Screen printing can be simple or complex; can require very little outlay or may need significant investment in the latest technology; thousands of items can be printed or just a single pen. It can be used on a wide range of products including promotional pens to t-shirts with intricate graphic designs.
The concept originated over a thousand years ago when it was perfected by the Chinese in 1000CE. Europe took some time to realise the benefits of screen printing until the 18th century when the French stencilled patterns onto shoes and fabrics. In the 20th century, screen printing became more mechanised developing from a primitive wooden frame over which stretching fabrics were placed, to machines using photo reactive chemicals.
Today screen printing more frequently uses eco-friendly techniques such as photo reactive stencils. Full colour CMYK printing is now mainstream and used on a wide range of items including plastic bottles and containers, wallpaper, promotional umbrellas, printed bags, promotional pens and a host of other business gifts.
As technology progresses, the boundaries of traditional printing processes will be pushed ever further to produce products which were once the stuff of science fiction books.
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