May 28, 2025 • 6 mins
Explore the fascinating journey of screen printing from ancient China to today's high-tech hybrid systems. Join Mo and Mark as they delve into the evolution, key innovations, and future possibilities of textile printing. Discover how traditional craftsmanship meets digital innovation in this insightful episode.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Alright, let's go way back,10th century China.
(00:02):
Screen printing-well, not exactly what wecall screen printing today-but
the idea started with basic stencils.
And instead of those fancy mesh screenswe have now,
they were using hand-cut leaves and paperto make...
well, pretty simple designs.
Exactly,
and that setup, while basic,laid the groundwork.
(00:25):
From there, Japan took it a step further.
They started using thin hair-usuallyhuman hair-to create these fine
meshes.
It was pretty innovative for the time,
especially paired with those stiffbrushes they used to apply ink.
Wait,
human hair?
That's wild.
So they're literally building thesemeshes strand by strand.
(00:46):
I mean, talk about patience.
Totally.
And using silk for the mesh came later,
which is where we get the term"silkscreen printing." It refined the
whole process, made it more durable andconsistent-especially as this
technique spread to other countries inAsia.
And then they're not just
printing designs anymore.
(01:06):
They're printing culture-art, textiles.
Like, this wasn't just for businesses,
it was for storytelling, right?
Right,
and as these techniques evolved,
it became less labor-intensive.
By the early 20th century,you saw the shift to modern materials.
Ink and mesh started getting standardized,
and the versatility of screen printingreally started to be recognized.
Yeah,
(01:31):
versatility's the word.
You're going from simple paper stencilsto a process that could literally
print on anything.
It's-that's why it stuck, right?
Yeah,
it's that adaptability that's made itlast centuries.
Fast forward and it's still one of themost widely used methods,
even as technology keeps pushing forward.
So,
(01:54):
from the ancient roots-stencils,
silk, and even strands of human hair-it'sbeen quite a journey.
Now, let's leap ahead to 1907.
That's when Samuel Simon patented aprocess that starts to feel very
modern.
He stretched bolting cloth over a woodenframe.
It sounds straightforward, right?
Simple,
(02:15):
yeah, but groundbreaking.
That frame setup-it kind of standardizedthings,
made screen printing way more accessible.
And then fast forward a few decades,
you've got people like Roy Beck,
Charles Peter, and Edward Owensexperimenting with photo-reactive
chemicals
to create stencils.
(02:36):
That was huge.
Photo-reactive chemicals.
What even-like, how does that work?
So basically,
they used light-sensitive emulsions.
You'd expose the stencil to UV light,
and bam-parts of the emulsion hardenwhile others stay soft and wash
away.
It was a game-changer because now youcould get super detailed images
onto screens.
Oh, that's next level.
(02:58):
And I guess that's when mass productionreally takes off,
right?
Like, you've got screen printing hittingindustries-wallpapers,
fabrics,even military stuff during the world wars.
Printed circuits, too-how cool is that?
Yeah,
it became this versatile powerhouse.
And then by mid-century, you're seeingsqueegees and multicolor techniques
(03:21):
come into play.
That's when the process really starts tospeed up.
Add synthetic fabrics in the '30s,
and suddenly, they're creatingbetter-quality prints with more vibrant
colors.
I'm guessing that's when it stopped beingjust "functional" and
became, like...
artistic.
More creative.
Exactly.
Then in the 1960s, automatic screenprinting presses hit the market.
(03:44):
You're talking about production speedsthat were unheard of before.
And Michael Vasilantone-this guy deservesa shout out-he invented the
rotary multicolor garment press.
That's what made mass t-shirt printingsuch a thing.
The guy responsible
for all those band tees from the '70sconcerts?
Legend.
Pretty much, yeah the ones that sell forhundreds and hundreds
(04:07):
of dollars now and look horrible inretrospect.
His invention made custom
printing on garments a reality for themasses.
And here we are today with screenprinting being used on everything from
textiles to electronics.
