Are these tutorials decent?

[Gilligan]

I'm trying to get my head wrapped around how to use illustrator as a screen printer and I came across these couple of tutorials that SEEM legit.  Could some one with more experience (just about anyone here) please take a glance and see if the info they provide is proper or am I barking up the wrong tree by learning from these.

http://vector.tutsplus.com/tutorials/designing/super-slick-screen-printing-separations-with-illustrator/
This is kind of lengthy as he goes into a lot of detail on creating the art... I guess I'm more interested in when he starts separating out things but it's probably got some good info all the same throughout.

http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2010/12/07/preparing-artwork-for-screen-printing-in-adobe-illustrator/
Fairly basic and to the point.

Thanks in advance for anyone taking a look at this... I just hate to develop/learn bad techniques starting off here.


Hey Dan... anytime you're ready to get that DVD together, I'll be your first customer!

[screenxpress]

I notice the "Super Slick" said -

Estimated Completion Time: 3 hours

The other one also required a lot of manual intervention.

Time is money.  Unless you have a lot of time to invest in learning.  My suggestion is to farm out your seps (while learning) or pick up some software to help get to a starting sepped file.

However, your reputation for being frugal, similar to mine I suppose, is already documented, lol.

Just my 2c.

[Gilligan]

Well, the stuff that I will likely attempt on my own is very simple work.

I want to be able to properly separate spot color jobs... in essence I have a file like the one in the 2nd tutorial already provided to me in vector format... now I just have to translate that to screen printer "mode" and output films.

If I outsourced this most of those guys would probably laugh that I couldn't handle it myself... plus my wife is the illustrator guru, she just doesn't know the tricks of preproduction for screen printing yet... I'm certain with a basic understanding she will start crushing this stuff in minutes.

[screenxpress]

I'm probably missing something since I don't work in Illy.  But Corel is a Vector program so I would think there have to be a lot of similarities.  If I properly SPOT PANTONE color the vector pieces in Corel, when I output, it separates the different colors for film.  Illy doesn't do the same thing?

[Prosperi-Tees]

I'm probably missing something since I don't work in Illy.  But Corel is a Vector program so I would think there have to be a lot of similarities.  If I properly SPOT PANTONE color the vector pieces in Corel, when I output, it separates the different colors for film.  Illy doesn't do the same thing?

I was wondering the exact same thing. I was also wondering why Corel Photo Paint is not used like Photoshop.

[hazeremover]

Time is money.  Unless you have a lot of time to invest in learning.  My suggestion is to farm out your seps (while learning)

Investing in an outside set of seps can also be a learning tool unto itself. With properly sepped artwork, film positives tell a story. Granted, they're simply the end result after all the digital chicanery that went before them but they can yield a few sep and print answers.

[Gilligan]

I'm probably missing something since I don't work in Illy.  But Corel is a Vector program so I would think there have to be a lot of similarities.  If I properly SPOT PANTONE color the vector pieces in Corel, when I output, it separates the different colors for film.  Illy doesn't do the same thing?

Yes, the print dialog box in Illy can do this... Check this out... I did a google image shirt for "illustrator output print dialog box" and the first pic I found that had a good example of this was actually from the smashing tutorial... how's that for a coincidence... and I'm not even on the same computer (not even same house or ISP) I was on when I read the tutorial so it wasn't cookie driven.



As you can see it will automatically print out a film for each spot color that has an "eye" on the left.

[Gilligan]

Anyone want to check out my little spot color sep and tell me what they think?

Underbase, Old Gold and Hilight Wite are the only layers that will be outputted/printed.  Originally it was on white and didn't have the outline around the whole thing.  I kept the black in case they ever wanted to do the job on another color shirt.

Let me know!

[LuxInks]

Hey bro.
I just realized that when I sent that rip to you, I didn't include the dongle! Sorry about that.
PM me your address again and I'll send it out this week.
Have a good one.
Paul

[LuxInks]

I'm trying to get my head wrapped around how to use illustrator as a screen printer and I came across these couple of tutorials that SEEM legit.  Could some one with more experience (just about anyone here) please take a glance and see if the info they provide is proper or am I barking up the wrong tree by learning from these.

http://vector.tutsplus.com/tutorials/designing/super-slick-screen-printing-separations-with-illustrator/
This is kind of lengthy as he goes into a lot of detail on creating the art... I guess I'm more interested in when he starts separating out things but it's probably got some good info all the same throughout.

http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2010/12/07/preparing-artwork-for-screen-printing-in-adobe-illustrator/
Fairly basic and to the point.

Thanks in advance for anyone taking a look at this... I just hate to develop/learn bad techniques starting off here.


Hey Dan... anytime you're ready to get that DVD together, I'll be your first customer!

YouTube has some good tuts as well. Might want to check them out?

[Gilligan]

LOL... I noticed it, just hadn't had time to look or give you a shout back. LOL

I've checked out the youtube stuff and there is some stuff of use... diamond in the rough though.

I have found a few decent tutorials for PS, I think I just don't really know Illy that well... I've always just had the wife do it.

[Gilligan]

Anyone want to check out my little spot color sep and tell me what they think?

Underbase, Old Gold and Hilight Wite are the only layers that will be outputted/printed.  Originally it was on white and didn't have the outline around the whole thing.  I kept the black in case they ever wanted to do the job on another color shirt.

Let me know!

Hey, no one really had time to take a look at my first attempt at separations?

[Sbrem]

Anyone want to check out my little spot color sep and tell me what they think?

Underbase, Old Gold and Hilight Wite are the only layers that will be outputted/printed.  Originally it was on white and didn't have the outline around the whole thing.  I kept the black in case they ever wanted to do the job on another color shirt.

Let me know!

Hey, no one really had time to take a look at my first attempt at separations?

I just had a chance, and I only see one thing wrong that will make you pissed off, so, the spot white and old gold have to be marked to "Overprint". This way, it won't knock out your underlay. Select the old gold pieces, open your "Attributes" pallet, check Overprint Fill, then do the same for spot white.

Steve

[Gilligan]

Wow... good catch... I had been previewing separations all the way until I had it "right" and then of course it was "wrong". ha!

Just double checked it and yep, I would have been pretty frustrated and confused with just a little ghostly line printing out.

This also forced me to recall (and probably now permanently remember) a shortcut... ALT + Click Layer selects all on layer.  I had heard it being used but never really needed it so it never stuck... after a few failed modifiers I found it.


THANKS!

[Sbrem]

Wow... good catch... I had been previewing separations all the way until I had it "right" and then of course it was "wrong". ha!

Just double checked it and yep, I would have been pretty frustrated and confused with just a little ghostly line printing out.

This also forced me to recall (and probably now permanently remember) a shortcut... ALT + Click Layer selects all on layer.  I had heard it being used but never really needed it so it never stuck... after a few failed modifiers I found it.


THANKS!

I also advise getting a cheap laser printer to output proofs with, a Postscript printer is best so you can see your actual line count, angle etc., but I use a non postscript HP 1320 just to make sure the colors are in the right place (all seps come out at 85 lpi), knowing when I send to film the output will be correct...

Steve