5. Inks for screen printing

5.1 Brief description of the process and its applications

In screen printing, ink transfer is based on the stencil principle: the ink is forced through a screen on the substrate by pressure from a doctor blade. This screen, previously prepared using masking methods, allows the ink to penetrate into the printing areas and blocks it in the non-printing areas. The thickness of the ink deposited on the substrate depends on the pressure and angle of the doctor blade, and the thinness of the screen. It is with this process that the highest ink thicknesses (up to several tens of micrometers) can be deposited. Screen printing can therefore be used to print a very wide variety of substrates and objects, and is used in applications as varied as packaging (particularly polymer containers), large-format...