Screen Printing

Today, the screen printed T-shirt is an American icon and a global means of expression. Here at Meme Tech we have over 3 decades of in-house printing experience. We stand behind our work and consistently strive to implement ecologically sound practices and products by using high quality, locally made plastisol inks for a durable, opaque print and soy based cleaning materials. We use our technology to be not only more efficient, but also more creative.

How it’s Done 

To make a screen, we take a computer file and separate each individual color. Each color is output to a solid black opaque film. We take a clean and empty synthetic mesh screen and coat it with a photosensitive emulsion, and allow it to dry in complete darkness. We then position the printed film over the screen and expose them to a very bright light source. The area exposed to light will harden and the area blocked by the film, the image, will wash out. After drying the screen will be aligned on the press where we spread ink over the screen with a smooth plastic bladed squeegee, which will force the ink through the mesh onto the fabric below. Each color is a separate layer, or screen, so by setting up multiple screens, multiple colors of ink may be used in the design, up to 6 colors at a time. After heating the ink to a temperature over 300 degrees, it will then bond to the fabric permanently.