In screen printing, how is ink transferred to the substrate?

• A. Ink is applied to raised surfaces
• B. Ink is transferred by passing through openings in a fine mesh screen
• C. Ink is etched into a metal plate
• D. Ink is printed using a wooden block

Answer: (B)

In screen printing, ink is transferred by pushing it through openings in a stretched fine mesh screen. A stencil blocks parts of the screen, so only the open mesh areas communicate with the substrate below. When a squeegee is dragged across the screen, ink is pressed through those openings and onto the surface beneath, leaving the design where the stencil allowed it.

This differs from other methods: ink isn’t applied to raised surfaces to be pressed down, as in relief printing; it isn’t etched into recesses of a metal plate and handed off under pressure, as in intaglio; and it isn’t transferred from a carved wooden block. The defining feature here is the mesh screen and the squeegee pushing ink through its openings onto the substrate.