Author Topic: Deciding your print order  (Read 1061 times)

Offline LoneWolf2

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Deciding your print order
« on: May 05, 2016, 01:12:07 PM »
So I've been pondering this for a little while I await the arrival of a new/bigger press (9/12 configuration).
Printing right now with a 6/8 diamondback and I'm used to printing everything WOW, and usually go from least ink coverage to most after the flash for my print order and just
Hope that all the inks play nicely. How do you guys with the bigger presses, multiple flashes and all the other neat tools go about picking your print order for designs? I'm sure it'll vary depending on what type of print (spot vs sim process or discharge), but any rough Guidelines on how to structure it would be extremely helpful.


Offline ebscreen

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Re: Deciding your print order
« Reply #1 on: May 05, 2016, 01:38:53 PM »
Smallest to largest coverage is how we typically roll. The colors being printed will make a big difference as well,
IE we put the more translucent colors towards the end. Some colors you can step on all day long, others not so much.

If you've got multiple flashes with your new press a trick we use is to build up to the second flash with colors directly
before it being difficult to step on/transparent. After you flash it it's essentially a clean slate to start over and build up again.
We will sometimes put top white before the second flash if it makes sense for the design.

Sim process order will be decided by the seps. I've tried to overrule the order MySeps puts them in (to make it "print easier"
and because "I know best") but always end up back at what he specs. I don't do that any more.

Print order is less critical when it comes to discharge, another bonus. We typically put muted or small coverage colors
first and bright or large coverage later. White last whenever possible.


Print order is probably one of them most important aspects of getting a design to print correctly and easily.
It can literally make or break you.


Offline mt_signex

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Re: Deciding your print order
« Reply #2 on: May 05, 2016, 01:50:51 PM »
As ebscreen said, the most important thing is to put the colors that you want to stay bright on right before the flash, I always make sure I can put Scarlet Red right before the 2nd flash and generally print the highlight white or black last.

I also follow the rule of less coverage -> more coverage when placing the screens in order.  Less ink that prints is less ink that will end up on the back of the next screen.