I'm sure you have had a customer walk into your screen printing shop and tell you they need to have some t-shirts “silk screened”. If you are new to the business, you may be wondering where this expression came from. Years ago, the fabric used in making the screens for screen printing was usually made out of silk. Silk fabric works well for the screen printing process, however it has been replaced in large part with the use of synthetic fabrics, mostly polyester.
The expression silk screening is a carry over from the early days of the screen printing craft but is still commonly used in many parts of the country. In case you are interested, screen printing, silk screening, and serigraphy, all refer to the same printing process.
