Print Knowledge

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Danny Blevins

Carl Phinney

Donna Phinney

Tim Hoffart

Bob Burnell

Kay Page

Julio Almodovar

Jenny Hoffart

This is our new monthly E-Zine / Newsletter dedicated to sharing information and assisting all interested parties in furthering your knowledge base of Screen and Digital Printing, Pre-Press/File Preparation, Graphic Design, Point Of Purchase products and many other related issues.

*This Issue*

Screen Printing 101

Screen Printing is a diverse printing process. With screen printing, you can print on a wide variety of substrates (surfaces), including plastic, vinyl, foam board, paper, cloth, metal, or any other surface that may be laid flat. Transfer material to be applied to non-flat surfaces such as cars, boats, trucks or coffee mugs can also be printed on.

The inks are long lasting and stand up well in both indoor and outdoor applications. You have all the color choices available in other forms of printing, including PMS (Pantone Matching System) spot colors, four color process and custom colors.

One of the things that Screen Printing allows you to do is print full color images on large format substrates up to 50 inches by 168 inches ( 4.16' x 14' ). This is something unheard of in the "Offset Printing Realm".

The process of printing with screens is conceptually similar to other forms of printing but mechanically different. The digital files are printed to film positives. These film positives are then burned on tightly stretched material screens that have been coated with an emulsion. The screens are then washed to remove the portion of the emulsion not burned into the screen. This leaves the area to be printed clean and free to let ink pass through.

The screens are then mounted on the press and ink is forced through the open areas of the screen by a rubber squeegee, leaving an imprint of the final image on the substrate. The substrate then passes through a dryer to set/cure the ink before the next color is applied through its screen.

Printing quality that was once relegated to offset printing can now, in many cases, be achieved more economically with the wide range of line screens available in screen-printing.

If you would like further information on our products and services or would like to receive a quote on an upcoming project please drop us an email at: printknowledge@mercurysigns.com

or visit us at:

www.mercurysigns.com

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Terri Kline

Cherie Roseliep

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