It's flexible, reliable, and still holdsits own even with new tech emerging.
So,
we've seen how traditional screenprinting revolutionized industries
(04:31):
and creativity.
But now,let's talk DTG-Direct-to-Garment printing.
This is next-level innovation.
High-res, super precise,and no setup time.
You take a design straight from thecomputer and onto a shirt-it's like
the Tesla of printing.
Exactly, it takes out the whole screensetup process.
DTG came around in the late '90s,
(04:53):
early 2000s, and suddenly, you couldprint one-offs without needing to
spend hours prepping.
It's...
honestly, a game-changer for short runsand detailed designs.
But-and
you knew there was a "but" behind that,
didn't ya?-DTG's not perfect, right?
I mean, the speed and ink costs are stillkinda drawbacks.
True.
For larger batches.
(05:14):
We still do large batch screen print,
and screen printing still dominates that.
DTG is best suited to customizing smallorders or when you're dealing
with those crazy intricate designs-likegradients or photorealistic artwork.
That's where it really shines.
And now we've got these hybrid systems.
(05:35):
What's the deal with those?
So,
hybrids basically combine the best ofboth worlds-DTG for detail and
screen printing for speed.
You start with a base layer from thescreen press,
which is great for large runs,
and you add detailed overprints with DTG.
It's a pretty efficient way to handlecomplex jobs without sacrificing
(05:58):
quality or speed.
So it's like...
digital precision meets old-schoolreliability.
I love that blend-it's innovation,
but it respects the craft.
Exactly.
It's all about evolving while keepingwhat works.
And honestly, this mix is probably thefuture of textile printing.
You get the best outcomes when techenhances,
(06:20):
not replaces, craftsmanship.
You know,
you're right.
There's something really cool aboutseeing those two worlds-craft and
tech-come together.
It's like...
progress, but with roots.
That's the heart of it.
Progress doesn't mean forgetting the past.
It's about enhancing it.
And if you're curious about how thesetechniques can bring your designs
(06:42):
to life, head over to contract-dtg.
com for a quote.
And on that note,
that's all for today!
Thanks for hangin' with us.
Keep printing, keep creating,and we'll catch ya next time.
Alright, let's go way back,10th century China.
(00:02):
Screen printing-well, not exactly what wecall screen printing today-but
the idea started with basic stencils.
And instead of those fancy mesh screenswe have now,
they were using hand-cut leaves and paperto make...
well, pretty simple designs.
Exactly,
and that setup, while basic,laid the groundwork.
(00:25):
From there, Japan took it a step further.
They started using thin hair-usuallyhuman hair-to create these fine
meshes.
It was pretty innovative for the time,
especially paired with those stiffbrushes they used to apply ink.
Wait,
human hair?
That's wild.
So they're literally building thesemeshes strand by strand.
(00:46):
I mean, talk about patience.
Totally.
And using silk for the mesh came later,
which is where we get the term"silkscreen printing." It refined the
whole process, made it more durable andconsistent-especially as this
technique spread to other countries inAsia.
And then they're not just
printing designs anymore.
(01:06):
They're printing culture-art, textiles.
Like, this wasn't just for businesses,
it was for storytelling, right?
Right,
and as these techniques evolved,
it became less labor-intensive.
By the early 20th century,you saw the shift to modern materials.
Ink and mesh started getting standardized,
and the versatility of screen printingreally started to be recognized.
Yeah,
(01:31):
versatility's the word.
You're going from simple paper stencilsto a process that could literally
print on anything.
It's-that's why it stuck, right?
Yeah,
it's that adaptability that's made itlast centuries.
Fast forward and it's still one of themost widely used methods,
even as technology keeps pushing forward.
So,
(01:54):
from the ancient roots-stencils,
silk, and even strands of human hair-it'sbeen quite a journey.
Now, let's leap ahead to 1907.
That's when Samuel Simon patented aprocess that starts to feel very
modern.
He stretched bolting cloth over a woodenframe.
It sounds straightforward, right?
