I read recently that for printing onto black shirts you should have a 6 color station. Is that written in stone, or can a 4 color printer still do the job?
I read recently that for printing onto black shirts you should have a 6 color station. Is that written in stone, or can a 4 color printer still do the job?
Nothing is ever in stone. It all depends what you want to print.
For dark shirts, just count the number of colors you want to print and add one for the white underlay. Add one more screen if you want to follow up with a highlight white on top of the colors.
I have a six, I wouldn't want a four even though 80% of my work is one or two colors. It is nice to be able to have a few jobs set up on the press at the same time. I sometimes get the "these shirts look great, can I get a few more" call or one of the shirts has a hole in it, I'll have to get a replacement and print it tomorrow.
I'd definitely stay with a 6 color press. If you have the skill and patience to print 4 color process, with a white underbase, your print image colors are indefinite. 4 color process printing requires a high degree of registration of the screens, and of course, the skill to create the proper screens. I only wish that I had a 6 station, 6 color press......no, really an automatic press with quartz flash capabilities!
I read recently that for printing onto black shirts you should have a 6 color station. Is that written in stone, or can a 4 color printer still do the job?
Thanks,
brs1
Everyone who buys a 4-color press always wishes they had bought a 6-color. I've had three 6-color presses, this last one I just upgraded to 8-colors. Keeping a two-sided job set up until it's finished means that if you screw up a shirt on the second side, you just ink up the front side screens and knock out a new shirt, front and back. If you print for any length of time, you'll do this.
Six color is really the minimum, and will allow you do print probably 95% of the jobs you're likely to do.
It really depends on the art work. Red Yellow and white on a black shirt would only need 3 colors. When buying get the most you can afford. For anything greater than you can handle, colors or quantity sub it out.
4 or 6 color for printing onto black 
