Behind the Scenes: Screen Printing

March 8, 2026

For a long time I was looking for a technique that could capture the way neon signs glow at night – something that feels true to that light, and is also beautiful in its own right. Screen printing turned out to be the perfect choice for several reasons.

First, there’s a personal connection: I first tried the technique during my university years, so I already knew what it was capable of. And second, there’s a nice parallel between LED vs. neon light and digital printing vs. screen printing – one can be clean and uniform, the other more tactile, nuanced, and full of character.

(Left: the top purple one is the exposed screen, Right: the first pink layer is drying; a glow-in-the-dark layer will be added on top, which softens the pink color)

What is screen printing?

Screen printing is a printing method used on flat surfaces. The idea is simple: ink is pushed through a finely woven mesh (the “screen”) onto paper, textile, or other materials. Some parts of the mesh are blocked, others remain open – so the ink passes through only where the design allows it.

Traditionally, the non-printing areas were blocked off by hand (for example with wax or lacquer). Today, the screen is usually coated with a light-sensitive emulsion, and the design is exposed onto it from a 1:1 film. After exposure, the screen is washed out with water: the unexposed emulsion clears away, revealing the image and opening up the areas where ink can pass through.

A brief historical note

The roots of the technique go back to Asia. Screen-based printing appeared in a recognizable form in China during the Song dynasty (960–1279 CE), and later spread to other countries, including Japan. Early versions used a stencil attached to a mesh made from human hair or silk stretched over a wooden frame, and were mainly used to print on textiles in small editions.

(Left: An artist’s recreation of Bi Sheng printing, Right: Screen printing in Andy Warhol’s studio)

In Europe, the method emerged toward the end of the 18th century, but it truly gained momentum in the 19th century through the textile industry – especially in Lyon’s silk production. In the early 20th century, printers began experimenting with photochemical materials, which laid the groundwork for modern emulsion-and-exposure screen preparation. From the mid-20th century onward, screen printing (also known as serigraphy) became not only an industrial process but also a favorite technique among graphic artists and fine artists.

Back to the “Cső” posters

After that quick detour, let’s return to the Cső posters. The glow-in-the-dark effect was a real challenge: we tested a lot of pigments before finding one that wasn’t an aggressively green shade, but still glowed with the strength we needed. In the end, a paint sourced from the U.S. was the winner – Speedball Night Glow. If you’re looking for something similar, I’ve linked it here.