It is worth saying that one of the reasons why silk has practically fallen into disuse is because no matter how much it stretches, when it takes in ambient humidity, it loosens again. Polyester, nylon or acrylic materials are commonly used.

The diameter of the threads that make up the gauze is uniform, but the gauze can be of different thicknesses; For more detailed work, gauze with a tighter weave is preferred. For textile use "Fabric (textile)"), the number of threads is between 18 and 90 threads per linear cm. Para uso con tintas al solvente (impresiones no textiles) como plásticos, madera, metales u otros materiales, las mallas (sedas) tienen que ser de trama más cerrada, entre 100 y 200 hilos por cm lineal. For the use of water-based inks, a thread count of 34 to 62 threads is recommended; In some cases, depending on how diluted the ink is, we can use up to 90 threads.

The color of the gauze varies between white and yellow; The latter allow us to obtain better quality in the copy of the original, since they do not refract light. The silks can be monofilament or multifilament, the "mono" ones are more resistant and maintain tension in the frame, giving them very good dimensional stability, differentiating them from the multifilament ones, which are of low quality and little durability. The yellow mesh is widely used in screen printing on paper in weaves with 90 threads or more. In some cases they are used in 77-thread meshes and yellow for textiles to achieve better definition.

During its preparation, the gauze must be attached tightly to the frame. The tension in the gauze is very important to obtain good results. The tension may be irregular depending on the resistance of the gauze, for example if the gauze chosen is made of thinner threads, or if the gauze is mounted to the frame manually.

The tension on the surface can be measured with a newton measuring instrument "Newton (unit)").

A variation uses stainless steel cylinders, with tiny pores through which the ink passes, the pressure is exerted with a metal cylinder housed inside the printing cylinder; This mode is used in textile printing and to manufacture the tracks of printed circuits.

After a long preparation process, the silk or fabric is completely stretched and ordered, giving it shape and regularity.

1. As a first step, you must obtain a textile support suitable for the task to be carried out, depending on the final resolution of the print, for example, to print an advertising poster you should use muslin, with approximately 20 threads, or if you want a tiny drawing, use synthetic silk for screen printing, because it has more than 100 threads and therefore the holes will be smaller.

2. Preparing the stretcher is very similar to preparing canvases for oil painting. The muslin or screen-printed silk is stretched to the wooden frame or metal frame, taking into consideration that the textile support must be stretched until it does not present wrinkles, so that it does not tear when printing. It is normally held with staples to the wooden frame, tempering one point at a time and crosswise, so that the tension is even in all corners.

3. They can be made in different materials, until a few years ago they were made with a transparent acetate sheet which was painted with marker or Indian ink, another method was with photocopies on transparent acetate, currently they are made using thermal printers designed exclusively for this purpose and that use exclusive high quality film or with conventional printers on common bond paper, 75 grams, which is painted on the reverse with almond oil, this makes the paper become transparent and allows the burning of the iron.

4. There are various emulsions on the market, depending on the ink to be printed with, the most common is the blue photoserigame emulsion (this changes a lot depending on the country where you live), which is used to print with water-based and benzine-based inks (varsol), there is also the red emulsion for printing with PVC-based inks, this is not resistant to water-based inks, these emulsions are activated with ammonium dichromate.

The colors of the emulsions should not be associated with a printing process, each manufacturer decides to add one color or another to their product in order to make it more visible, it is marketing.

To make the printing plates, it must be done in darkness or semi-darkness, or with the help of safety lamps using red or yellow light.

In some cases, depending on the emulsion manufacturer, we can emulsify with artificial non-direct light to be able to see better. In no case should it be done in direct sunlight or UV light.

5. Ammonium bichromate is added to the emulsion (bichromate is prohibited in Europe and the USA), in the amount indicated by the manufacturer, normally it is a few drops. It should be remembered that these materials are photosensitive. It is best to store them in a dark place or inside black plastic bags. a dark place or with the help of a hair dryer, once dry, the emulsion becomes somewhat transparent.

Thanks to the evolution of screen printing in the industrial and artistic world, manufacturers have begun to create direct emulsions, they come ready for use without the need to mix them with other products.

In some countries diazo is used instead of bichromate. Diazo is a sensitizer that activates the emulsion and makes it photosensitive.

6. To develop the plates, a light source is used, normally a drawing table for tracing, the emulsion reacts depending on the amount of light, this is why it is important to do tests to determine the exposure time, usually for a drawing table it is exposed for no more than one minute, you can also use a room light, for this you must expose it for approximately 20 minutes or use box lamps built for this purpose, with several fluorescent lamps.

