How does screen printing look on canvas (duck cloth)?
Many Big Duck customers regularly screen print on our cotton canvas duck, and we were curious which canvas looks best when screen printed. So we conducted a test to find out!
We chose a simple feather design with fine lines to print on the different weights of canvas, and printed the same image using the same ink and the same screen on our 7 ounce, 10 ounce, #12, #10, #8, #4, Army Duck and our Preshrunk Organic 10 ounce canvas. See links below to buy these online.
(Note: This is an older post. We’re republishing it as it’s a question that we’re frequently asked!)
We have to admit it, we were pleasantly surprised with the results. All of the various weights of canvas look good, although some do a better job of maintaining fine detail. For example, the screen printed image on the Army Duck produced a really crisp, finely-detailed image. (We love Army Duck for so many projects!) Yet screen printing even on a really heavy material like our #4 (24 ounce) canvas is not out of the question. Nice bold text or images would look great!
The image below, magnified to show detail, shows the test results.
If you’re sourcing your canvas for screen printed goods, its nice to know which canvas is going to best suit your needs and we hope this test helps you in your decision making process.
Screen Print On Canvas Test Results:
Canvas for Screen Printing—Buy Online:
- Army Duck Canvas
- 7 oz. Canvas
- 10 oz. Canvas
- #12 Canvas
- #10 Canvas
- #8 Canvas
- #4 Canvas
- Preshrunk Organic 10 oz. Canvas
Thank you so much.
Didn’t need to prewash? I’m getting 10m 8 oz cotton duck for a play. I’m a little nervous about shrinkage after printing too.
Patricia, pre-washing is always a good idea if the material would get wet or excessively humid after fabrication. We always recommend pre-washing, for example, when customers are making furniture slipcovers as these are generally intended to be removed and washed. We do offer pre-shrunk canvas as well, but be aware that even pre-shrunk cotton can still have a little shrinkage if washed. Hope that helps, but please give us a call at 1-800-704-6138 if we can help further. Thanks for your question!
Hi there, can I ask what ink you used? Did it need heat curing?