Screen Printing in Franklin MA – How Does it Work?

Posted on June 25, 2021

It’s important that your team looks fierce come game time. One of the best ways to do that is making your team stand out with unique costume designs. Whether that is your logo or specific uniform additions, Tri-Valley Sports can help! We are able to help you translate your ideas onto a variety of apparel using our screen printing methods in Franklin MA. With our custom screen printing, your team will always look gameday-ready. Screen printing, in particular, is a prevalent medium due to its versatility. Here is some information about the screen printing process!

Screen Printing History

Have you ever stenciled? Then you have essentially done simple screen printing. Screen printing actually evolved from stenciling which has been around since the late 1800s. Over the centuries it developed, first into wooden framed stencils, into today’s mechanized process used to print on posters, packaging, and fabrics. Screen printing has in fact gone from a simple process to one that is highly sophisticated, being able to print images onto almost any surface: plastic, leather, metal, glass, wood, etc. Not so much like stenciling anymore is it?

Step by Step Process

Create your design – This is the logo or name that you want on the front of your jersey and is what will be used to create the stencil.
Prepare the screen – The printer uses a mesh screen that is coated with a layer of emulsion which hardens under a bright light.
Expose Emulsion – Now the design is laid onto the emulsion covered screen which is put under a bright light, hardening the emulsion.
Creating the Stencil – Once the screen has been exposed to the bright long enough and has turned hard, the screen is rinsed to get rid of anything that didn’t harden and then press dried. This leaves behind your stencil!
Printing Prep – Next, the screen is placed on the printing press and then the item that is being personalized is laid flat under the screen.
Ink Pressed – Then the screen is lowered onto the board and ink is applied to one end of the screen, which is distributed evenly across the screen by a squeegee. If the design has multiple colors then the printer applies different colors to different sections in layers.
Dried and Done – Once the stencil is covered, the emulsion is removed using a special fluid and the product is dried. This drying process cures the ink, creating a smooth sleek finish. One final wash and then it’s ready for wear!

Screen Printing in Franklin MA at Tri-Valley Sports

At Tri-Valley Sports we can do more than just sport team apparel. We can also help out schools, associations, and businesses with custom screen printing! It is very easy for us to handle large orders with a short turnaround of typically about ten days. Let us make your design dreams come to life with our custom screen printing in Franklin MA.