Screen printing is among the newest of the graphic arts. Of the four major printmaking categories, it has by far the shortest history in fine-art medium. There is little doubt that the process owes much to the ancient and simple stencil methods practiced throughout many parts of the world. Early stencils and pigments were made from organic materials and so have not survived.

Screen printing or serigraphy is a variation of the stencil process. In stenciling, a shape cut from a piece of dense paper is recreated on another surface by dabbing ink of paint through the cut-out. In screen printing, fabric stretched tightly on a rigid frame becomes the screen, or support for the stencil. A stencil is made either by painting a substance (such as glue) onto the fabric, or by adhering a special film to the screen that prevents ink from passing through. One controls the areas that print by controlling the parts of the screen that remain open to the free passage of ink.

Taken from: Printmaking: History and Process, Donal Saff and Deli Sacilotto