Our in-house printing facilities include Rotary
and Flat bed Screen printing.
Screen printing is a printing technique that uses a woven mesh to support an ink-blocking stencil. A design is imposed on the mesh with blank areas coated with an impermeable substance. A roller or squeegee in moved across the screen forcing ink through the mesh in open areas onto the printing surface revealing the design.
Each stencil used supports a different colour.
WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?
Flat-bed presses use a flat polyester or silk screen and a three step reciprocating process to perform the printing operation. The screen is first moved into position over the substrate where ink/pigment is applied. The squeegee is then pressed against the mesh and drawn over the image area, the screen is then lifted away from the substrate to complete the process. With a flat-bed press the substrate to be printed is positioned on a horizontal print bed that is parallel to the screen.
What are the print limitations?
- Maximum print size 1600mm wide x 900mm height
Rotary screen presses are designed for continuous, high speed web printing. During printing, ink is pumped into one end of the cylinder so that a fresh supply is constantly maintained. The squeegee is a free-floating steel bar inside the cylinder, its pressure is maintained and adjusted by magnets mounted under the press bed. Rotary screen presses are most often used for printing textiles, wallpaper, and other products requiring unbroken continuous patterns.
What are the print limitations?
- Maximum of 5 colours
- Maximum print size 2200mm wide
- Repeat print height restricted to:
- 640mm
- 820mm
- 1010mm
The print method used is determined by the artwork design. Flat bed screen printing is used most often. Rotary screen printing is used for unbroken continuous pattern designs such as our mattress fabric prints.
