[Frienzy]

Hey all!
I have this simple white color with black outline text design on dark blue shirt. How would you separate it and which color would you print first?
I did it two ways:
1. Cut out black outline in square, put a little spread in white text and around cut out text in square (so i had spread to both sides of my black outline). I printed white first - print/flash/print and had a thick layer of my white so that when i printed black outline it smeared all around the edges of white.
2. Left white square full, put a little spread of the white text. Printed white first - print/flash/print and when i printed black outline it came out fuzzy/smeary just inside the white square.
So neither way i got a good result but second one was better than first.
I heard that you never want white ink under the places where you'll have a black ink... why is that? Why did my second separation came out better than "without white under the black".
OK so im really confused here with this simple 2 color design, and would like to hear how are you printing similar ones.
Thanks.

 

[HumbleShirts]

Depends on your setup but I would butt register the job and PFP. I have a tight auto.

If you have a sloppy press, spread the black and print it first, flash and then print the white.

 

[TYGERON]

How would you separate it and which color would you print first?

+1 to Steve. Butt register but on a manual. Printing the Black first and hitting the White once.

I heard that you never want white ink under the places where you'll have a black ink... why is that?

Be cirumspect about any screen printing statement prefaced with "You never..."

But the situation is that during the squeegee stroke the ink is depositing over fabric and (thick white) ink layer at the same time and it's 2 different layers. At the layer transition areas is where you get the "fuzziness". Even with butt registering I'd print the black first because of the inherent spread or gain.

Now either way can be done successfully with proper set up and technique. One generally poses less variable/layer transition.

And nothing is etched in stone when it comes to printing. Some say "halftones = 305 mesh", "YMCK print order for process", "always print light to dark" and so on. It all depends on the particulars of each situation.

 

[TYGERON]

Don't know if the shirt color in the attachment is accurate but if the "Dark Blue" shirt is Navy, I'd ask the customer about the option of doing a single color White sans Black. It probably won't look any/much different and it would save the customer a color charge.

Either way they'll appreciate you for asking and willingness to save them some money

 

[Frienzy]

Thanks guys for clearing this out.
Tygeron yes i know it would look almost the same without that outline but client wanted it no matter what...
And yea this is clear to me now - thin black layer first, then white.
It's time to stop these fuzzy black outlines for once and for all!!!
Thanks!

 

[TYGERON]

You're welcome.

And I can't express enough the importance of proper technique. Sharp squeegee, off contact, angle and speed, mesh count and tightness etc.