Silkscreen
We provide a consultancy driven silkscreen printing service that utilises a variety of oil based and water based ink systems. Often bringing several inks together in a single project to achieve the best results.
Each project is taken through our careful proofing process, whether it be an artist edition or a one-off original artwork. Every variable is investigated to ensure an artwork is correctly interpreted as a silkscreen.
Papers
We commonly use fine art, mould made, cotton papers as they provide superb ink holdout, surface stability and archival properties. However, we also incorporate various hand made and machine made papers.
Non-paper substrates
Our knowledge of solvent based ink systems allows us to print onto nearly any surface. These inks can be tailored to possess excellent physical and chemical resistance without UV or heat curing.
Non-paper substrates that we can print onto include; glass, various metals and plastics, nylon, vinyl, wood, primed and unprimed canvas, rubber, latex, leather and many more including textiles.
Artwork Preparation
We have a wealth of experience preparing artwork for silkscreen and digital printing. All artwork and file preparation is done in-house to ensure a high fidelity during every stage of the printing process.
We utilise in-house wide format Epson inkjet printers and powerful RIP software to produce film positives and colour separations. As well as our archival pigment prints.
We can also work from hand rendered positives that have been made onto a clear substrate such as True Grain or been cut from Masking Film.
Archival Packing
We pride ourselves on the care and attention given to the packaging of finished prints and artworks. Paper editions are first sealed in fully archival, acid free, PH neutral packing and then crated in high-density fluted cardboard.
Embellishments
We can hand embellish prints with a wide variety of gilding metal leaf including; silver, gold, imitation golds and coloured metals. The vibrancy, finish and quality of metal leaf is unmatched even by metallic inks. We can also add layers of colourful glitters, sparkles and diamond dust.
Finishing + Trimming
Great care is taken with our finishing process. Each print is inspected before it is trimmed and becomes part of a final edition. Paper can either be machine cut or receive a deckled edge which is done by hand.
Varnishing
A full layer of varnish is often printed over a completed print to increase it's vibrancy and protect its surface. If only certain details of an image require this treatment a spot varnish can be applied.
We can also provide various finishes with both our gloss and matte varnishes, from just a light sealing of an artwork to an ultra high gloss.
We can also silkscreen a varnish layer onto prints made by other processes, these include but are not limited to; Digital and Giclee, Litho, Etching, C-Type and Risograph.
Delivery
We understand the packaging legislation for various carriers, so we ensure our standards for both UK and international shipments go far beyond the requirements.
For larger works we will often use a trusted art handler to crate and ship the artwork.