You can but remember that process inks are transparent, so with your gray shirts, that gray will effect your ink colors. You may want to add a white underbase.
Process Ink
Looking for advice-
I'm wondering.... If I am printing light colored shirts (white and grey) could I use process ink instead of plastisol? I'm working on a 3 color design. (not cmyk) and thought since the shirt is a light colour it might be nice to use it since it has a lighter and softer feel to it?
Any advice would be great: )
Thanks!
I'm wondering.... If I am printing light colored shirts (white and grey) could I use process ink instead of plastisol? I'm working on a 3 color design. (not cmyk) and thought since the shirt is a light colour it might be nice to use it since it has a lighter and softer feel to it?
Any advice would be great: )
Thanks!
1 - 8 of 8 Posts
Process colors are plastisol, unless you're using waterbased inks. But that aside, for a 3-color job, which I'll guess is three distinct colors, you'll likely have to use all 4 process colors to approximate the three spot colors, plus add tight registration for 4 screens, plus add in the added difficulty of each shirt matching when you factor in the potential for color shifts if your squeegie pressure varies much between shirts, or if you have to double-stroke one screen because you didn't clear the screen on the first pass, due to the translucent nature of the ink. So you've likely got 4 layers of ink instead of three, on top of each other to boot instead of beside each other.
If you're looking for a soft hand, you might be better off basing down your regular spot color inks with an appropriate additive, especially if they're high opacity inks.
You're also introducing halftones into the mix, more than likely, in an attempt to match spot colors. Unless you're printing a photographic-type image on light shirts, spot colors should always be the first choice.
If you're looking for a soft hand, you might be better off basing down your regular spot color inks with an appropriate additive, especially if they're high opacity inks.
You're also introducing halftones into the mix, more than likely, in an attempt to match spot colors. Unless you're printing a photographic-type image on light shirts, spot colors should always be the first choice.
Thank you both for your advice. I never factored in the transparency and how it would effect the color if the shirt was not white!
Rather than printing using cmyk process, I guess what I was hoping to do was mix my colors using process plastisol ink with some regular white plastisol ink..(The colors I am printing are all pastel -green, blue and orange) I've just never used process ink and didn't know if it can be mixed with regular plastisol? I figured that using the process inks would make the ink a little softer than mixing all regular plastisol.
Rather than printing using cmyk process, I guess what I was hoping to do was mix my colors using process plastisol ink with some regular white plastisol ink..(The colors I am printing are all pastel -green, blue and orange) I've just never used process ink and didn't know if it can be mixed with regular plastisol? I figured that using the process inks would make the ink a little softer than mixing all regular plastisol.
You could do that to make 3 pastel spot colors. Generally when using process inks you're relying on their translucence and halftones to "blend" together to create colors, but there's nothing to prevent using them to, say, use magenta with white to create a nice pink.Thank you both for your advice. I never factored in the transparency and how it would effect the color if the shirt was not white!
Rather than printing using cmyk process, I guess what I was hoping to do was mix my colors using process plastisol ink with some regular white plastisol ink..(The colors I am printing are all pastel -green, blue and orange) I've just never used process ink and didn't know if it can be mixed with regular plastisol? I figured that using the process inks would make the ink a little softer than mixing all regular plastisol.
Yes! That was what I was hoping I could do- I just wasn't sure. Thank you!!
But this brings on another question....mesh count. For white ink I usually use 110-154 (The images are block letters) but for process Ink isn't it 230 or more? I guess I would do something in between?
But this brings on another question....mesh count. For white ink I usually use 110-154 (The images are block letters) but for process Ink isn't it 230 or more? I guess I would do something in between?
The process ink will not likely be in sufficient quantity to thin the ink so much that a high mesh count will be advantageous. For block letters and predominantly white ink, I'd use 156. If you have 154, use that.
Wonderful- thank you so much!
and my mistake- I meant 156- I will use those.
and my mistake- I meant 156- I will use those.
1 - 8 of 8 Posts
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