Sim Process Help

[DannyGruninger]

Looking at the prints my suggestion is to move the print order where your printing yellow after the red followed by a flash. I'm only looking at the pics from my cell phone so take that for what it's worth but if your seps are stacking some colors under the black like red,yellow,blue, etc which it looks that way and all those colors are wet it's going to shift the black to a not as rich black. I would add a flash to the print after the colors and before the black/highlight white. My guess is on a print with that many colors the first shop who you farmed out to used more then one flash which is making their black look different. On real light shirts I also like to use two blacks one for solids and one with solids/halftones on the same screen for a real nice rich black that can bridge on the solid areas while allowing stroke speed/pressure adjustment on your halftone screen.

[Dottonedan]

We handled the seps, and they just did the printing for us,

Considering everything they've said, I'd add, I would look at the seps to confirm you have a decent amount of dots in the black screen to what should be expected. They may have printed films, and you on a DTS.  Your output will be different than theirs. Compare apples to apples.  Open the sep file, use the eye dropper and read exactly what % should be in a specific area. Then look at their shirt and determine (guess) what they put down...and where you are in your screen. You should have an idea what 65% looks like and what 85% look like. Hard to tell visually.  This is where a good transmissive densitomitor would come in handy.

[ericheartsu]

We handled the seps, and they just did the printing for us,

Considering everything they've said, I'd add, I would look at the seps to confirm you have a decent amount of dots in the black screen to what should be expected. They may have printed films, and you on a DTS.  Your output will be different than theirs. Compare apples to apples.  Open the sep file, use the eye dropper and read exactly what % should be in a specific area. Then look at their shirt and determine (guess) what they put down...and where you are in your screen. You should have an idea what 65% looks like and what 85% look like. Hard to tell visually.  This is where a good transmissive densitomitor would come in handy.

what does this do?

[Dottonedan]

We handled the seps, and they just did the printing for us,

Considering everything they've said, I'd add, I would look at the seps to confirm you have a decent amount of dots in the black screen to what should be expected. They may have printed films, and you on a DTS.  Your output will be different than theirs. Compare apples to apples.  Open the sep file, use the eye dropper and read exactly what % should be in a specific area. Then look at their shirt and determine (guess) what they put down...and where you are in your screen. You should have an idea what 65% looks like and what 85% look like. Hard to tell visually.  This is where a good transmissive densitometor would come in handy.

what does this do?

For what part does your question pertain?  The file info and comparing to printed image%...or the transmission densitometor?

The transmission densitometor can tell you what % of the black screen you are printing on the shirt. You know what is in your art file. You just don't know what % they put out onto their shirt when your contract printer printed it. It could have been heavier application of black coming from their output device making them work less for that look. They may have more info coming onto film, then you do in your screen. Too much tho, can be overkill. It's easier to add to, than to take away from.

[ericheartsu]

Sorry the densitometor

[JBLUE]

You have an opening right after the flash to throw in a smoothing screen which will really help. Just enough pressure to kiss the fibers back into the ink.

[ol man]

Possibly the "other" shop didnt hold the red detail you are?