Commercial Printing: Screen vs. Digital

People with limited knowledge about printing processes often confuse screen printing

to digital printing. Despite being often used in similar printing projects, these techniques

differ considerably.

Screen Printing

Also known as silk screening, serigraphy, or

serigraph printing, this is a printing technique that

creates sharp-edged images using stencils. It is the

most traditional and time-honoured method of

transferring images onto canvasses.

Beginning as an industrial technology, American

graphic artists adopted screen printing in the early

1900s. It is popular both in fine arts and

commercial printing, where printers use it to print images on t shirts and other

garments, CDs and DVDs, ceramics and glass, and other materials. This makes this

technique probably the most versatile printing method.

Screen printing provides many benefits, including versatility and quality.

In screen printing, the process embeds the ink directly into the substrate. This occurs

due to the substrate absorbing the ink. As a result, it gets dyed in the ink’s colour. This

produces a smooth feel to the substrate, as there is nothing added to it, as much as

embedded within it.

Digital Printing

This involves sending an image directly to the printer using digital files, like PDFs made

from graphics software. This technique eliminates the need for printing plates, used in

offset printing, saving money and time.

Digital printing has two basic forms: heat transfer and direct printing.

Heat Transfer

- This involves printing the images onto

materials that are then heat-bonded

to the substrates. There are different

kinds of heat transfer materials and

inks. In essence, the process remains

the same.

- Heat transfer is the most available

digital printing option, as anyone with

a computer, printer, and household

iron can do it in its simplest form.

Direct Printing

- This involves printing onto the substrate directly. Under this technique,

professional printers use customised or special printers to print images

onto t shirts and garments, and other materials.

There are other differences between screen printing and digital printing. People

interested in these printing techniques should contact local printing specialists.

Sources:

http://www.firelabel.co.uk/

http://www.howtostartaclothingcompany.com/screenprinting-vs-direct-to-garment-

digital-printingdtg/

http://www.business2community.com/travel-leisure/the-differences-between-digital-

and-screen-printing-0293339