Screen Printing on Glass Bottles: Inks, Colors and Durability

How screen printing works

A stencil is created on a fine mesh and ink is pushed through it onto the bottle. Each color is printed with its own screen and registered to the others, then cured so the ink is durable.

Why use Pantone inks

Glass printing uses solid Pantone inks rather than a process-color mix, which gives predictable, opaque, vibrant colors. Please specify a Pantone coated reference; we also match to a physical sample.

Durability testing

Printed bottles are cured and then checked with cross-cut adhesion and alcohol-resistance tests, confirming the logo survives handling and contact with fragrance. Typical MOQ is around 1,000–2,000 with a screen cost per color.

See the screen printing guide, use the Pantone reference, and estimate cost with the decoration cost estimator.

Multiple colors and registration

Each color is printed with its own screen and must be registered to the others, so adding colors increases both the setup and the chance of registration variation, which is why a one- or two-color logo is the most reliable starting point. Solid Pantone inks give an opaque, predictable result, and the order of printing is arranged so that lighter inks and darker inks are applied and cured without the layers interfering.

Printing over the curved shoulder of a bottle is more limited than on the flat face, so logos and detail are generally designed for the flat area, with the shoulder kept clear; a design that needs to wrap or reach the shoulder is reviewed as a special case before the artwork is finalized.