Screen Making Basic: Stencil Selection and Application

Preparing the screen is the first step in the screen printing process and is probably the most important one. We can’t expect to achieve a good print result when using a screen of poor quality. The objective in any printing process is to reproduce the original artwork as exactly as possible. Hence the “printing plate,” or “printing screen,” has to match the artwork.The screen printer has to choose the right stencil system and processing equipment, which enables there production of the artwork at an acceptable quality for the specific application. As screen printing can be used in a wide variety of applications, with different quality requirements, this choice often seems difficult. Most modern stencil systems are capable of reproducing the artwork; however, only when used correctly. Even the best stencil system will fail in one way or another if applied incorrectly. This article covers most modern stencil materials and explains the correct application methods.