I am printing a simple text on a white shirt. The text is light blue with a black drop shadow. I do not have a press with micro adjustments so I am afraid if I just print the blue and black as it looks it will not match up 100% of the time. Would a black layer under the blue font be good or is that too dark to print over. Any suggestions?
White shirt
Blue ink for font
Black ink for drop shadow
Waterbased inks
I think every color on white shirt would be good, because white is natural color. For your case, light blue font on black layer is very contrast color, that was good. Try to make font with bold form, I think will be better.
I would not print light blue over black. You can register a 2 color on a non-micro press. It may take you longer than if you have micros but once it is registered you should be able to print the black and blue just fine. Micro don't "hold" a print in registration they just make registration easier.
You can register it. Just try your best to expose each screen as close to registered as possible....make sure you dont push the screen all the way to the back of the clamp when you clamp it in, in order to give yourself a little room to move/tap the screens around.
registering without micros is possible..hell I do it everyday..... the most important part of this process is your prep...with prep I mean PrePress or when you setup your artwork and burn your screens.....measure , measure, measure...have every film in the same spot on every screens ...this will make registering on press much easier.
Hope this helps
line up your first film on your platen with tape on the back side, sticky side up. Make marks on the platen where the film is at. Clamp your screen making sure NOT to push it all the way tot he back of the clamp, and pull it down. Make sure the film sticks to the screen and then pull it off to be exposed (you may want to make sure the film is taped down without any air beween the film and the screen so it lays flush on the mesh in the exposure unit)
Take your second film and line it to the marks you made on the platen and repeat step one, remembering NOT to push the screen all the way to the back of the clamp.
PS. much easier to do this if you have a centerline on your film and on your platen.
my press has micros but i almost never use them with 2 color jobs. i first use a tee square to make sure my first color is straight with the board. Then i print a shirt with the first color and flash it so it won't get ink on the bottom of the second screen. i then with the head down i loosen the screen and look through it, you should be able to see where to line it up with the first screen and tighten it up. then i print the second color. i usually get it lined up on the first try. you can also use registration marks when you print the film and line them up on the press. hope this helps,
Madrod
All that, and in addition, if you want to adjust to have your print look tighter, I'd increase the blue a little, not the black.
Then when you finish with the black, no worries.
2 color printing on white shirts 
