Printing

Although this image may look like it was printed from an inkjet or laser printer it was not. The process used for this print was silkscreen. You may be unfamiliar with this printing method for posters and prints because it is so labor intensive. However, all that labor pays off in quality.

Unlike a typical computer printout, which prints the entire image at once, silkscreen is done in layers. Each color you see is printed one at a time, one over the other. Each layer of color is comprised of tiny dots, which restrict the amount of ink that is applied.

What are the advantages of printing in this way?

We use high quality acid free fine art paper for our prints. This is the same paper artists use to edition their artwork. The ink is basically an acrylic paint and is incredibly durable as well as fade resistant. In short, silkscreen prints are considered an art form. It takes experience and skill to make sure each layer of color is registered correctly and the right amount of ink is coming out of each screen.

This image shows how the ink is pulled across the screen by hand.

Below are the stencils used to create the LMPD print.