Dispelling Screen Printing Myths: The Truth About Single vs. Multiple Angles

Erik Draven

Updated May 14, 2024 15:55

Rosette vs. Flamenco

Many still challenge the fact that multiple angles are improper, and that single angle is proper, yet they cannot back up their assertion that multi-angle is best. Ask to see their prints and how hard they had to work for them.

The conversation usually turns to their secret angles that they have discovered and usually it’s that they simply line up the black and yellow screen which improves clarity and reduces dot gain. I always say great idea, but why stop there? You have only improved your print by 50%. If you can line up two out of four colors, and the world did not stop spinning, then why can’t you line up all four? My comment is often followed by silence and a lot of brow ruffling. Now it sinks in and they smile. This method is sound and that’s the very reason the Italian newspaper that discovered it around 1900, Flemenco patented the process. The patent has never been challenged or enforced so feel free to use it.

It is flat out wrong to print using a rosette pattern (multiple angles) when you can use the Flamenco (single angle) style. Yes, all four screens should share the same angle and that angle is suggested to be 22.5 degrees. Choose any line screen you wish, but please note that 46 to 55 is now going to print much cleaner than any attempt at 65 line screen using a rosette pattern (multiple angles). Lower line screens print even cleaner.

Inks are supposed to touch/stack on press. When producing any style of tonal printing the inks must touch in order to produce secondary and tertiary colors. It’s controlling the touch that makes us printers by profession. Those that don’t are simply spreading ink and that's not professional printing.

It breaks down to what we learned in grade school:
Put two cans of finger paint in front of children, one blue and one yellow, and ask them to make green. They learned by playing to dip their fingers in and mix the colors (secondary color) on the paper, done. No hesitations, it’s the right and only way to do it. So, remind me why we adult printers are overthinking the process and spending all our money at seminars that are not teaching Flamenco. I am happy to add, that after a 40 year time period many of my colleagues in the screen print industry have now embraced and understood the virtues of Flamenco printing. something once called crazy is now the norm. :)

Like the child's finger, let the squeegee pressure mix the colors as they are applied to create new colors. Any fear this will make a mess or smudge comes from low screen tension, poor ink quality and or incorrect press setup (squeegee and flood pressure) and nothing else. Single angle printing is the best way. Always use tight screens to achieve your best result.