Screen Printing

Screen printing:

Where Creativity Meets Productivity

Screen printing is the art form of creating a stencil out of a mesh screen and transferring ink through it onto an object. With multiple automatic presses and a highly efficient team of operators we are able to handle any size job that comes our way. Although technology has helped standardize the automated production process, screen printing is still very much an art that requires master design knowledge and attention to detail. 

Screen printing is the most stable way of apparel decoration and our main focus here at RockHopper.

Plastisol Ink

Plastisol ink (not just a clever name) is actually made from plastic. It is the most common type of screen printing in this industry because it can be printed easily on almost any type of garment. With plastisol ink you can achieve high opacity and true Pantone colors that match your logos to perfection and give you a truly vibrant print.

As the ink dries, it sits on top of the garment rather than being integrated within the fibers. Because of this you achieve a thicker print – being aware of this during the design process helps our customers achieve a top tier end result. 

Puff Additive

 Puff additive is creating a new wave in the apparel industry. Puff ink is just a foaming additive mixed into the plastisol before screen printing. When exposed to the high temperatures during the curing process the ink expands and rises creating a raised or “puff” effect. The more ink volume added to the garment, the higher the ink will rise.

Design work is especially important when working with puff additive. For higher puff you have to be able to apply more ink which will overrun smaller details. That being said, smaller details or thinner lines can be elevated with puff as long as it is applied correctly.

Talk to our designers to see if puff additive is right for your next project. 

METALLIC AND NEON Ink

Metallic ink is a plastisol ink with various amounts of gold or silver flecks in it to create a shimmer effect when printed. It is fairly simple to work with and can be used in combination with other plastisol inks. Designs look best when using it sparingly as an accent color rather than the main color. The only thing to watch out for is the amount of detail used on the metallic finish. Metallic needs a lower mesh count screen so that the flakes can pass through and coat evenly. More detail requires higher mesh count screens to preserve that detail which would cause only partial flecks on your metalic finish.

Neon or flourescent inks are another fun type of plastisol ink that we have available here. Like metallics, neon inks are fairly simple to work with and be printed on any apparel type. Keep in mind that neons, however, require a white base print in order to get the neons to pop correctly. This will add to your number of print colors even if you do not see any white showing.