[skitzz]

Ok, here is my setup: I have a 4 color press and I have Illustrator CS3 & Photoshop CS3. I print film using an epson 1400 without a rip software.

Here is my dillema: I have this artwork (attached) that a customer wants printed on a tee. i want to screenprint it but it looks liek it has to be separated using halftones or simulated process? is that right? What are my options? kinda confused as to how I would do this...Any ideas?

 

[INKFREAK]

Can you print out a decent half-tone from your system? 55 lpi on a 355 should work just fine.Is it black on white print?You have enough on of a contrast with the grays that you shouldn't have to adjust the image at all.

 

[skitzz]

yeah I can print a halftone. But do i print from ilustrator or photoshop?

 

[skitzz]

Fred,
So I'm curious. For that example, how many screens did it take?

 

[InterStreme]

It should only take one screen. I use AccuRip with photoshop. I print right from photoshop to the AccuRip print driver.

 

[skitzz]

hmm..interesting. I'll have to experiment in copious free time. Thanks guys!

 

[frankiko]

how about separating the tones manually (in photoshop)? (it looks like there's 2 or 3 different gray tones on the artwork...plus black)....
then convert each separated tones in solid black and print that on your film/transparency for exposure.
then just mix black ink with white to achieve those different gray tones when printing on the shirt..

just a thought.

 

[skitzz]

thats how i usually do it. Actually that's how it has been done for me in the past. How do you do that in photoshop?

 

[frankiko]

using magic wand or color range function... you can easily select and separate different tones.
this technique is easy if the artwork has a good/high resolution.

 

[spreadingink]

Fred,

I am curious what line count and mesh you used for your testing - also how large a run did you do? Any problems with the halftones drying up in the mesh? Was it a pigmented discharge (pre-mix white) or natural - it looks like a pre-mix white, but I have found that with the pigment load it often will dry up over a print run above several hundred or so. Just curious as to your results - the print looks good, but more interested in how it worked over the run and how long the run was.

Thanks,

Dave

 

[amp267]

We recently did a halftone test with discharge ink which might be what your looking for. Because the discharge ink is thin, it gets partially absorbed into the fabric. The result is more of a tint than a halftone. The shirt is a hanes beefy-t.

fred

if you dont mind me asking

what ink did you use
what mesh count
what tension on the screen
how thick did you coat your screen

 

[amp267]

Were still work working out the best settings for discharge. Earlier this week we printed another image using a 305 mesh screen with a 55 LPI halftone, wilflex discharge ink. We coat both sides of our screens only once. The different shades in the print come from halftones.

The brand and color of the shirt influences how well the discharge process works. Before buying any large quantity of shirts, i'm planning to order 2 test shirts first.

Aside the the variations caused by the brand, it seems that what i could print with black ink on a white shirt, that i can also print it on a black shirt using a discharge. (of course the image needs reversing)

fred

this is something (discharge, waterbase, etc.) i want start learning. i appreciate your help

 

[spreadingink]

Hi Fred,

We have done quite a bit of discharge and some with halftones. I was just asking because while I can do a 55 lpi on 300 or 305 mesh and it works fine for a few shirts, we have had some issues with it clogging in screens on longer runs that is why I was asking and to see if you might have come across any secrets to that. I wouldn't be too afraid of doing 72-100 pcs this way, but 300-400 pcs we usually change the lpi to 45, I was just wondeing if you had tested a run of that magnitude with it.

Thanks,

Dave