7. Having the frame with the dry emulsion, the photolith, also called art, is placed underneath it. The objective is that the black parts of the photolith do not allow light to pass through to certain parts of the emulsified silk. Therefore, in these parts the emulsion will not cure and can be washed later. It must be taken into account that there should be no space between the photolith and the iron. For this purpose, books or any element that presses the silk on the photoliths are used.

8. After exposing the plate, it is developed. At this time, you can leave the dark room and go to a sink. Gently rub the silk with your hand or with a brush. The parts that were not exposed to light will easily be diluted, leaving the silk blank. You should not rub too much because all the emulsion will fall off.

If the parts of the plate are not revealed it is because the plate was overexposed, otherwise if the entire plate is blank it is because it was underexposed and needed more time to react.

Artistic silkscreen printing is an original work, only serialized or multiplied, generally in very limited editions. It is made in collaboration with the artist and is signed and numbered in pencil by the painter himself.

Great artists have used this Warhol technique. He looked. Tapies. Screech. Chronicle Team. Gordillo. Saura. G. Rueda. Canogar. Guinovart, etc.

The National Library of Spain, the Museum of Engraving in Marbella, the Museum of Graphic Works in San Clemente (Cuenca) and Fairs such as Estampa in Madrid or SAGA in Paris, among other institutions, endorse Graphic Works and contemporary art editions.

Silk-screen prints can be detected because each color has a certain relief, and in the contours of tracing images, such as texts, if we enlarge them, they will appear with a shape reminiscent of the teeth of a saw.

It would be difficult to reach a complete detail of all of them, since it evolves continuously precisely due to its application possibilities on any type of support.

Some examples of techniques for screen printing on textiles are: Color selection (full color printing on the garment, either with light or dark backgrounds), Discharge printing: By corrosion of the color of the garment, Foil: Using metallized paper sheets, High Density (HD): High relief screen printing, these can be applied by also combining the metallized sheets; Glitters, glitter, frost and sparkle effects, Flock: which offers a velvet-like finish, etc.

Every day, companies dedicated to the textile industry force screen printing ink manufacturers to explore new techniques, invent or renew them, in order to always be able to offer something innovative to the market.

It is worth saying that one of the reasons why silk has practically fallen into disuse is because no matter how much it stretches, when it takes in ambient humidity, it loosens again. Polyester, nylon or acrylic materials are commonly used.

The diameter of the threads that make up the gauze is uniform, but the gauze can be of different thicknesses; For more detailed work, gauze with a tighter weave is preferred. For textile use "Fabric (textile)"), the number of threads is between 18 and 90 threads per linear cm. Para uso con tintas al solvente (impresiones no textiles) como plásticos, madera, metales u otros materiales, las mallas (sedas) tienen que ser de trama más cerrada, entre 100 y 200 hilos por cm lineal. For the use of water-based inks, a thread count of 34 to 62 threads is recommended; In some cases, depending on how diluted the ink is, we can use up to 90 threads.

The color of the gauze varies between white and yellow; The latter allow us to obtain better quality in the copy of the original, since they do not refract light. The silks can be monofilament or multifilament, the "mono" ones are more resistant and maintain tension in the frame, giving them very good dimensional stability, differentiating them from the multifilament ones, which are of low quality and little durability. The yellow mesh is widely used in screen printing on paper in weaves with 90 threads or more. In some cases they are used in 77-thread meshes and yellow for textiles to achieve better definition.

During its preparation, the gauze must be attached tightly to the frame. The tension in the gauze is very important to obtain good results. The tension may be irregular depending on the resistance of the gauze, for example if the gauze chosen is made of thinner threads, or if the gauze is mounted to the frame manually.

The tension on the surface can be measured with a newton measuring instrument "Newton (unit)").

A variation uses stainless steel cylinders, with tiny pores through which the ink passes, the pressure is exerted with a metal cylinder housed inside the printing cylinder; This mode is used in textile printing and to manufacture the tracks of printed circuits.

After a long preparation process, the silk or fabric is completely stretched and ordered, giving it shape and regularity.

1. As a first step, you must obtain a textile support suitable for the task to be carried out, depending on the final resolution of the print, for example, to print an advertising poster you should use muslin, with approximately 20 threads, or if you want a tiny drawing, use synthetic silk for screen printing, because it has more than 100 threads and therefore the holes will be smaller.

