My boss recently gave me an assignment to set up computers and printers for a screen printing operation that he had just purchased and it turns out the lady who is going to be running it has no idea what she is doing So he turned to me. Therefore, I turned to the internet and found you because I am in desperate need of some help. These questions may sound pretty stupid, but I am only supposed to be the "computer guy." It now turns out that I'll be diving in head first to a fully functional screen printing operation.
I'll give you a "run-down" on what I have got to work with, so you know where I am coming from so you can hopefully provide some decent answers. As of right now I only know the type of computer software and printer I have, as the other equipment is still being shipped.
Right now, we have CorelDRAW X4 and FastRIP and our current printer is an Epson R1800.
Here are some of the questions that I've got to start out with.
-In FastRIP 9.0 if I click Queue > Properties then go to the General Tab and select Print Mode to change my options it gives me the selections of "Clear Film" or "Waterproof."
1. Now the first question here is what exactly is the difference be clear film and watercolor. They both look clear to me. =P (I just want to know the exact difference.)
2. I have Waterproof film sheets, So naturally I select the waterproof option from question 1, then it gives me the options "1440", "2880", and "720." Which do I pick, and what do these numbers stand for?
3. After selection a random option, It takes me to a long list of more options, and here I don't exactly know what to do. I have found out:
DD = Double Density
SD = Standard Density (?)
HS = High Speed
TD = ?
--How do I know which to pick first of all? Second, what do the numbers stand for (40 and below, 65 and above. ect..)? Also, can somebody please tell me what "lpi" is?
Now another issue I believe I have resolved, but would like to get a little more information on:
When I first tried printing a logo on my "Waterproof 11" x 17" screen things, I used the original Ink Cartridges that came with my Epson R1800, but it didn't turn out and the ink never dried. I then switched to a "dye-based" ink that came with FastRIP and printed a test on a sample screen (about 8 x 11 in size, not sure on if its waterproof or not) and the ink turned out fine and was dried instantly. Why is this?
Sorry for my extremely long post, but I'm just trying to get some help, as I was unfortunately thrown into the deep-end of the pool.
with water proof films you ink will dry almost instantly, but you need to print on the right side, one side will feel smooth, and the other will have more resistance when running your finger over it, this is the print side of the film. With the r1800 the best setting is "premium glossy photo paper" instead of the film options.
the 1440, 720, numbers are dpi, the higher the number the more ink is laid down and the darker your transparency (the darker the better)
dye based with water proof film is the way to go, your test with piment ink(which isnt as opaque as dye) you may have put the paper in with the print side down.
Thank you, that does answer a few of the questions I had. Also, In trying to set this up, I was informed that there is a problem with the things I am trying to run. I called Epson and they had told me that their Printer is not yet compatible with CorelDRAW x4 (14). Has anybody heard anything about this or know where I can read about it? I looked on Corel's site but didn't find anything.
lpi = lines per inch. It's a term used when doing halftone dots for fineline prints.
DD = Double Density
-As far as i know, this lays down twice as much ink by changing contrast settings from the RIP. Essentially it makes the positive darker by laying down more ink in which ever print setting you're using (720 vs. 1440 vs. 2880)
SD = Standard Density (?)
-This is the standard that the RIP uses for printing film positives
HS = High Speed
-High speed changes the printer from uni-directional to bi-directional. This means that the printer prints as it goes away from the capping station, as well as on it's return to the capping station. This is great for making prints go faster, but you do sacrifice some line quality, so personally I wouldn't bother with HS on fineline and halftone positives.
TD = ?
-I beleive TD is Triple Density, which is would essentially be overkill. But i'm not 100% positive so don't quote me on that.
As for the ink pooling up on the page, you either DONT have waterproof film, or had the sheet in the wrong way. Pigment inks (which are standard on the R1800) only work with waterproof film, so they will pool up on non-waterproof (dye based film) films. FastINK is a dye based ink which will work with both waterproof and non-waterproof film.
To make sure you're printing on the right side of the film, wet your finger and touch the corner of the sheet. If it gets tacky (sticky) that's the side you want to print on.
Waterproof film tends to be a little more frosted looking than non-waterproof, but they are both "clear." So unless the label clearly indicates waterproof film, you won't be able to use the standard epson inks for this.
