silk-screen printing

views updated Jun 11 2018

silk-screen printing (serigraphy) In printing, a means of producing a print, generally on paper. A screen composed of a mesh of silk or man-made fibres is stretched over a wooden frame; a design is ‘stopped out’ (painted) on the mesh, using glue, varnish, gelatin, or a paper stencil. To make the print, ink is taken across the screen with a squeegee; the pressure of this pushes the ink through the unstopped areas of the mesh. Several screens may be used to build up a multi-coloured print.