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Why are screen charges so expensive? I hear you ask. This is a common question asked by consumers of promotional pens and can be a hard concept getting your head around but there are good reasons as to why this cost is high, as creating a good quality screen with an image requires many different processes. Firstly, screens need to be stretched with a specific mesh, depending on the promotional product being printed. This process itself is usually outsourced to a specialist company, as having the correct tension of mesh applied to the screen is crucial for an image to be printed perfectly onto a pen. This process is an expensive part of screen making and unavoidable. Large pen printing companies will often employ one or two people solely trained in stencil-making. A screen will have to be made for every image in every colour every day and stencil makers have a large cycle of procedures to ensure a screen is fit for purpose; the first being the application of a light sensitive emulsion onto the screens mesh. This itself is very time consuming and requires a certain level of skill as the correct application of emulsion will determine the quality of the stencil and final print image. From here, the screen is then dried in an oven at a certain temperature and once dry is ready to have the image exposed, using U.V. light. After exposure, the image is washed out, quality checked and finally taped, ready for printing use. After Printing Once the printed pens have been completed, the screen is then sent back to the stencil maker to be stripped clean but why not keep it in case of a repeat order, I hear you scream? The simple answer is QUALITY! As the screen is cleaned several times during the printing period, the quality of the stencil starts to deteriorate causing the image to lose its definition. A well made screen used for printing plastic promotional pens will last, on average 10,000-15,000 prints and on orders over 15,000, several screens are made to maintain quality. With metal promotional pens, a screen should be used no more than 5,000 prints as the quality of print must be kept at the highest standard. This is the primary reason why screens are not kept longer than its print life but another factor is space. Hundreds, if not thousands of different orders are placed every week with large pen suppliers meaning it would be an almost impossible task in keeping each unique screen. Lastly, screen meshes are made from an extremely fragile fabric which can be easily damaged. This can occur when promotional pens inadvertently hit the screen during print or when simply being cleaned for its next cycle of screen life. The Pen Warehouse is one of Europe's leading manufacturers and suppliers of promotional pens and is based in the South East of England. The company prints all promotional pens and pencils in-house and orders can be turned around, printed with your corporate details in twenty four hours. Our website http://www.pens.co.uk is the premier domain for promotional pens in the UK. You can contact our sales department on 0044 1252 400270. The Pen Warehouse is a trading name of Tancia Ltd. Reg No. 02966120.
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