Over a long period of time, the stencil was – beside the stamp – without any doubt the easiest tool used in order to duplicate a pattern. For instance, in the Middle-Ages in Europe, playing cards as well as books were very often coloured with the aid of stencils. The outlines of the illustration were engraved in wood and the illustration would be later coloured with the aid of the stencil. The stencils were made out of paper, which used to be impregnated either with flax oil or some kind of vegetable resin. The pigments were then applied with a brush.

This kind of printing technique was also popular in both Japan and China. Famous are the stencils dating back to the 9th century in the Mogao caves close to Tunhuang, West China. In Japan, textiles started to be decorated with the aid of stencils in the late Middle-Ages.

In Europe, since the Middle-Ages, stencils became an ever important technique in order to decorate rooms as well as building façades. Coloured paper was also printed with the aid of stencils. Theses papers were a kind of forerunner of tapestry. Until the 19th century, the stencil printing technique remained the cheapest way of colour printing.

During the 19th century, open stencils were used for letter signs meant for streets, buildings and companies – above all in the U.S. Furniture, textiles or for instance shoes used to be printed with this technique. Starting in the 19th century until the 30ies, rooms as well as furniture were decorated with the aid of stencils (Art Nouveau). This evolution is described in the books by Jessie Bane Stephenson "From Old Stencils to Silk Screening", Charles Scribner Publishers, London 1953 and Henrike Müller "Schablonen (Stencils)", DuMont Publishers, Cologne, 1994.

Since the end of the 19th century, the stencil technique became also more and more significant in the sector of textiles printing. In comparison with relief printing, screen printing – known originally as being a process of lower quality, but also more cost-effective – became definitely popular after Second World War. Still, until the 40ies, depending on the technical advantages, both model printing and screen printing used to be sometimes combined with each other (statement by Dr. Kindlimann, textile printing specialist, Glarus, Switzerland).

Until Second World War, enamel signs and boards were very popular advertising supports. They were so well spread that one would sometimes talk about a “tin plague". The stencil technique was – besides the hand painting – a highly important technique for the production of enamel boards. In this process, open tin stencils were used, during which cut out components – for instance the inner part of an "o" – were held onto with bridges. In return, the stencil process was also used the 30ies. The cut out stencil components could then be fixed on a fabric – as a consequence, the non printing bridges were then no longer needed. After Second World War, the enamel boards were replaced by paper boards and neon signs.

Since the end of the 19th century, above all in the U.S., tests were undertaken in order to solve the problem of the non printing stencil bridges, which used to fix cut out inner parts. It was suggested to fix the inner parts either with a thin wire or with jut out hoops, so that the image could be completely filled out with ink. Then the first idea came up to fix the stencil on a net made out of wires. A wire mesh allowed for the first time to fix also small stencil components on a fabric. 

Starting around 1880, duplicating devices meant for office use were developed in both the U.S. and England. By then, the typewriter stencil was transferred on the wire mesh of special printing devices. The printing ink was transferred on the paper with the aid of a roller through the open spots of the stencil. The question of how much influence the development of these duplicating devices had on the genesis of the screen printing is still not fully answered as of today. 

The screen printing as known today finds its origins above all in the U.S. From there, the process spread over England to the Continent. Since the 20ies the technical process of screen printing kept on being further developed. After World Word II, the wire mesh was replaced by synthetic mesh (polyamide, polyester), which did improve the printing quality in a great way. New printing ink, stencil material as well as quick printing press helped the process to settle down within the graphic industry.