A Creative, Craft-Driven Process at the Heart of Printed by Us
You’ve probably seen or worn something screen printed, maybe a favourite band tee, a striking poster, or even one of our prints at Printed by Us. But what actually is screen printing?
At its core, screen printing is the art of pushing ink through a fine mesh stencil to create a design. It’s been around for centuries, originating in China as early as 221 AD, but it’s still going strong today for good reason: it produces vibrant, durable, and high-quality results that other methods struggle to match.
At Printed by Us, we use this hands-on process to not only create beautiful prints and garments, but to offer employment, connection, and purpose to people rebuilding their lives after homelessness.
How It Works: A Step-by-Step Breakdown
Let’s walk through the basics of how screen printing actually happens:
1. The Design
Everything starts with an idea. Once we’ve got our artwork ready it’s printed in black onto a transparent acetate film. This is what we’ll use to transfer the image onto the screen.
2. Coating the Screen
A mesh screen is coated in a light-sensitive emulsion. Once dry, we lay the acetate film with the design over the screen and expose it to strong light (UV or LED). The light hardens the emulsion everywhere except where the design blocks it.
3. Washing the Screen
After exposure, we rinse the screen. The unhardened emulsion (where the design was) washes away, leaving a stencil through which the ink will pass.
4. Printing
The screen is lined up on a press, with the garment or paper placed underneath. We pour eco-friendly ink onto the screen and use a squeegee to pull it across, pushing the ink through the open mesh areas and onto the surface below. Voila! The design is transferred.
When a print has multiple colours, we repeat the process with new screens for each colour, layering them carefully for perfect alignment.
5. Curing
Once the ink is on, it’s heat-set or "cured" to ensure it bonds properly with the material. This makes the design long-lasting and ready to wear or display.
Why Screen Printing Is Still King
The process might sound old-school, but it’s still one of the most popular methods in the printing world. According to a Global Industry Analysts report, the global screen printing market is projected to hit £8 billion by 2030, nearly tripling its current value.
So, why does screen printing have such staying power?
- Unbeatable Colour & Vibrancy: Screen printing lays down thick, opaque ink that pops off the fabric, even on dark materials.
- Extreme Durability: The inks used in screen printing are long-lasting, making them perfect for clothing that’s meant to be worn again and again.
- Cost Efficiency in Bulk: While setup takes time, once everything is prepped, it’s a fast and efficient process for large batches.
- Versatility: From fabric and paper to metal, plastic and even glass, screen printing works on loads of surfaces.
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Sustainability (when done right): We use water-based inks that are better for the environment and safer to work with. Plus, our small-batch printing reduces waste. We reuse all of our leftover ink, and only use manual equipment.
Screen Printing at Printed by Us: More Than Just a Method
Here’s where it gets even more meaningful: every single print we make is hand-printed in our Sheffield workshop by someone overcoming tough challenges like homelessness or addiction.
Screen printing gives people more than just a job. It offers space for reflection, focus, skill-building and confidence. That slow, intentional rhythm, the alignment, the movement, the concentration, makes the process as therapeutic as it is productive.
And because everything is done by hand, each piece carries a story and a human touch you just can’t mass-produce.
Materials Matter Too
We don’t stop at just the printing process. We pair it with 100% organic cotton garments from suppliers like Earth Positive®, who power their factories with wind and solar and use zero-discharge dye systems. Our prints are also made with PERMASET water-based inks, vegan, non-toxic, and certified to GOTS and OEKO-TEX® standards. So the process is clean from cotton to colour.
Our equipment is minimal, our energy use is low, and our impact is deeply considered at every step.
The Bigger Picture
From bold T-shirts to fine art prints, screen printing is both a creative tool and a bridge to new opportunities. It brings designs to life in a way that’s vivid, tangible, and full of personality, while also creating space for recovery, routine, and real change.
So the next time you pull on a Printed by Us T-shirt or hang up one of our prints, know that it’s more than just ink on fabric. It’s a product of patience, purpose, and positive impact.
