Gradient question again

[Gilligan]

This is probably the wrong place, sorry.

How do I achieve this look best?

I've brought this up a few times and never quite really grasped the complete explanation.

I would like there to be as little shirt as possible when fading between the colors.  Previous printer for these shirts did a... let's say "less than stellar" job.  I'd like to really knock it out of the park for them to really shine over the competition here.

What is the best approach... this is all vector by the way... I created the gradients and as of now they are spot colors using the gradient tool across one fluer de lis.

[mimosatexas]

for sepping, if you made the gradient, I would probably switch to black and white gradients, and basically go one color at a time, being sure to have significant overlap, then use curves to adjust for gain after the fact.  print order would depend on a few things.

[Frog]

From a design standpoint (at least mine) I'd avoid the fade from green to red and the muddy brown it creates in-between.

I learned that from the split fountains I used to run.

[ScreenPrinter123]

In illustrator I always duplicated the image so in this case you would have three copies.  Decide which color you are doing and changed the other colors to white and the color you are working on to your spot color.  Then to extend the gradient sliders farther out for each color so that you get overlap and minimal shirt showing through.  How much is something I just do by eye and it really does not take long at all once you have done it a couple times.

There could be a better way but this is how I handled it.

[bimmridder]

Split fountain?! Come on Andy, you're dating yourself

[Frog]

Split fountain?! Come on Andy, you're dating yourself

Yeah, and I'm a cheap date 

[Steve Harpold]

A different angle (albeit nonvonventional)

1. If you are worried about the shirt showing to much, an want a more opaque finish.

Then..
Use a over print, print all colors solid and use the over print screen to make lighter darker.
In this case show through is not a problem and detail is kept to screen.

[mimosatexas]

Split fountain?! Come on Andy, you're dating yourself

I'm quite a bit younger and I do split fountains probably once or twice a month!  They are still really awesome and popular with certain niches.

[larryk]

I would print this and sep it a little different than most.... but when I want a "crisp" halftone this is my method.... First I would print the red with no halftones and make sure the red would cover the areas that lap the green and blue. Next would be my green with the gradient at top going over the red and more of a solid with no gradient overlapping the blue... and finally the blue with gradients top and bottom.... I would also flash between all colors.... works for me anyways.

[MrBreeze]

Hey...lousy cellphone photo, but here's one we did last week old school (split fountain) style.  Some people still love this retro stuff and believe me when I say I'm old enough to have done hundreds of split fountains over the years.  Andy we may be old but we're not dead.

[Gilligan]

In illustrator I always duplicated the image so in this case you would have three copies.  Decide which color you are doing and changed the other colors to white and the color you are working on to your spot color.  Then to extend the gradient sliders farther out for each color so that you get overlap and minimal shirt showing through.  How much is something I just do by eye and it really does not take long at all once you have done it a couple times.

There could be a better way but this is how I handled it.

So something like this?

[Gilligan]

Here is PDF if you want to really look at things.

Extra layers and junk but red,blue, and green are the "important" ones.

[ScreenPrinter123]

That is how I do it though you created a decent bit more overlap than I have ever done.  I can't remember if you have two flashes or not as flashing between each color can help minimize the brown that Andy mentioned.  Though if flashing only extend the top color a little with the underneath colors being extended more in order to reproduce the original more closely and at the same time preventing the shirt from showing through.

Maybe someone here has a better way but this is how we typically do this for our customers who are generally not very picky.

[Gilligan]

Well this was the previous job done for them by the competition.



I think we will be better than that.

[mimosatexas]

They kind of had the right idea, minus the need for an underbase, and the need for the gradients to actually overlap enough so the shirt/base isn't showing through the print, and of course the need for providing a good print in general...