It's a detailed seven-step process that we often stretch out across a week to ensure adequate drying times for each step. In a pinch, we could turn a simple print around in a day, but depending on the complexity of the print and the number of screens used, it can take multiple days to prepare. The seven steps go something like this:

1. The design is created and printed onto a transparent acetate film. We let this dry overnight.
2. Prep the screen. We choose a mesh screen to suit the complexity of the design and the texture of the fabric being printed. The mesh screen is then coated with a layer of light-reactive emulsion, which will harden when developed under bright light.
3. The emulsion is exposed. The acetate sheet featuring the design is then laid onto the emulsion-coated screen, and the whole screen is exposed for a set time under a very bright light in our exposure unit. The light hardens the emulsion, so the parts of the screen that are covered by the design remain in liquid form.
4. The emulsion is washed off, creating the stencil. The areas of the screen not covered by the design will have turned hard. Any unexposed emulsion is then rinsed away. This leaves a clear imprint of the design on the screen for the ink to pass through.
5. The garment is prepared for print. The screen is then placed on the printing press. The printed garment is laid flat onto the carousel pallets underneath the screen.
6. Mix the ink to suit the Pantone or specified color. The screen is lowered down onto the pallet where the garment is. Ink is added to the top end of the screen, and a squeegee is used to pull the ink along the full length of the screen. This presses the ink through the open areas of the stencil, printing the design on the garment underneath.
7. The printed product then passes through a dryer (conveyor belt), which 'cures' the ink and sets the print into the fibres of the garment. The final product will be checked, pressed, folded, and boxed before being passed on to the customer.

Great question! We love the art of screen printing so much, and we love printing unique designs for our customers that value quality and the craftsmanship involved. We are proud to be running a manual printing process that has been around for many years. It means we can fine-tune every step to ensure we get the best outcome, and it gives us the creativity to explore and play with different printing techniques. We can think outside the box and do anything with how manual the process is, which we love. As the world is evolving and new tech is emerging, there are cheaper, faster ways to print garments; they all have their place in this world. But we are constantly drawn back to the art form of screen printing and the way we can be so creative with our customers. We love using specialty inks, metallic, glow-in-the-dark, puff, etc, so we don't want to let go of that creative element.

We are also so fortunate that we have a remarkable customer base like Found, who value quality prints made here in NZ. We value their support and the support of our customers, who appreciate the time and effort that goes into every hand-pressed garment.