Mesh History
Mesh History
Screen printing traces its roots from a Japanese art that involves paper-thin stencils and ink. Because of the fragility of the paper, the stencils break easily making them non-reusable. The Japanese thought of ways to make stencils stronger and one of their successful tricks was to support stencils with human hair. This solution was effective but inconvenient. Silk was a very common material in Japan, and since it is thin and strong, they used it as substitute for human hair. Soon, it became a common sight to see printers using stencils covered in silk mesh or screens.
This practice was integrated by the West when screen printing entered the Western industry in the 1900s. Silk screens were the most common materials used in printing until the 1930s. Printing with silk screen reached new heights during the First World War when there was a demand for banners and flags. However, the popularity of silk mesh tanked at the onset of the Second World War. Japan remained to be top producer of silk and since they were at war with the West, the price of silk inflated. This time, it was the Western printers who sought a substitute for silk.
They harnessed the breadth and durability of polyester mesh and its nylon counterpart. The two proved to be effective and more cost-friendly than the more fragile silk mesh. Introduced over 40 years ago, the polyester mesh replaced conventional silk screens as the choice of screen printers worldwide. However, though most printing processes use polyester mesh, screen printing is still popularly called silk screens.
Mesh History