Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
silk screen print

silk screen print

4.2
A picture created when someone pushes ink through a mesh screen onto paper or cloth
  • noun
  • /sɪlk skriːn prɪnt/
  • Specialized
translation icon : serigrafía
  • He paid extra for a limited edition silk screen print featuring his favorite band.

Examples

  • Michelangelo's marble statue of David beside Warhol's silk screen print of Marilyn Monroe, and the foundation for a real study in comparative politics has been laid.

    Academic text (1995)

  • The artist used a silk screen print to create a vibrant image of a flower for the exhibition.

  • Each silk screen print in the gallery showcases unique designs made with a stencil method.

Synonyms

print
vssilk screen print
105 3.6

A picture made by pressing paper on a carved surface with ink

is a broader category not limited to stencil screen methods
silkscreen
vssilk screen print
  • Specialized
1 5.8

A print made by pushing ink through a screen blocked by a stencil

is the same screen stencil process named differently
serigraph
vssilk screen print
  • Specialized
1 9.0

A print you make by pushing ink through a screen blocked by a stencil

is the common descriptive name for that exact stencil screen process

Surface Forms

silk screen print singular
silk screen prints plural

Morphology

silk + screen + print

The meaning is directly compositional: 'silk' (the material historically used for the mesh), 'screen' (a mesh or frame used to transfer ink), and 'print' (an image produced by printing) combine to denote a print made using a screen. A B1 learner who knows these words can infer this refers to a type of printed image produced via a screen/stencil method, so the expression is transparent.

Etymology

Silk screen print comes from how the picture is made: artists stretched silk on a frame as a screen and used a 'stencil' to block parts of it. They then pushed ink through the open parts of the screen to make the image, so today a silk screen print means a picture made this way.