silk-screen printing

Method of printing based on stencilling. It can be used to print on most surfaces, including paper, plastic, fabric, and wood. A fine mesh (originally silk) is stretched across a wooden frame to form the screen. An impermeable stencil (either paper or a photosensitized coating) is applied to it, so that the ink passes through to the area beneath only where an image is required. The design can also be painted directly on to the screen with varnish. Once the stencil is attached, the screen is placed on top of fabric. Printing ink or dye is then drawn across, transferring the design to the fabric. A series of screens can be used to add successive layers of colour to the design.

The process was developed in the early 20th century for commercial use and adopted by many artists from the 1930s onwards, most notably US artist Andy Warhol.