silk screen printing and offset printing

silk screen printing

 One of the most popular decorating options, screen printing (or silk screening). This process involves starting off with camera ready artwork, creating a film positive (a photo image of the artwork), burning the image onto a photo-sensitive specified screen mesh and then pressing the ink through a screen with a squeegee , allowing the color to be applied only where desired. Each color is applied separately using a new screen to give a crisp design. Silk screening inks typically require seven days of curing time to achieve their maximum product resistance after printing:

• Works on glass (via fusion or ceramic decorating), plastic and metal substrates
• Closures- the following materials are all candidates for silk screening; Urea, Phenolic, Tinplate, Aluminum, HDPE, LDPE, Polypropylene, PET and vacuum metalized caps
• Direct-to-surface printing
• Conventional or UV curable inks
• Textures can be applied in patterns or to highlight graphics
• Can decorate 360-degrees of the container surface
• High-speed production
• Multi-color capabilities
• Raised print that you can feel when you pass your fingers over the graphics

Offset printing

Unlike screen printing, in offset printing the image of the design is transferred to plates rather than a screen. Each plate is individually engraved for every color used; the ink is then transferred to a rubber “blanket.” Blankets are attached to a rotating wheel, and each blanket contains one color. Whereas in screen printing a separate pass is required for each color, in offset printing, the entire process is done in a single pass. Offset printing can be “dry” or “wet,” which refers to the type of ink used. This method is best-suited to round containers but can be adapted to square or irregularly shaped containers, although production will be at a lower speed.

Advantages of offset printing:

• Precise replication of even delicate designs and artwork
• When artwork has halftone printing demands
• Single-pass application
• High-speed production on round containers or plastic and metal tubes
• Multi-color capabilities
• Direct-to-surface printing