Description

Screen printing , the technique of pressing ink through a mesh screen onto a surface beneath —,has its roots in ancient China and Japan, where silk mesh was used to push paint through stencils onto paper and fabric as early as the Song Dynasty (960–1279 CE). The Japanese refined the technique into katazome, using finely crafted paper stencils and rice paste resists to create the intricate, repeating textile patterns that defined Edo period fabric culture. In the early 20th century, the technique was industrialised in Europe and America using photosensitive emulsion to transfer photographic images onto screens — making it the dominant method for commercial garment printing, poster production, and eventually the bold, flat-colour aesthetic of Pop Art. Andy Warhol’s Marilyn Monroe series, produced in 1962, is perhaps the most famous demonstration of screen printing’s capacity for high-impact, reproducible colour.

The choice of ink determines the quality of everything that follows. Plastisol inks , PVC-based, cured at 160°C, were the industry standard for decades, producing durable, vibrant prints with excellent colour gamut. Their drawbacks are significant for studio and small-run use: they require specialist conveyor dryers or heat presses that reach precise cure temperatures, cannot be cleaned with water, and sit on the fabric surface rather than bonding with the fibres, producing a heavier hand that some wearers find uncomfortable. Water-based inks, properly formulated, address all of these limitations: they clean up with water, cure with a standard iron or heat press, produce a softer hand, and penetrate the fabric fibres for a more natural drape.

Jacquard Screen Print Inks are formulated specifically to deliver water-based performance at professional print quality. The 6-colour set covers the primary and secondary spectrum with enough ink in each 16oz jar for substantial production runs. The inks are opaque enough for use on dark fabrics, intermixable for custom colour matching, and suitable for both fabric and paper printing — making them versatile across garment printing, fine art editions, zine production, and mixed-media applications.