Silkscreen Printing

At CDman we offer both Silkscreen and Offset Printing for our CD and DVD discs. Silkscreen Printing is definitely old-school technology but there are many types of print needs that Silkscreen Printing (also referred to as Screenprinting) is the best solution for. One example is textile printing and many types of signage printing.

A "Silk Screen" is a piece of polyester mesh/fabric stretched tightly over a frame - actual 'silk' hasn't been used for quite some time as synthetic fabrics are more cost-effective and much more durable.

Here's an overview of the process:

• The polyester mesh is coated with a photo-sensitive emulsion and then left to dry.
• When dry, the artwork film 'positive' is centered onto the mesh.
• The screen is then exposed to a bright light for a pre-determined length of time. Any emulsion that is exposed to the light will harden. Emulsion that is shielded from the light (by the film) does not harden.
• After exposure to the light has completed, the film is removed from the screen and the screen is washed with water. The water has no effect on the hardened emulsion but it dissolves the emulsion that did not harden (because it was shielded from the light by the film). When the emulsion dissolves it reveals the polyester mesh underneath.
• After washing, the screen is allowed to dry thoroughly.

Now, basically, what you have is a 'stencil' image on the mesh. Ink is then pushed through the exposed mesh on the stencil image using a squeegee. One color of ink is used for each Silkscreen. A series of separate Silkscreens can be set up to print different colors one on top of the other.

There are limitations to what Silkscreen Printing can do. Compared to state-of-the-art printing methods of today, Silkscreen Printing may seem hopelessly antiquated - yet there are printing requirements where Silkscreening outperforms the modern alternatives. That being said, Silkscreen Printing should only be chosen when the artwork/design suits the attributes that Silkscreen Printing offers.

• The standard line screen for Silkscreen Printing 100 lpi. This may result in the loss of image detail compared with the higher resolution of the Offset Printing.
• Remember - we're talking about pushing ink through a mesh with a rubber squeegee... there ARE going to be limitations to how much details is going to print. Fine lines and detail may disappear (including very small type and serifs under 6 points).
• Silkscreen Printing is much better suited for Spot Color printing. Leave CMYK printing to the more modern printers that specialize in Offset CMYK print.
• Because the disc surface is an aluminum/silver color - not white like paper - it may be advisable to print a white backprint (or 'flood') prior to printing the colors. This is the equivalent to painting on a white canvas. The colors look better and more 'true' when they go onto a white background.
• CDs and DVDs have a small hole in their center, and you will notice that around that center hold there is a section of clear plastic. Traveling outward from there you will see a highly reflective silver band called a 'mirror band', and then as you proceed outward there is the aluminum/silver color of the disc where the data is stored. When you apply ink across the face of the disc, the coloration is going to look different on the aluminum of the disc as opposed to the bright mirror band. And then the same applies again when you look at the coloration of the ink over the clear plastic. This irregularity of color can generally be fixed by printing a white backprint (or 'flood') prior to printing the colors. As noted previously, the white backprint provides a bright consistent 'canvas' to put the colors onto.
• Designs with gradual fades from one color to another may not product well. Unless you are experienced with designing for Silkscreen Printing we don't recommend that you design using gradients or percentages of solid colors. Unexpected results may occur.
• If you are designing using less than 100% solid color, keep you design between 15% and 85%. This is because anything lower than 15% may not transfer properly in the film/emulsion imaging process - it will literally wash straight off the screen in the washing process - and anything greater than 85% may fill in, thus producing a solid color.