Screenprint

Screenprint (stencil or silkscreen printing) is a variety of stencil printing that uses a screen of fabric — silk or synthetic material — stretched over a frame. The areas of the screen through which ink is not meant to pass are blocked with an impermeable layer, while through the open areas ink is forced with a rubber squeegee directly onto paper, fabric, or other material placed beneath the screen. A separate screen is usually prepared for each colour. The technique allows the printing of flat, saturated areas of colour and the easy reproduction of images on various surfaces. Although stencil printing has ancient roots, modern screenprinting was developed in industry in the early twentieth century, and it was established as an artistic medium by American artists. Its most iconic use was by Andy Warhol in the Pop Art of the 1960s: his portraits of Marilyn Monroe and images of soup cans turned a commercial reproduction technique into a symbol of the age of mass consumption. Screenprinting remains popular in both easel graphics and design.