Screen Printing
Historically, screen printing is one of the oldest and simplest forms of printing. A screen is created with fabric stretched over a metal frame. The substrate (material) is placed under the screen. With a squeegee, the ink is passed across the top of the screen and the ink is forced through the open areas onto the substrate below.
Printers use CMYK - Cyan (light blue), Magenta (pink), Yellow and Black inks - when printing 4-color process work. Mixing these four colors together, combined in various percentages of dots, creates an entire spectrum of colors, including those used in color photographs.
Line Count ( lpi ):
From a distance a viewer cannot see the dots in an image because line count gives the impression that there aren't any; the human eye no longer sees dots, but rather a complete image. According to the SGIA's 'rule of 240", the optimal lpi (lines per inch) is found by dividing 240 by a given viewing distance (in feet). For example, if the image is to be viewed from a distance of 2.4 feet, the lpi would be: 240 / 2.4 feet = 100 lpi.
Other examples of when to use different line counts:
Objects held at arm-length (2.4 feet or closer): |
100 lpi * |
|---|---|
Counter mats and Displays (2.8 feet): |
85 lpi |
Overhead Counter Displays (3.7 feet): |
65 lpi |
Retail Display Racks (5.3 feet or farther): |
45 lpi |
*100 lpi is the maximum lpi at Empire
