"He who marches out of step hears another drum." ~ Ken Kesey
Quote from: GraphicDisorder on May 29, 2015, 02:27:27 PMHas someone actually said they could for certain print a 2% dot on a shirt? I missed that if so.Yes the other Blue puppet was threatening to post pics of 2% on a Gildan or something... I hear there is a screen with 2% dots headed to Northern California for testing... stand by.. you might learn something
Has someone actually said they could for certain print a 2% dot on a shirt? I missed that if so.
I'm still trying to figure out how this became such a big pissing match
We've successfully held the calibrated 4-5% dot at 55lpi on 330S mesh on the Vastex unit. Same thing with 3140 was holding 3%. BUT . . . . the exposure system was dialed in for the 3140 so changes in the RIP can be made to compensate for it. I am certain that with proper tools LED unit will expose 3%.For anybody trying to see the calibrated 2% dot on a 305, it is not going to happen with ANY unit!!! As I understand, the physical limitation of the mesh is 3%. At that point the dots become too small to hold on. It would be possible to calculate the dot size and compare it to the opening size, but I'll take the expert's word on it. Anybody printing a 2% at 55lpi on a 305 and holding it is either not calibrated, on the wrong mesh or wrong lpi.pierre
Quote from: blue moon on June 01, 2015, 11:05:54 AMWe've successfully held the calibrated 4-5% dot at 55lpi on 330S mesh on the Vastex unit. Same thing with 3140 was holding 3%. BUT . . . . the exposure system was dialed in for the 3140 so changes in the RIP can be made to compensate for it. I am certain that with proper tools LED unit will expose 3%.For anybody trying to see the calibrated 2% dot on a 305, it is not going to happen with ANY unit!!! As I understand, the physical limitation of the mesh is 3%. At that point the dots become too small to hold on. It would be possible to calculate the dot size and compare it to the opening size, but I'll take the expert's word on it. Anybody printing a 2% at 55lpi on a 305 and holding it is either not calibrated, on the wrong mesh or wrong lpi.pierreIt's all relative to your specific device and setups. I'd guess that 90-95% of the industry produces printed apparel without a densitometer calibrated halftone LPI because of the cost to get one and the fact that they have been selling printed apparel without one for years. That doesn't mean what they print for halftone dots is truly correct, just well enough apparently.Also, note that even with a densitometer, those calibrate (tone) accuracy and not size of dot accuracy. For example, an accurate calibrated 2% tone can still have a huge dot such as in a 20lpi. One mans 2% in a 55lpi is not the same as another. There will be people who can hold a 2% dot in a 55lpi on a 305 mesh (with their device). Of those, their dot is larger or closer to a 3% in another device.
Quote from: blue moon on June 01, 2015, 11:05:54 AMWe've successfully held the calibrated 4-5% dot at 55lpi on 330S mesh on the Vastex unit. Same thing with 3140 was holding 3%. BUT . . . . the exposure system was dialed in for the 3140 so changes in the RIP can be made to compensate for it. I am certain that with proper tools LED unit will expose 3%.For anybody trying to see the calibrated 2% dot on a 305, it is not going to happen with ANY unit!!! As I understand, the physical limitation of the mesh is 3%. At that point the dots become too small to hold on. It would be possible to calculate the dot size and compare it to the opening size, but I'll take the expert's word on it. Anybody printing a 2% at 55lpi on a 305 and holding it is either not calibrated, on the wrong mesh or wrong lpi.pierreStill, you should have a goal of holding the smallest as best you can and then the most important part is to (know what that is) so that you can prepare your art accordingly. High LPI produces a beautiful tone and blends verses chunky dots. The higher the lpi, the thinner the ink should be up to a point. Blends are easier to achieve but so should the other needed elements be in place such as mesh tension, high mesh, thinner EOM, proper printing methods etc. This is why some may not be able to hold the 2% dot even if they had a machine that could give it to them. Many factors must fall in line.