Color Separation

Sam

Does anyone know how to take a piece of art work and do a color separation for screen printing?

I have a design I will be printing on a T-Shirt and while I am willing to pay the T-Shirt printer the $100.00 to $200.00 I am wondering if this is something I can do with CS4.

Thanks!!

Sam

BinaryFx

Sam wrote:

Does anyone know how to take a piece of art work and do a color separation for screen printing?

I have a design I will be printing on a T-Shirt and while I am willing to pay the T-Shirt printer the $100.00 to $200.00 I am wondering if this is something I can do with CS4.

Thanks!!

Sam

Screen printing seps are similar, although different to press separations for say packaging...probably more than four colour and perhaps using a base white. I have a lot of experience making seps for many different press and substrate conditions - just not screen printing. Screen print is a "separate trade" when compared to regular printing.

Sam, are you printing on white fabric, or a darker colour with a print white ink under your main colours?

How many colours are you paying for? Does the graphic only contain solids, or are there tints as well? What does the screen printer advise when it comes to the complexity of the artwork?

Can you post a link to the graphic, this would help a lot.

You would also need explicit info from the printer, about how to setup the spot channel file in Photoshop. Will they need trapping (spreads/chokes) or will the colours be tight or "butt fit"?

There are purpose built separation software packages available for silk screen separations which could be found with Google, however you will still need good info from the screen printer.

What you supply may not be of use or require further editing by the screen printer with a further charge for making what you think is print ready to be print ready.

It may just be best to let them do their stuff, with or without further detailed information supplied by the screen printer.

Just because one can do something, does not always mean that they always should.


Regards,

Stephen Marsh

http://members.ozemail.com.au/~binaryfx/
http://prepression.blogspot.com/

Sam

Stephen,

Thanks for the info!

This lets me know it's more complex than just a conversion anyone can do in Photoshop.

I will just let them do it.

Thanks!!

Sam