Curiosity

[Command-Z]

There is definitely a tidal wave of change coming to this Industry.. It will be earth shaking and massive. Artists will find themselves replaced by 3D and automated painting programs. Separators will be a thing of the past as color and technology kicks in.. Just look at where we were 20 years ago and look at where we are now. Like it or not if you are not cutting edge you will suffer extinction.

I hear there's some new technology out there that will make screen printing itself obsolete. Something about an inkjet printer that prints directly on the shirt. Sell your presses while they still have value!

[mk162]

I was thinking the other day that inkjet printing will replace screen printing...one day.  It could be 200 years from now, I think screen printing will become more of a hobby type thing.

Never say never...look at how much digital has already replaced in our industry.  I grew up using a stat camera.

[Command-Z]

I was thinking the other day that inkjet printing will replace screen printing...one day.  It could be 200 years from now, I think screen printing will become more of a hobby type thing.

Never say never...look at how much digital has already replaced in our industry.  I grew up using a stat camera.

True, digital/inkjet has completely taken over large format flat stock printing. Not many screen print sign shops left, I'm sure.

But even if they can get a good white ink that doesn't dry up in the nozzles, they have a long way to go before they'll be able to push puff or high density through a micropiezo nozzle.

And the artists will still be around. We've survived photography, clip art, design template automation and computers themselves. We'll wake up to find ourselves living batteries for a robot empire before the artist is completely replaced by a machine. If I'm still doing art for screen printers in 20 years, just shoot me anyway. 

[inkman996]

I think the next real step with Digital vs Traditional is hybrids. Half screen printing half digital machines. Then you can have all the specialty inks still and run underbases for the digital inks. That I believe will be more of a reality before digital replaces screen printing completely.

[BorisB]

I think the next real step with Digital vs Traditional is hybrids. Half screen printing half digital machines. Then you can have all the specialty inks still and run underbases for the digital inks. That I believe will be more of a reality before digital replaces screen printing completely.

Our best sold product is hybrid transfer( digital+screen). sorry for hijacking thread, but I wasn't first :-)
Boris

[Dottonedan]

I think the next real step with Digital vs Traditional is hybrids. Half screen printing half digital machines. Then you can have all the specialty inks still and run underbases for the digital inks. That I believe will be more of a reality before digital replaces screen printing completely.

Our best sold product is hybrid transfer( digital+screen). sorry for hijacking thread, but I wasn't first :-)
Boris

I have a customer in Israel that has a DTG (one press) already in a head and prints traditional colors for special effect inks. Slower prod runs per hours, but somehow, they do it and make it worth the while.

[ZooCity]

I think the next real step with Digital vs Traditional is hybrids. Half screen printing half digital machines. Then you can have all the specialty inks still and run underbases for the digital inks. That I believe will be more of a reality before digital replaces screen printing completely.

that is closer than you might think and definitely how things will go imho.

[JBLUE]

A guy by me has one. DTG in the head. Screen print UB and print over the top. Pretty cool. Have not seen it but I have heard about it. The guy does not want the volume business. Likes the short runs it allows. Still a slow process as far as regular printing.

[brandon]

So while I sit here and type on one of the shop's 10" tablets (these were not available 20 years ago) I also think that while yes there are many ways to sep something out not all shops even know how to print wow or do a discharge underbase yet alone reprint it again six months later and get the exact, same print. Yes, seps are extremely important, just as reclaiming and proper dryer tempature. And also client hand holding. And when to say no. One of the many, many variables in our profession. I am excited for what the next 20 years will bring. I just think that there will always be many ways to print the same design. And this is a great thread for sure but I have noticed many a screen printing business owner tends to lean sticking to what they have done for years, even if it is not effecient as a new proven method. Even loosing a bit of money tends not to fade that type of owner. It usually takes a huge loss and or going out of business but by then it is too late. I hope the process of doing seps continues to evolve and I look forward to the future. And some of us might not. So once again time will tell and some will thrive and some will die. It is Darwinism for the apparel screen printing world

[brandon]

I think the next real step with Digital vs Traditional is hybrids. Half screen printing half digital machines. Then you can have all the specialty inks still and run underbases for the digital inks. That I believe will be more of a reality before digital replaces screen printing completely.

that is closer than you might think and definitely how things will go imho.

Yeah, seen one in action. Cool, the future for sure but not tomorrow. I want one but not for mass production

[Dottonedan]

I hope the process of doing seps continues to evolve and I look forward to the future. And some of us might not.

I know first hand that every separator that does this for a living will not be phased by a sep program that all of a sudden does great seps all by itself. Pro separators get to a point of experience in separations (not by way of focusing on separations) but by way of combining multiples skills and learning seps as a result of a need.  If you (one man shop) printers focused on learning separations, your business would slowly fail due to a lack of attention (on your business).


