Anyone use a Black Underbase

[Logoman]

I am printing 1800 Irish Green Tees with a two color print. The majority of the print is Black but there is a small part that is Golden Yellow. I was going to try and print the Black and then the G. Yellow on top of the using the Black as an under base. Anyone done this?

[Printficient]

you can use black as an underbase.  I would not in this case as the yellow will tint towards green.  Black as an underbase for white on a black shirt is the most common use.

[broadway]

Depending on the image i would print the black first then the maxopake yellow with a low mesh, wow. You can always reverse order and add a flash... Foe me 1800 pieces would take a while and i would rather not have my IR flash on at all. Auto press with plastisol inks.

[3Deep]

You do best just to add the white base hit it once or twice flash and roll with it....still one turn around the press.

[Dottonedan]

I've done a black underbase before in sim process (but of course, not intended to support) or make top colors brighter, but intended to mix with a white next, to help blend to get more of a smooth gray with white on top, then a flash...unless in some cases, you can even step on it with yet another color before a flash if you can. THAT helps greatly. The stepping on the wet white and wet black...helps greatly to create a good smooth gray will little halftones poking thu. Helps fade those out. Then flash.  It's rare, but I've done it that way on a few occasions in my years, when needing a really good gray, but maybe I don't have all of the room on color count. Black on top can be soooo contrasting and heavy, you really need to cut back so much more on the halftones when on top to still provide good heavy coverage on solid areas.  When printing 1st, you should lay down a little more halftones, intending to mix more and create a good rich 3rd color and not have that top color overpower the black. Kinda switching the thought process.

[Screened Gear]

1,800 shirts I would add a white underbase and just print them. With that many shirts you want to put out the best product possiple. Why risk it.

[Get Shirts]

I second (or third) adding the white.  You'll fly on the auto and won't have to worry about anything weird happening with the yellow now or down the line.

[Dottonedan]

Another questions, is in the terminology.


Is what you are mentioning, (and underbase black) truly an underbase...or just a black printing first?


Of course, you would never want to put black under a yellow (intended as an underbase), so the art really then comes into questions also.  How does that art look?  "A yellow sections is surrounded by black". If it's a triangle with solid hard edges around it, you might put a gutter space of .5 - 1.  stroking from center, to the shirt color. This keeps it from touching the black provided your registration is dead on.  If it's yellow art that (fades) or blends into black then you would want to flash that black.


As others mentioned, this is a decent amount of shirts, and often times people toss in an underbase at no charge to assure it works well. Less issues for you to have it go smooth.


Still tho, if you have a press that does not hold tight registration, or mesh that is not tight, it won't matter if you have an underbase or not. Any shift with the wet black and yellow might cause a muddy greenish look.  So what you might be saying is, that you want to flash or lock in the black so that it doesn't "blend" or print wet next to the yellow.


Black,
- flash-

yellow = Little to no blending


base white
- flash -
yellow
black  - possible blending due to both being wet.

[kingscreen]

I'm on team white.  Why try to cut corners on an order that size?

[Logoman]

It worked great. I printed the Black first (156 mesh,most of image was Black) Flash, 110 mesh G.Yellow over part of Black Print Flash, G.Yellow over G.Yellow and remove. One round but it took about 10 hrs. Thanks for all the input.