Silkscreen Printing

Silkscreened printing is done using screens. Most of the CD's you see in the stores are silkscreened. This is the most common way plants use to print onto replicated CD's.

It begins with creating films from your artwork (one film is required per color). Screens are then produced from those films and are setup to print directly to the face of the replicated disc. A "squeegee" will go across the screen to lay the ink onto the CD. This is a great option for artwork that does not have a lot of gradients and tonal ranges. Meaning, if you are working in solid colors (100% color) or a tonal range between 20% - 80% color (see Pantone Colors), the print results are very good.

As long as the silkscreen specifications and guidelines are followed, there is normally not an issue. Unfortunately, many times, graphic designers create artwork that is beyond the capability of silkscreening and you will see less than desirable results. However, artwork is reviewed upon submission to the replication plant, so if there is a notable problem, it will be brought to the client's attention and they can choose to proceed or modify the existing artwork.