1 color photo print (you know you do it, but how)

[Gilligan]

I've got a client that wants just a one color b/w photo of a kid that died.

I know that's not ideal, but money is a factor... these are 18 shirts.

So I just did a run of a different photo for them a couple of weeks ago and it was "OK" in my opinion.  But I spent way too much time in the sep software in my opinion.  I mean, in the end, I just need one channel.  There has to be a better way right?

What are you guys doing to just get a single channel white on black print (PFP on a 225) of a photo that's "good enough"?

[tonypep]

Ha! Reminds me when I lived on St Thomas. Funerals all over the place for the locals. Half the island practically shuts down sometimes. Often the source photo was a drivers license or worse............mug shot

[Gilligan]

Ha! Reminds me when I lived on St Thomas. Funerals all over the place for the locals. Half the island practically shuts down sometimes. Often the source photo was a drivers license or worse............mug shot

A Younger kid this time, so plenty of blurry selfies to be had here.

[3Deep]

We get this all the time and I just give them a second color which helps makes the print look good, and for what we charge for those low amounts it cover's the cost most times, plus we've had customers come back and over way more.  Here is one we did, customer only wanted one color but we did two anyway, order was for only 24 pc but after they saw the print they ended up buying just a little over a hundred pc.

[balloonguy]

I do this on balloons all the time. I will convert the image to grayscale in photoshop and adjust the curves so that the deeper black is no more than 80%. Then I sep in illustrator with 40 lpi. It usually looks great. Sometimes you have to adjust the shading in photoshop. I have done it so many times I just kind of know...
Matt

[balloonguy]

We get this all the time and I just give them a second color which helps makes the print look good, and for what we charge for those low amounts it cover's the cost most times, plus we've had customers come back and over way more.  Here is one we did, customer only wanted one color but we did two anyway, order was for only 24 pc but after they saw the print they ended up buying just a little over a hundred pc.

Just curious- When you say you give them a second color is that the white base or an added gray?

[kingscreen]

I second a second color.  We typically go with a Cool Grey 2 instead of White.  And dial the Black back as previously mentioned.

[mimosatexas]

For white ink on a black shirt, I usually prefer 2 screens vs p/f/p and I usually either use a gray or a based back or mixing white through a higher mesh, then essentially a highlight or top white.  Again curve everything to account for gain.  I find p/f/p with white and photographic stuff ends up looking blown out and peoples faces look plastic-y.  In reality there really isnt much solid white in most grayscale photos and a whole lot of gray, so using primarily gray and the white just for the important highlights makes for a much better finished result.

If it is black ink on a light shirt, usually I go one screen and curve everything back a lot and mess with levels a bit to account for dot gain.  Usually these print great, like the examples others already linked.  The black ink will tend to blend into the shirt a little better than the white does on a black shirt, and the white fabric is less plastic-y looking than solid white ink.

[3Deep]

We get this all the time and I just give them a second color which helps makes the print look good, and for what we charge for those low amounts it cover's the cost most times, plus we've had customers come back and over way more.  Here is one we did, customer only wanted one color but we did two anyway, order was for only 24 pc but after they saw the print they ended up buying just a little over a hundred pc.

Just curious- When you say you give them a second color is that the white base or an added gray?

I give them the white ink as most times it's a one hit to mix with the black and make the halftones stand out more