Silk screening is a relative newcomer among crafts, but in its single century of existence, the printing technique has become one of the most popular means of textile decoration in the world.

The craft is thought to have developed from medieval Japanese stencils, although the process used today was devised by an English artist in the early 20th century. Silk screening, sometimes called screen printing or serigraphy, refines the concept of stenciling into a technique that allows craftspeople to print detailed images on everything from T-shirts to fine linens.

To make a print, first a template of a pattern or image is affixed to a fine screen, which is sometimes made of silk, hence the origin of the craft's name. Simple templates may be paper or plastic, but for more sophisticated designs, printmakers paint a template directly onto the screen using a temporary filler fluid. The areas of the template not covered by filler are where ink will appear on the fabric.

The prepared screen is placed over the fabric to be printed, and ink is applied at the top and bottom edges of the screen. The printer uses a squeegee to push the ink evenly over the template and through the open areas of the screen, making an image on the fabric. The process might be repeated multiple times, using other templates to apply different colors to the print.

Silk screening is a versatile medium. It can print on a variety of fabrics, and is also commonly used to print paper products. Automated silk screening has become industry's method of choice for mass-producing printed goods.

Hand silk screening, though far more labor-intensive than its factory-made counterpart, offers more artistic possibilities. For example, the amount of pressure applied with the squeegee controls the amount of ink spread onto the fabric, so a printmaker can create variations each time an image is printed.