Press operators are awesome! Having a key press operator that can use his/her minds eye well is golden. Not everyone is so detailed and a critical thinker. Not everyone can see a color print of the art and know or see beyond that and know what an artist was intending. When you get that type of press operator, HOLD ON TO THEM.
Everyone is needed in the shop. Every role, is a key role. You can’t get eh job done without each individual. After 30 years, working in various shops and sizes, all the while, reviewing various scenario’s of how a job gets done along the way, I’m convinced that the recipe for getting to the point of an approved (most accurate) representation ot the original art “FASTER” (requires the color separation artist to be on the spot), on the scene, at press, giving guidance as a team. If the artist/color separator is absent on a critical job, (sim process, 4 color prcess) or special techniques, The press operator won’t know, can’t see what we see on screen, or in the file. Color proofs don’t tell the story. the “look”on paper won’t transfer on the shirt like the artist may have intended. Especially as it pertains to opacity of a color.
Without direction/guidance and team effort, screens can be replaced for something more readily available, ink colors just not right, pressure is set up based on “standard”, ink type/modification is based on standards, Stroke speed, flood amount, (for each color) all need to be fine tuned, to balance in just the right way. THAT WAY, cannot always be PRE-calculated. With experience, it can be guided well, but every job may need even slight adjustments. You can’t just right a script for this type, or that type of print in all cases. It’s very important to get guidance from the person who created the seps.
The person who created the seps, may not be that savvy yet out on press with you. THey don’t need to be out there on press with every job. Only the critical ones. They may not be able to give exact or correct guidance just yet, But they will...and need to be there even when they don’t benefit the press operator just yet.
In order to obtain the same look of the original art file (as best it can be), with consideration for contrast, the detail, the color tone in the art of each screen, adjusting as each color starts to interact well with each other on press, That artist who did the separations should be right there on press when dialing in the print. Not all artist will agree, (but they just don’t know) how vital this part is and may be a problem artist to begin with if they don’t want to be out there at various times. Kick’m in the arse and tell them to get out there!
THE END.
