Where did the term come from?
Have you ever wondered where the term “Screen Printing” actually came from? The term originates back to the early 1900’s when printers were looking for the best material to use when making stencil. It turned out that a silk cloth that was being used for sifting flour was the ideal solution. The silk cloth was strong, thin, affordable and, at the time, readily available. The silk was stretched over a wooden frame which provided ideal support for creating a stencil in order to print. The silk was the perfect screen, and thus the term “silk screen printing” developed and soon became the industry standard name for that type of printing process.
Today, silk has been replaced by synthetic materials such as nylon and polyester. These materials help increase strength and reduce costs. Since silk isn’t used any longer, it’s now known as Screen Printing.