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I have an art work with 4 colors. I went to the screenprinter and he wants me to give a screen ready and color separated file. I am using photoshop and illustrator, but I need an idea how to present a color separated art work specifically for screen printing purposes.
I have a Corel Draw 5 (I know it's old) but is this the "prefered" software for t-shirt screen printing?
Is the artwork blended process colors (CMYK), or is it solid spot colors?
If it's solid colors the process isn't too difficult to separate it for films. I know allot of people use Corel Draw, but I don't know much about it. We use Photoshop and Illustrator.
If it's process colors, like a photo, the process is a little different. Photoshop will actually let you print each channel separately, but there are also software packages that will separate the image into several colors that work very well. We use Quickseps with Photoshop CS2, and we've had allot of success using that system.
Wow, I thought most screen printers would accept a vector file. Usually the problem arises when a low-res raster is provided. Are the different colors on different layers, or at least separate objects? If so it shouldn't take much at all to get it ready for film output. When we get files that aren't completely ready we charge an hourly rate to prepare the file, but we still accept the file.
I know there are a couple videos available for preparing artwork for printing films... check the sponsor list to the left here. Basically you need a separate layer for each color. So, if your artwork has red, green, blue, and black, say, you'd need a layer that only has the red components on it, one for the green, one for the blue, and one for the black. If your design is to be printed on dark colored shirts you'll need one more layer for a white underbase, which will include everything in the other layers. I usually shrink the underbase just a bit to make sure no white peeks out from under the colors along the borders.
Is the artwork blended process colors (CMYK), or is it solid spot colors?
If it's solid colors the process isn't too difficult to separate it for films. I know allot of people use Corel Draw, but I don't know much about it. We use Photoshop and Illustrator.
If it's process colors, like a photo, the process is a little different. Photoshop will actually let you print each channel separately, but there are also software packages that will separate the image into several colors that work very well. We use Quickseps with Photoshop CS2, and we've had allot of success using that system.
I was pretty greatful for knowing yet upset that I have to go back and fix my design. I went to a printing company that only accepts AI solid drawings but I couldn't understand why they couldnt print from photoshop as well. So do you recommend that the colours be CMYK? I don't have much knowledge with channels, so is it the same if you separate the colours by layers? If you set it up from Photoshop, would it be easy to convert it all to Illustrator?
I would rather give them Photoshop work and they could grab it and maybe use Illustrator to send the print. My design is very pencil sketch but by the way things are that might have to change. Just not a fan of vector work.
if your printer does not know how to seperate the colors, im wondering if he even knows how to print them. is he charging you less if you supply the seps. something doesnt sound right. i would call a different place in your area and see if they would do it.
if your printer does not know how to seperate the colors, im wondering if he even knows how to print them. is he charging you less if you supply the seps. something doesnt sound right. i would call a different place in your area and see if they would do it.
I'll have to add that amp267 is correct. If your printer can't separate just about anything except a low res raster art that needs considerable fixing, you should find another printer. Look for someone with at least 10 years experience. At our shop we always look at the file first and then decide whether to go with PS or Illustrator. Good luck.
if your printer does not know how to seperate the colors, im wondering if he even knows how to print them. is he charging you less if you supply the seps. something doesnt sound right. i would call a different place in your area and see if they would do it.
Well it was a group of them actually! Three graphic designers. Nah, they know what to do but only to what they're familiar with and that is with Illustrator. I don't think they like photoshop. So I'm messing around with channels and researching separating colours. But your advice is also what I'm considering. I think there are others out there that will print from Photoshop which I think all Clothing Printing Business's should consider. The only reason why I wanted to go with this company is because my mom knows the owner. I'm getting a cheaper price than standard and they would wave the setup fee if I do the setup myself. Thankyou for the reply.
If you want to do the separations yourself, the easiest to use program that I know of, and use daily, Is QuickSeps Pro. Though you still need a lot of info to operate it, it is friendly to new users. The other thing would be to have someone separate it for you, where they could provide the files, or evens films that you can bring to the printer.
Color Separation Video Tutorial 
