Carbon nanotubes/nanofibers (CNTs) were grown on sodalime glass by low temperature chemical vapor deposition. The catalytic films were pre-patterned using screen-printing method, combined with filtered cathodic vacuum arc or ion beam sputtering. The effect of different catalysts on the CNT growth and field emission were investigated. For samples catalyzed with a-C:Co, Ni-Cu or Cu, no CNTs are formed, and they show no field emission below the applied field of 4.4V/μm. For samples catalyzed with Ni-Fe or Ni-Cr, large amounts of entangled CNTs are successfully obtained and exhibit good electron emission, having a turn-on field as low as 2.5V/μm. The process, due to its simplicity and relatively low growth temperature, is promising for practical application in field emission display.