The Anatomy of the Ink Deposit

When you look at a digital print (often called a Giclée if they want to sound posh), you’re looking at tiny, microscopic dots of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black ink sprayed onto the surface. It’s flat. It’s thin. It’s an illusion of color. Screen printing at Oli Fowler Art is a completely different beast. We are talking about pushing actual, viscous pigment through a fine mesh onto heavy paper. Because the ink sits on top of the fibers rather than soaking in like a dye, it has a physical height. If you ran your thumb over a finished print, you could actually feel the edges where one color stops and another begins. That tactile quality is what gives the work its depth and vibration—something a computer-controlled nozzle simply can't replicate.

Tension, Torque, and the 90T Mesh

The technical heart of the process is the screen itself—a wooden or aluminum frame with a polyester mesh stretched tighter than a drum. I usually work with a 90T or 120T mesh (that’s the number of threads per centimeter). The higher the number, the finer the detail, but the harder you have to work to get the ink through. It’s a physical battle. You’re balancing the angle of the squeegee, the pressure of your stroke, and the speed of the pull. If you’re too slow, the ink dries in the screen and ruins the stencil. If you’re too fast, the coverage is patchy. It’s a bit like a high-stakes dance with a squeegee, where every variable affects the final outcome. You aren't just "printing"; you're managing fluid dynamics in real-time.

The Chemistry of Spot Colors vs. CMYK

In the digital world, every color is a compromise—a mix of those four basic inks to trick your eye. In my studio, if I want a specific, punchy neon pink or a deep, moody cobalt, I don't "mix" it on the page. I mix it in a tub with a palette knife until it’s exactly right, then I print that specific color as its own dedicated layer. This is known as "spot color" printing. It allows for a saturation and vibrancy that digital printers can’t touch. Every time I add a new color to a design, it requires a brand new screen, a new round of cleaning, and a new "pass" with the squeegee. When you buy a five-color screen print, I’ve physically handled that piece of paper at least five different times, aligning it to the millimeter each time.

At the end of the day, screen printing is a craft of intentionality. It’s messy, it’s loud, and it’s technically demanding, but that’s exactly why the finished product looks so much better on your wall. You’re not just buying a design; you’re buying the result of a physical process that hasn’t changed much in decades because, frankly, you can’t beat the real thing. If you fancy seeing what that level of saturation looks like in person, head over to the shop and have a look at the latest releases.

Ready to add some real pigment to your walls? Browse the full collection at olifowler.com.