An Auto sep program can only take you so far but would be a good choice as it can get you a step further. Anyone who says they have a program that (all you do is push a few buttons and in 3 minutes you have a great separation) is just selling snake oil. The newest one out as well as the one sold 10 years ago, all still require some skill afterwords for editing and all provide (random) results). IN other words, not every auto sep outcome) will be an expectable match to the original art. THen you need to go back and make the auto thing dance a little to get a better result...and add in your own skills/knowledge about printing to get better results.


I do not doubt that a specific color model will be better than others. It's just not (THE ONLY) way.


A Sep business that is of a ( basic production level) service such as (your average clip art designs, type setting and jpg conversion to vector businesses that one day also added in a service of providing auto seps as an additional service...is going to be effected by (all of his/hr customers now buying a (answer to all) auto sep program. Whatever Co brand that might be one day. They will need to loose that part of the business and go back to focusing on clip art and jpg conversion but even they would be doing the same thing as shown below.


A pro separators is always multi skilled. It just comes with the territory. If you look at any separator that is very good, and look at their background. They can do extremely well (in many areas) of demand in our industry. They can decide to quite a full time job that was for only doing separations...and switch into a design position. They are good designers, good illustrators, good printers, good at most everything pertaining to what a shop might need and can often start up their own printing business (if they chose). So it's not like if one day an auto sep program would come into the business that eliminated the need for outsourcing separations and did seps in 2 minutes, that we  "pro's would go cry in  corner. We would just move into doing something else and occasionally (push a button) for seps. More than likely, we would be the ones pushing that button in a shop.

[abchung]

I would love to read this thread again 5 or 10 years down the road.

This is what is happening in Indonesia.
A lot of extremely small garment shops owned by artist are buying modified Epson printers to print their art on tees. They will only print about 10 to 20 tees and call it limited edition.
They can watch something on the news or read something in the newspaper and bang, a new design for the day.

Technology won't replace artist or production people. They just weed out the mediocre ones.

Good luck for the future.

[Command-Z]

Technology won't replace artist or production people. They just weed out the mediocre ones.

Good luck for the future.

When I went to design school, we learned paste-up, which was the entry-level skill required in graphics. Right after I graduated, paste-up was replaced by desktop publishing. The new technology increased the level of mediocrity, allowing people with good design skills but not-so-good technical skills to do these jobs. You no longer had to know how to draw to be a graphic artist.

Evolution does not favor the strong or smart, but the ones most able to adapt.

It took a while, but in 1999, I finally bought my first computer and taught myself Photoshop. Better late than never! LoL.

[AdvancedArtist]

I hope the process of doing seps continues to evolve and I look forward to the future. And some of us might not.

I know first hand that every separator that does this for a living will not be phased by a sep program that all of a sudden does great seps all by itself. Pro separators get to a point of experience in separations (not by way of focusing on separations) but by way of combining multiples skills and learning seps as a result of a need.  If you (one man shop) printers focused on learning separations, your business would slowly fail due to a lack of attention (on your business).


An Auto sep program can only take you so far but would be a good choice as it can get you a step further. Anyone who says they have a program that (all you do is push a few buttons and in 3 minutes you have a great separation) is just selling snake oil. The newest one out as well as the one sold 10 years ago, all still require some skill afterwords for editing and all provide (random) results). IN other words, not every auto sep outcome) will be an expectable match to the original art. THen you need to go back and make the auto thing dance a little to get a better result...and add in your own skills/knowledge about printing to get better results.


I do not doubt that a specific color model will be better than others. It's just not (THE ONLY) way.


A Sep business that is of a ( basic production level) service such as (your average clip art designs, type setting and jpg conversion to vector businesses that one day also added in a service of providing auto seps as an additional service...is going to be effected by (all of his/hr customers now buying a (answer to all) auto sep program. Whatever Co brand that might be one day. They will need to loose that part of the business and go back to focusing on clip art and jpg conversion but even they would be doing the same thing as shown below.


A pro separators is always multi skilled. It just comes with the territory. If you look at any separator that is very good, and look at their background. They can do extremely well (in many areas) of demand in our industry. They can decide to quite a full time job that was for only doing separations...and switch into a design position. They are good designers, good illustrators, good printers, good at most everything pertaining to what a shop might need and can often start up their own printing business (if they chose). So it's not like if one day an auto sep program would come into the business that eliminated the need for outsourcing separations and did seps in 2 minutes, that we  "pro's would go cry in  corner. We would just move into doing something else and occasionally (push a button) for seps. More than likely, we would be the ones pushing that button in a shop.

Dragnet - Joe Friday Gets "ROUGH" With Suspect - Classic!

[Dottonedan]

Ha.   That leaves me to ask, what guy are you? The cop or the criminal?