The importance of lowering color count.

[Dottonedan]

This is about reducing color count and why I see it being vital to us all.

How many of you had to skip bidding on a job because of color count?
It doesn't matter if it was a 8 color on black and you have a 6 color press or a 12 color on black and you have a 10 color press. More times than not, these jobs can be done on your press.

One of the first separation jobs I did for Disney's print shop was a challenge.


Another outside source had created the art so that it had so many colors that no other printer could take the order away from them just by lowering price. You see, this outside Co. Was one of the first to have a 18-20color/22-24 station press. This was around 1997-1998 I don't know the specifics but M&R would know.  So they designed this job for Disney with all of these specific PMS colors ( with a puff) ink underlay. So many areas puffed with color over top. At the Disney print shop, they could not possibly print this job at that time and to bring in (just that one order) was a $20,000 savings for the year alone for just the tee shirts and sweat shirt on that one design. Not to mention that the color count became the benchmark for all other screen printed products using that art.

So I was asked to see what I could do to have us be able to print that job ( and maintain the integrity) of the art. My memory is a little vague but I recall being able to take it down from something like 18 actual colors to 11 so that it worked on all of our presses. That's a lot of colors to blend, but it was done.  And the best part for me, is that the print looked (almost as good) as the original.

They ran these orders for kids and adults. Each order was a min of 1500 every two weeks. So, in the extreme, you can see the importance of bring able to reduce colors.


Apply that to every 3rd job you do for the year, (save a color here and there) and you can see how much less your tees cost than what the competition has to offer.

A shop that is more often able to reduce colors, can win more bids, and be known for having good prices ( without lowering) prices.

[dirkdiggler]

I am a firm believer that a 12 color auto can print 99% of any print jobs out there.  That's with my 16 years experience.  To me, 12 press is the smartest buy in our industry.

[Sbrem]

Having a 10/12, I can see that, but I can't say it's hurt us any, based on what we do. But yeah, sometimes more is better, even if you're setting up a number of 2 and 3 color jobs at once...

Steve

[dlac]

That Dan guy is one sharp cookie and I agree 110%.  We first got a job to print for Hard Rock offshore lot of years ago..they sent us there standard round orange logo but had no seps..   Then the contractor got us the seps.. 8 colors.. we hada 8/10 mhm but had to underbase on black.. I redid the design as 5 colors and sent it to them for approval.. they loved it.. we loved it.. everybody loved it and we printed how many? over the next few years..   When I do raster to vector for folks.. first question I ask is how many colors do you want it to be.. does not matter how many colors it was..
dlac

[Frog]

It's those dang artists!
When I worked at a shop that started getting bigger presses, with more colors, darned if the artists didn't start using all of them on the spot color jobs even if no one could see the difference between the three different reds and two blues!
They were like kids in a candy store. 

[Dottonedan]

You will find that when you look at (all jobs out there) that can be done in screen printing) there are jobs that do require )from the customer), 10, 12, 18 colors.  You might say, No, not needed.  But some (most times licensed art) does require more....due to other variables such as adding special effect inks to a multi chart art job that has as many as 15-20 characters in a design (that require as many key pms color matches + 1 or 2 Special effects such as Puff ink and Crystalina for example.


Disney for one, is notorious for that. Universal is another, then NFL has a few logo's with as many as 10 PMS matches (required) in just the logo alone. Not to mention what you do with the art. So some jobs do make it harder to fit on your press.
You can do all you can to knock them down, but it's got to be approved as well.

[3Deep]

Dan really has hit the nail on the head here, most jobs is not about printing a ton of colors its having room for two flashes to go around the press once and off and to get a cleaner print.  In my market I do the same thing reduce color but try and give then the same amount with blends which Dan has done for me a few times...for me I really think I could get away with a 10 color press giving two heads for flashes, I have did ok with my 8/7 so far..GOOD topic can't wait to here others dig on this

Darryl

[Grumpy Ole Artist]

Yeah, ya gotta watch those artists...buncha poo flinging monkeys! LOL! Four color hand presses here.....No "portfolio pieces" generated lately...Damnit!

[tonypep]

On the old 6 and 8 head ovals we found ways to print up to three colors per head (no not a split fountain) so 18 colors on an eight head press. This was for a Warner Bros character grouping and landed us the account. Now we can acheive secondary and tertiary colors with discharge with or without halftones.