1. Product Description: Screen printing also called silk-screen printing is used for advertising and commercial printing on a wide range of printing stocks such as textiles, glass, plastics, metals and other non-paper surfaces. It is used for printing posters, window and counter-displays and for a number of industrial items such as radio and instrument dials, electrical circuits, glass bottles, pottery, packages and containers.
2. Rationale: In general the printing industry in the Amhara Region is at a very low stage of development compared to the same industry existing in the other major regions of the country. Within the printing industry, screen printing is almost non-existent in the Region. Major screen printing works required in the Region are prepared in Addis Ababa and then transported to the Region. This crates inconvenience in addition to transport cost. Like other industrial products, the Amhara region should strive to be self-sufficient in the screen printing industry. This project idea is the beginning to promote the establishment of a screen printing industry in the Region.
3. Market Potential: The products of screen printing are not like normal industrial products which are produced and sold in the market. Screen printing is basically a service giving operation. Customers bring their orders or messages to be printed. The printers then prepare the design and the medium material and do the printing work. This is why printing is a service operation. Screen printing is mostly for commercial printing. During the last ten years, commercial activities have greatly increased in the Amhara Region. In big and small urban centers of the Region, many types of business enterprises are opened. All the new enterprises need different types of screen printing to promote/advertise their businesses products and services; and this need will increase with the expansion of business activities. The current and the future need for screen printing in the Region will sustain the viability of a number of small scale screens printing in the Region.
4. Source of Raw Material: Screen printing requires ink and the material to print on. Such materials include textile, glass, plastic, metals, etc. Textile will be obtained from domestic sources, the rest will be imported.
5. Process & Technology: In screen printing process, a stencil representing the non-printing areas is applied to a silk, nylon or stainless-steel fine mesh screen to which ink with consistency of paint is applied and transformed to the surface to be printed by scrapping with rubber squeeze. The stencils are generally made in one of the three ways by cutting out the design on paper film; by photographing the image on sensitized gelatine; and by painting the matter on the screen with an ink and water resistant lacquer. The screen is mounted on a frame which is hinged to base that holds the stock to be printed. The article to be printed is placed beneath the screen and ink is forced by a “squeeze” through the screen either by hand or by machine.
6. Estimated Investment: For a plant which will produce 40,000 impressions of one print/day on plastic the estimated investment is as follows.
§ Building/Shade 200m2 at Birr 1500/m2= Birr 300,000
§ Machinery = Birr 350,000
§ Working Capital = Birr 250,000
900,000
7. Benefits: Promotes self-sufficiency, introduces new skills and technology.
8. Location: Bahir Dar, Debre Birhan, Combolcha, Gondar, Debre Markos.