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Screen Printing vs. Plastisol Transfers



Have you imagined what life would be like in the absence of printing? We know this moment is haunting for you. It suggests that the role of printing in our lives is significant. Let's learn how it's done, shall we?


Screen printing is the most traditional way and still runs a good business. And this article provides the details on screen printing with a reference with plastisol printing.

To compare screen printing with plastisol heat transfer on garments, let's first grasp how they work.

What is Screen Printing Process?


Traditional screen printing is a process of many steps. It initials to transfer the ink (or dye) with the use of a mesh onto a substrate (fabric, plastic, rubber, etc.) except where a blocking stencil has rendered a region impenetrable to the ink.


With a blade or a squeegee, ink is allowed to move across the screen and fill the open mesh apertures, as well as a reverse stroke then causes the screen to touch the substrate momentarily along a line of contact.


After the above, the ink wets on the substrate and is drawn out of the mesh apertures since the screen springs back after the blade has passed.


Note: Multiple screens can be utilized to create a multi-colored image or pattern since one color is printed at a time.


Know Plastisol Transfer’s Processing

After having a better understanding of traditional screen printing, let's discuss plastisol transfer.

Plastisol printer designs images that are almost identical to screen printing. This printing process uses plastisol transfer paper, also known as a "hot split" or "hot peel." Here, the image is first transferred to the plastisol paper instead of directly printing on the garment.

After the design is screen printed onto the hot peel, it can be transferred onto any garment (t-shirts, sweatshirts, hats, etc.) with the use of a heat press.


Understand the Differences

After going into depth, we can grasp both printing styles. If we take an insight into the difference, screen printing is applied directly to the garment and hence can be beneficial in running large orders. To uncover some more differences, refer to the following.


  • Screen printing enables image designing with more detail and even halftones, which isn't able with plastisol transfer.

  • Screen printing serves the best to be the most efficient and fast printing technique once the screen has been created, offering a great option if the same design must be printed repeatedly.

  • Screen printing provides durability, which is possible with its heavy ink coverage. Similarly, when it adds certain coatings and additives, the print can resist UV rays, scratches, moisture, and chemicals.

Since the plastisol transfers are printed similarly but applied differently, firstly on the plastisol transfer paper and then onto the garment, they can be suitable for covering small orders. Follow the below-mentioned pointers for more benefits.

  • Printing on durable materials.

  • Real-time printing lacking any prior information about customer size.

  • Customization, such as on athletic apparel.

In conclusion As you can see, screen printing and plastisol printers are virtually the same types of printing; however, their applications on the products are different. A better knowledge of their differences can make your doubts all clear. We hope that we have helped you that way.

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