The next step is shooting each color separation to film.  Each color is shot with our special camera onto a clear plastic called an acetate.  Each camera can shoot up (make image bigger) or shoot down (make image smaller), depending on how large an image needs to be.  Each piece of acetate represents a different color in a design.

The reason our industry is called "screen-printing" is because we print using screens.  The screens today have adjustable metal frames with a polyester material tightly stretched over it.  These new adjustable frames allow us to maintain a crisp, clear print which relies heavily on screen tension.  The screen material comes in several meshes, each of which can provide a different level of detail.  Meshes are distinguished by how many holes per inch they have. For example, an 80 mesh screen has eighty holes per inch, while a 320 mesh has three hundred and twenty holes per inch.  Too many considerations to list go into the decision as to which mesh is appropriate for which design.  A few are t-shirt color and level of detail in the design. Each color in a design must have its own screen through which the desired color of ink is pushed by the production staff.  Proper preparation of the screen is critical to getting the best possible print. 

Each screen is first coated with a special emulsion which is light sensitive, and allowed to thoroughly dry. The prepared screen is then brought to the exposure room, where the acetate with the image to be placed on the screen is registered to its proper placement.  Dragonfly Graphics has developed its own method of registration based on nearly 25 years of experience.  Each color in a design is specifically registered on each screen to assure the exact placement of each color of ink on the finished garment.  The screen is then placed in the exposure unit and exposed to intense light.  The light hardens every area of the screen not covered by the image on the acetate, so that no stray ink can be pushed through those uncovered areas. After each screen is properly exposed, the areas covered by the image on the acetate are washed out carefully.  All unexposed emulsion must be washed out to get the crisp clear image we demand.  The washed screens are then allowed to dry thoroughly. After drying, each screen is carefully blocked out by hand using a special chemical called block-out.  As a precaution, all areas of the screen not used in the color of the design on the individual screen are coated with this block-out.  Each screen is carefully examined for pin-holes (tiny mesh holes not covered by emulsion).  All pin-holes are then painted with this chemical to assure the highest quality print.  The screen is then allowed to dry again.

Finally, the screens are placed on the press and each color in the design is registered to every other color.  Dragonfly Graphics uses a manual press.  We believe a manual press allows us to provide a superior quality, as our highly trained employees can control the printing on each and every shirt.  Another added bonus is that adjustments can be made at any time during the printing to assure the highest quality.

After the ink has been placed on the shirt, it is placed on the belt of the dryer for curing.  Proper curing assures that the ink will not wash out and that the imprinted garment will provide its owner a long-lasting memento.

Every member of the production team is responsible for assuring the highest quality print.  Each item is reviewed for quality when placed in the dryer, and again when the ink on the garment has been cured.  The garments are then counted again, carefully folded, and placed in a box.