Silk Screening Process
Printing on Substrate
The screen is attached to the printing table, screen side to the table, using hinge clamps. The desired colours of ink are prepared and then applied in a bead (long, thin row) along the bottom edge of screen. This bead is a little wider than the image and at least as wide as the squeegee being used to force the ink through the screen to the paper. The squeegee is used to push the bead of ink to the hinge end of the screen, flooding the image with a light coating of ink. The substrate (paper) is inserted under the screen. The bead of ink is pulled back down across the screen, using even and heavy pressure on the squeegee, which forces the ink through the open areas and onto the paper below. This process is repeated on the prepared sheets of paper until the image has been printed the desired number of times. Typically, each colour you see on a given print requires a different screen and printing session.
Edition Control
When finished, the artist has created a set of limited edition original prints. These are given an edition number, and titled and signed by the artist. Each print in an edition is of equal value as they are all originals. This differs from a reproduction, which is a high quality photograph of an original work of art, like a painting, which is printed by a machine and assigned a number.