Crystalline silicon photovoltaic (PV) technology dominates 85% of the PV share due to its ease process and manufacturing flow. Conventional silicon PV technology uses screen printing for the metallization and though most of the PV industries use this technique, it has its own limitations for fabricating solar cells of high efficiency beyond 19%. However this technique is widely used in industries as a major process because of its production feasibility and cost compared to the alternate metallization techniques. In this article, an attempt has been made to study the different printing mechanisms, alternate to screen printing technique. Also, the process and results of alternate printing mechanisms were interpreted and compared with screen printing technique. It is well understood that the PV industries looking for the cost effective advanced metallization technique for fabricating high efficiency solar cells. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.