How screens are made

Before a single t-shirt is printed, there's a screen. Before the screen, there's a film. Before the film, there's a decision — mesh count, emulsion type, exposure time. This is where the quality of your print actually begins.

🎥 Video coming soon — we're filming our screen-making process behind the scenes.

⚡ In 30 seconds

What a screen is: A fine mesh stretched over a frame, with a stencil "burned" into it using light.
Why it matters: The quality of your printed logo comes from the quality of the screen.
Time to make one: 45–90 minutes per colour — start to finish.
One screen = one colour. A 4-colour design needs 4 screens.
Reusable: Frames and mesh can be cleaned and reused — but each new design needs a new coating.
Why we don't outsource: Every screen is made in-house so we control quality end-to-end.

The 7 steps of screen making

1️⃣

Mesh selection

The mesh is a woven polyester fabric stretched over the frame. It comes in different thread counts — measured in threads per inch (TPI). Higher mesh = finer detail but thinner ink deposit. Lower mesh = thicker ink deposit but less detail.

We pick mesh based on the design. Bold logos on t-shirts typically use 110–160 TPI. Fine detail work uses 180–230 TPI.

2️⃣

Frame stretching

The mesh is stretched tight across an aluminium frame. Tension matters — typically 18–25 Newtons/cm². Uneven tension means uneven ink deposit, which shows up as a patchy print.

We check tension with a tension meter before moving to the next step.

3️⃣

Emulsion coating

The screen is coated with a light-sensitive emulsion — a liquid that hardens when exposed to UV light. We apply 1–2 coats on the print side and 1–2 coats on the squeegee side using a coating trough.

We aim for 10–15 microns of emulsion over mesh for standard prints. Screen is dried horizontally in a dark room at 30–40°C for 20–40 minutes.

4️⃣

Film positive preparation

Your design is printed onto a transparent film at 720–1440 DPI. The black areas on the film block UV light; the clear areas let it through. For multi-colour designs, we print one film per colour.

Films are registered to each other using crosshairs so every colour lands exactly where it should on the final print.

5️⃣

Exposure

Screen + film go into a vacuum exposure unit. UV light is applied for a calculated time — typically 2–8 minutes depending on emulsion type, mesh, and light wattage.

Where UV hits the emulsion through the clear parts of the film, the emulsion cross-links and hardens. Where the black film blocks UV, the emulsion stays soft and unhardened.

6️⃣

Washout

We spray the screen with water using a pressure washer. The unhardened emulsion washes away, leaving open mesh where ink will pass through.

Screen is dried at 40°C for 15–30 minutes. This is where the design literally appears.

7️⃣

Tape & block-out

Any areas we don't want ink to pass through — frame edges, registration marks, pinholes — are taped off with screen tape or blocked with additional emulsion.

The screen is now ready for the press.

Why we don't outsource screen making

Many print shops send their screen-making to third parties. It's faster on paper. In practice, it's where quality quietly slips.

A poorly made screen — wrong mesh, uneven emulsion, over-exposed or under-exposed — doesn't fail loudly. It just quietly produces a print that isn't quite right. The edges aren't crisp. The ink deposit is uneven. The colours don't quite register. Nobody notices until it's on the shirt.

That's why every screen we use is made in-house. It lets us:

Control the mesh count for each specific design
Adjust emulsion thickness for the ink we're using
Verify exposure time against our equipment
Catch problems before the screen goes to press
Re-make a screen immediately if something is off

The extra control is invisible to you — until you compare the finished print to what other shops produce.

Quick facts

Time per screen

45–90 minutes

Mesh used

110–230 TPI

Emulsion thickness

10–15 microns

Exposure time

2–8 minutes

One screen =

1 colour

Reusable?

Yes — re-coated each time

Common questions

What is a screen printing screen?

A screen is a fine mesh stretched over a frame, with parts blocked off by light-sensitive emulsion. The open parts let ink through; the blocked parts don't. It's essentially a very precise stencil.

How long does it take to make a screen?

45–90 minutes per colour, start to finish — including coating, drying, exposure, washout, and finishing. Rush service can compress this but quality is affected when steps are skipped.

How many colours can one screen print?

One screen = one colour. A 4-colour design needs 4 screens — one per colour. Each screen is registered to the others so the colours line up perfectly when printed.

Can a screen be reused?

Yes. After a print run, the emulsion is stripped with chemicals and the mesh is cleaned. The frame and mesh can be reused many times. Each new design requires a new emulsion coating and exposure, but the physical screen is not thrown away.

What happens if a screen is made wrong?

We catch it before printing. Because we make screens in-house, we can inspect each one, run a test print, and remake it if the exposure or emulsion isn't right — at our cost, not yours.

Do you keep our screens for re-orders?

We keep your film positives on file, so re-orders don't need new film output. Screens themselves are typically re-coated for other jobs to keep storage manageable — but because we save the film, your next order is faster and cheaper.

Ready to see the final print?

Send us your design and we'll take it from film → screen → finished garment. Free mockup, firm quote within 24 hours.

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