Simple,
(02:15):
yeah, but groundbreaking.
That frame setup-it kind of standardizedthings,
made screen printing way more accessible.
And then fast forward a few decades,
you've got people like Roy Beck,
Charles Peter, and Edward Owensexperimenting with photo-reactive
chemicals
to create stencils.
(02:36):
That was huge.
Photo-reactive chemicals.
What even-like, how does that work?
So basically,
they used light-sensitive emulsions.
You'd expose the stencil to UV light,
and bam-parts of the emulsion hardenwhile others stay soft and wash
away.
It was a game-changer because now youcould get super detailed images
onto screens.
Oh, that's next level.
(02:58):
And I guess that's when mass productionreally takes off,
right?
Like, you've got screen printing hittingindustries-wallpapers,
fabrics,even military stuff during the world wars.
Printed circuits, too-how cool is that?
Yeah,
it became this versatile powerhouse.
And then by mid-century, you're seeingsqueegees and multicolor techniques
(03:21):
come into play.
That's when the process really starts tospeed up.
Add synthetic fabrics in the '30s,
and suddenly, they're creatingbetter-quality prints with more vibrant
colors.
I'm guessing that's when it stopped beingjust "functional" and
became, like...
artistic.
More creative.
Exactly.
Then in the 1960s, automatic screenprinting presses hit the market.
(03:44):
You're talking about production speedsthat were unheard of before.
And Michael Vasilantone-this guy deservesa shout out-he invented the
rotary multicolor garment press.
That's what made mass t-shirt printingsuch a thing.
The guy responsible
for all those band tees from the '70sconcerts?
Legend.
Pretty much, yeah the ones that sell forhundreds and hundreds
(04:07):
of dollars now and look horrible inretrospect.
His invention made custom
printing on garments a reality for themasses.
And here we are today with screenprinting being used on everything from
textiles to electronics.
It's flexible, reliable, and still holdsits own even with new tech emerging.
So,
we've seen how traditional screenprinting revolutionized industries
(04:31):
and creativity.
But now,let's talk DTG-Direct-to-Garment printing.
This is next-level innovation.
High-res, super precise,and no setup time.
You take a design straight from thecomputer and onto a shirt-it's like
the Tesla of printing.
Exactly, it takes out the whole screensetup process.
DTG came around in the late '90s,
(04:53):
early 2000s, and suddenly, you couldprint one-offs without needing to
spend hours prepping.
It's...
honestly, a game-changer for short runsand detailed designs.
But-and
you knew there was a "but" behind that,
didn't ya?-DTG's not perfect, right?
I mean, the speed and ink costs are stillkinda drawbacks.
True.
For larger batches.
(05:14):
We still do large batch screen print,
and screen printing still dominates that.
DTG is best suited to customizing smallorders or when you're dealing
with those crazy intricate designs-likegradients or photorealistic artwork.
That's where it really shines.
And now we've got these hybrid systems.
(05:35):
What's the deal with those?
So,
hybrids basically combine the best ofboth worlds-DTG for detail and
screen printing for speed.
You start with a base layer from thescreen press,
which is great for large runs,
and you add detailed overprints with DTG.
It's a pretty efficient way to handlecomplex jobs without sacrificing
(05:58):
quality or speed.
So it's like...
digital precision meets old-schoolreliability.
I love that blend-it's innovation,
but it respects the craft.
Exactly.
It's all about evolving while keepingwhat works.
And honestly, this mix is probably thefuture of textile printing.
You get the best outcomes when techenhances,
(06:20):
not replaces, craftsmanship.
You know,
you're right.
There's something really cool aboutseeing those two worlds-craft and
tech-come together.
It's like...
progress, but with roots.
That's the heart of it.
Progress doesn't mean forgetting the past.
It's about enhancing it.
And if you're curious about how thesetechniques can bring your designs
(06:42):
to life, head over to contract-dtg.
com for a quote.
And on that note,
that's all for today!
Thanks for hangin' with us.
Keep printing, keep creating,and we'll catch ya next time.
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