Good luck and let us know if you have any questions, we're all here to help each other out!
Another question; I had talked to tman07 a bit about this, but I am still a little unsure on it.
I am working with a woman who has SOME experience with this kind of stuff and she told me that films need to be printed in black, and then you do all your colors later. Is this true? If so, that leads me to my actual question; How do I take a colored logo and make it print in black? As far as my knowledge goes based on what tman07 said, I have to mess with separations and all, but I'm a little confused.
If this is a working shop and your getting backup (this is not something you learn in a day or 2) then your boss needs to source the artwork/separations out.
You need to start learning how to do Color separations in photoshop or illustrator.
Basically here is the short story. You need to print your film positives in BLACK so that you can make a screen (by exposing emulsion on a screen). You add color when you're printing on the press.
You need to learn how to take a color file and "separate" it so that if you had an image with 3 colors, you would then have three positives to print, and three screens to shoot. Then each screen becomes that color and you print.
Like was said above, you did just get thrown to the lions, because you now have to become really good, REALLY fast at pre-press work it seems.
Best of luck, search our forums for separations and film positives, as they may have better and more in depth information for you.
The only thing stupid is your boss for buying a business he knew absolutely nothing about. If the woman running it doesn't know anything (did he buy it from her?) why is she there? Now he's putting the pressure on you to make the whole thing work?
Unless he blames the mess on you, he'll be out of the screen printing business just about as fast as he got into it, and if the equipment is any good, some lucky screenprinter will snatch it up on the cheap. That's how I got my stuff. Someone with a pocket full of money (temporarily) bought a boatload of new equipment for some newbies to turn into "an easy money machine". Trouble is, the newbies didn't like printing because they were tired at night after their regular job, and it was hot work. The "up-front money man" took it in the shorts 4 months later, and I and some others made out. Cha-ching!
Anyway, you've got a bit of a learning curve ahead of you, and my guess is that "the lady who is running it" will blame all the problems on you. You might want to suggest to the boss that he use an outside source to generate the separations in the mean time to get things up and running, and that you'll work learning the business of art preparation into your normal job responsibilities as you can. If he thinks everything is gonna fall into place immediately, he's a moron, and deserves to get bitten. Just don't let him, or "the lady" blame it on you. Knowing computers, and knowing art and separations suitable for screenprinting, are not the same thing, as you're finding out, and it's best to be upfront with the boss about it before the blamestorm rolls in.
My boss is actually a pretty great guy; I highly doubt he'll put any of the blame on me for this. The whole point of having this other lady (Vicki) here, is that she told my boss that she knew what she was doing and worked at the other place until they went out of business. It turns out that a yesterday morning, she told my boss that she had no idea about the Computer side of it. Originally she told him that she wasn't very good with the technical side, and we all assumed that she meant hooking everything up; which was were I came it.
Needless to say, the blame will not be put on me for anything by my boss; in fact he gave me a $1.50 an hour raise just for the headaches he throws at me all the time. The equipment is all completely new, came in yesterday and we are really hoping that this woman knows what she is doing when it comes to that.. she is sort of a "wing nut" if you couldn't tell by now. If she doesn't know, then I'll probably be on a mission to learn it as soon as I can. I just might have to go somewhere, but If that's what it takes it'll get done.
Maybe Vicki is the reason they went out of business. Anyway, I'd keep the boss apprised of the fact that screenprinting isn't a turnkey operation for people just getting into it, and that he should expect some time to pass while you immerse yourself in it. It isn't rocket science, but it isn't as easy as it looks on YouTube, either. As you read these forums you'll discover the problems and frustrations people face trying to get this process to work satisfactorily, but with time and dedication, it's within most people's reach. If the business came with any books, specifically "How to Print T-Shirts for Fun and Profit", read it. It'll answer most basic questions and put you in a better position to understand and ask more meaningful ones as you progress. Ultimately, time over a long period doing art, outputting film, coating and burning screens, setting up a press and developing printing techniques to achieve the desired result will reveal the solutions to getting ink on a shirt in such a way that someone would want to buy it. If Vicki doesn't know what she's doing, but is still there once you've mastered everything, you can make her clean the mess up and fold shirts when you're done.
Extreme Beginner Questions.. need help! 
As of right now I only know the type of computer software and printer I have, as the other equipment is still being shipped.