2. Preparing the stretcher is very similar to preparing canvases for oil painting. The muslin or screen-printed silk is stretched to the wooden frame or metal frame, taking into consideration that the textile support must be stretched until it does not present wrinkles, so that it does not tear when printing. It is normally held with staples to the wooden frame, tempering one point at a time and crosswise, so that the tension is even in all corners.

3. They can be made in different materials, until a few years ago they were made with a transparent acetate sheet which was painted with marker or Indian ink, another method was with photocopies on transparent acetate, currently they are made using thermal printers designed exclusively for this purpose and that use exclusive high quality film or with conventional printers on common bond paper, 75 grams, which is painted on the reverse with almond oil, this makes the paper become transparent and allows the burning of the iron.

4. There are various emulsions on the market, depending on the ink to be printed with, the most common is the blue photoserigame emulsion (this changes a lot depending on the country where you live), which is used to print with water-based and benzine-based inks (varsol), there is also the red emulsion for printing with PVC-based inks, this is not resistant to water-based inks, these emulsions are activated with ammonium dichromate.

The colors of the emulsions should not be associated with a printing process, each manufacturer decides to add one color or another to their product in order to make it more visible, it is marketing.

To make the printing plates, it must be done in darkness or semi-darkness, or with the help of safety lamps using red or yellow light.

In some cases, depending on the emulsion manufacturer, we can emulsify with artificial non-direct light to be able to see better. In no case should it be done in direct sunlight or UV light.

5. Ammonium bichromate is added to the emulsion (bichromate is prohibited in Europe and the USA), in the amount indicated by the manufacturer, normally it is a few drops. It should be remembered that these materials are photosensitive. It is best to store them in a dark place or inside black plastic bags. a dark place or with the help of a hair dryer, once dry, the emulsion becomes somewhat transparent.

Thanks to the evolution of screen printing in the industrial and artistic world, manufacturers have begun to create direct emulsions, they come ready for use without the need to mix them with other products.

In some countries diazo is used instead of bichromate. Diazo is a sensitizer that activates the emulsion and makes it photosensitive.

6. To develop the plates, a light source is used, normally a drawing table for tracing, the emulsion reacts depending on the amount of light, this is why it is important to do tests to determine the exposure time, usually for a drawing table it is exposed for no more than one minute, you can also use a room light, for this you must expose it for approximately 20 minutes or use box lamps built for this purpose, with several fluorescent lamps.

7. Having the frame with the dry emulsion, the photolith, also called art, is placed underneath it. The objective is that the black parts of the photolith do not allow light to pass through to certain parts of the emulsified silk. Therefore, in these parts the emulsion will not cure and can be washed later. It must be taken into account that there should be no space between the photolith and the iron. For this purpose, books or any element that presses the silk on the photoliths are used.

8. After exposing the plate, it is developed. At this time, you can leave the dark room and go to a sink. Gently rub the silk with your hand or with a brush. The parts that were not exposed to light will easily be diluted, leaving the silk blank. You should not rub too much because all the emulsion will fall off.

If the parts of the plate are not revealed it is because the plate was overexposed, otherwise if the entire plate is blank it is because it was underexposed and needed more time to react.

Artistic silkscreen printing is an original work, only serialized or multiplied, generally in very limited editions. It is made in collaboration with the artist and is signed and numbered in pencil by the painter himself.

Great artists have used this Warhol technique. He looked. Tapies. Screech. Chronicle Team. Gordillo. Saura. G. Rueda. Canogar. Guinovart, etc.

The National Library of Spain, the Museum of Engraving in Marbella, the Museum of Graphic Works in San Clemente (Cuenca) and Fairs such as Estampa in Madrid or SAGA in Paris, among other institutions, endorse Graphic Works and contemporary art editions.

Silk-screen prints can be detected because each color has a certain relief, and in the contours of tracing images, such as texts, if we enlarge them, they will appear with a shape reminiscent of the teeth of a saw.

It would be difficult to reach a complete detail of all of them, since it evolves continuously precisely due to its application possibilities on any type of support.

Some examples of techniques for screen printing on textiles are: Color selection (full color printing on the garment, either with light or dark backgrounds), Discharge printing: By corrosion of the color of the garment, Foil: Using metallized paper sheets, High Density (HD): High relief screen printing, these can be applied by also combining the metallized sheets; Glitters, glitter, frost and sparkle effects, Flock: which offers a velvet-like finish, etc.

Every day, companies dedicated to the textile industry force screen printing ink manufacturers to explore new techniques, invent or renew them, in order to always be able to offer something innovative to the market.