects are
rectified at the stage of paper printing itself.

DISADVANTAGES OF TRANSFER PRINTING:-

The process is mainly applicable to polyester material and

not to natural fibers as they are not thermoplastic and do
not possess any affinity.
The color range i.e the number of dyes used for printing is
limited.
The cost of printed paper is high and its width is limited.
The process is not economical for short runs of the fabric
and the designs on pre printed release paper can not be
modified.
Color fastness to light of the printed material is low as
compared to the fastness obtainable by conventional
methods of printing.
 BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. Technology of printing by V. A.
SHENAI
2. Manual of Textile Printing by
JOYCE STOREY
3. Fabric Dyeing and Printing by Kate
Wells
4. https://textilelearner.net
5. https://autoprintmachine.com