Printing techniques
Bold colour, a finish that survives wash after wash, and serious value at volume. If you've worn a t-shirt with a bright, solid logo that's lasted for years, that's almost certainly screen printing.
See how it's made
Every colour in your design gets its own screen, and the ink is pushed through one layer at a time. Build up this Bristol balloon screen by screen to see it happen.
Tap a screen to lay down a colour.
Screen printing, sometimes called silk screening, pushes ink through a fine mesh screen onto your product. A stencil of your design sits on the screen and blocks the ink everywhere except where the design should print, so the ink passes through onto the item below.
Each colour in your design has its own screen. That's the key to how it works, and it's why the results are so bold, solid and hard-wearing.
Screen printing 360 is the same method adapted for round items. Rather than printing one flat panel, the product rotates against the screen so your design wraps the whole way around, a full 360 degrees, with no seam or gap.
It's how you get branding running continuously around a bottle, tumbler or pen, instead of a single mark on one side. The same bold, durable finish, built for curves.
The work goes into making the screens. Once they're ready, each print is quick and inexpensive, which is exactly why screen printing comes into its own on larger runs.
Your design is split into its colours, and a screen is made for each one.
The product is lined up under the screen, ready to print.
Ink is pushed through the screen onto the product, one colour at a time.
The ink is cured so it sets permanently and stands up to washing and wear.
On a round item a single flat print can only cover one side. With the 360 method the product turns against the screen as it prints, so the design carries on seamlessly around the full circumference. It's the reason a branded bottle can carry your design around the whole body rather than just a panel.
With screen printing 360
Ink is pushed through a fine mesh screen onto your product, one screen per colour, for bold, durable solid-colour prints.
It's screen printing adapted for round items. The product rotates against the screen so the design wraps the whole way around, with no seam.
Very. It's hard-wearing and stands up well to washing and heavy use.
Because each colour needs a screen to set up, it's most economical on medium to larger runs. For small or full-colour jobs, digital printing may suit better, and we'll always advise.
It's best for bold, solid colours rather than photographic or finely shaded artwork, which digital printing handles better.
Plenty, from t-shirts, hoodies and tote bags to bottles and tumblers via the 360 method.
If you'd like to know more about screen printing or 360, or you're not sure which method suits your project, get in touch with our Bristol team. You'll speak to a dedicated business manager, not AI or a robot.
And we won't hassle you. Prefer the phone? We'll call. Prefer email? We'll keep it to email. Either way, we're here to help you get the right print for your branded merchandise.
Contact our team for a quote