I'm new to Sim Process Seps but I want to print this:

[Itsa Little CrOoked]

I'm a little unclear sometimes, about when to do a grayscale, simpro, index or whatever. The lions share of my work is spot color seps, with some halftones.

It will be across the back with the image shown about 3.3" high at the extreme left end of the design.

I need some advice.

[tonypep]

Just so I'm clear..the image to be printed is 3.3" high?

[Itsa Little CrOoked]

Yes, Tony

About 3.3" high for the image I provided. The text elements that are not visible continue off toward the right. Could be just a skoche over 3.3 on final.

[tonypep]

OK at that size I would walk away. It's highly improbable you would achieve acceptable results. If you do try use a professional separator for best results. For me at normal size to achieve a good res print (on a dark shirt) I'd need at least 4 screens. Suppose it's possible on a white shirt but again at that size the dot gain is going to kill you. D-Dan for instance can compensate for this and that can help. Suppose it depends on what the client expects.
tp

[Frog]

OK at that size I would walk away. It's highly improbable you would achieve acceptable results. If you do try use a professional separator for best results. For me at normal size to achieve a good res print (on a dark shirt) I'd need at least 4 screens. Suppose it's possible on a white shirt but again at that size the dot gain is going to kill you. D-Dan for instance can compensate for this and that can help. Suppose it depends on what the client expects.
tp

I constantly have to educate clients on the nature of halftone dots. They understand the concept of when looking at a photo in a book or newspaper under a magnifying glass, that the "grays" are actually just smaller black dots. The next step is explaining that we shirt printers, for the most part, don't get the luxury of dots that require a magnifying glass.

The final step, is what you touched upon, the fact that if we have the same lpi (or dots to an inch in their mind), it means that the usual front chest reduced size version of their print, will be made up of many fewer dots, and therefore lack the detail and nicely graduated tonal changes of the full sized image.

In this instance, it may not be a deal breaker, but all the cards need to be laid out to reduce the risk of disappointment over the results.

I'm doing a similar job and am adding the (also) small photo as a transfer.

[blue moon]

at 3.5 inches you should be able to get pretty good resemblance to the actual art. Some of the detail would be lost, but it can be done.

two questions:
-what color is the shirt?
and
-do they have the licensing rights for the image?

pierre

[Itsa Little CrOoked]

Slow response, sorry.

Ok. We have an art revision and can push this image a bit, maybe up to 4.5 inches high.  I think the slightly larger size might help.

The shirts are an ASH color, or maybe athletic grey.  I tried to show that on the jpg I posted, but maybe it's a little hard to see.

And @ Frog, we tried to sell this as a transfer plus screenprinting for the copy and it was a no-go.  And I'm not so sold on transfers at this point, at least the ones we've produced so far, so it suits me fine to do this all as a direct print.

[Sbrem]

I'd want to go 4 colors as Tony suggests, but I could give them something they could live with using only 3. Still, the small size dictates a lot of lost detail, even at the 30% larger size, there is still that issue. This is where a better separator comes in; they may do some tweaking to the image before they sep, making the best possible use of the image to get an acceptable print.

Steve

[Itsa Little CrOoked]

Crazy day!!!  I just now sat down again to look at this thread.

I barely know just enough to be dangerous with simulated process, but I am determined to step up my game. This job might not be the best starting point in light of what I've read, but I think I'll have some time to experiment.

I just need some help, advice.... which way to go--right off the bat.  In 3+ years of printing full time, I've only "bought" separations three or four times. (This might be the fifth!)  And even though I don't really know how to do this stuff, I *think* I can learn it.  That is, if someone can help me get started.

I have UltraSeps plugin to Photoshop (Steve Roginski) and have played with it some.... and I want to separate this particular job by myself, pretty badly. That's probably exactly what I'll do...separate it badly.

I'd prolly pay someone to walk me through what I need to do, but buying a sep this early in the job's progress, without trying myself.... is kinda unlikely.

[tpitman]

If you're not gonna pay someone, QuikSeps Pro (the precursor to UltraSeps) has an action for grayscale separations that will give you an underbase white, about 3 shades of cool gray, a black and a highlight white. This might smooth your transition to simulated process and give you acceptable results – at least for a first time. I assume UltraSeps has the grayscale sep option.

[Screened Gear]

Once again I have to say you guys are trying to make an award winning print out of a simple get it done type of job.

For this print I would print the black ink first, photo and text all on the same screen.  Do the 305 with 55 LPI but printing this manually (I'm guessing) make few passes to get enough black down. Then since your printing on ash or sports grey you need a high light white. I would do the same 305 with 55 LPI Thin the white if you have to. You could print it wet on wet or flash the black and print the highlight white. (I know sounds strange printing the black first)

To make it easier to print you could print a solid white square where the photo is and then print the black screen over that. You need to control your ink deposit or you will be cleaning the screen after a few of them. (do a smooth hard print so your don't push ink under the fine detail of the photo. if you print "not hard enough" the photo with get darker and darker as you print. You will have to clean the bottom of the screen.)

[Itsa Little CrOoked]

Yes Tom, I have to greyscale option.  I might print some films with greyscale seps and shoot them and see what it looks like.

Jon, oh yes, manual sorry. 6/4  Hopkins. Not ready for an auto yet. Did you mean just two plates? (Black and white.)  What do you thin your white with?  All I keep is Soft Hand Clear, Curable Reducer and Viscosity Buster---all Wilflex, as is most of my plastisol.  I don't keep plastisol bases, since I don't have a color matching system, other than my discharge stuff which is Matsui.

[Prosperi-Tees]

I did a couple of these grayscale print this past week. The first was a discharge white square underbase on a 230 and a 45 lpi on a 230 for the black, came out decent for what it is. The second one I did was on the auto with a 50 dpi on a 305 and had to reburn several screens because the dot gain was horrible. It was a vector image and I ended up going 20% and 35% on the black and still was to saturated but was acceptable. I say you have to practice because alot of times you have to get it done with 1 stroke and if you do 2 its just to dark so play with percentages and watch dot gain.

[Screened Gear]

Yes Tom, I have to greyscale option.  I might print some films with greyscale seps and shoot them and see what it looks like.

Jon, oh yes, manual sorry. 6/4  Hopkins. Not ready for an auto yet. Did you mean just two plates? (Black and white.)  What do you thin your white with?  All I keep is Soft Hand Clear, Curable Reducer and Viscosity Buster---all Wilflex, as is most of my plastisol.  I don't keep plastisol bases, since I don't have a color matching system, other than my discharge stuff which is Matsui.

You can do that design
with just a black and a white.

[blue moon]

Yes Tom, I have to greyscale option.  I might print some films with greyscale seps and shoot them and see what it looks like.

Jon, oh yes, manual sorry. 6/4  Hopkins. Not ready for an auto yet. Did you mean just two plates? (Black and white.)  What do you thin your white with?  All I keep is Soft Hand Clear, Curable Reducer and Viscosity Buster---all Wilflex, as is most of my plastisol.  I don't keep plastisol bases, since I don't have a color matching system, other than my discharge stuff which is Matsui.

You can do that design
with just a black and a white.

yup, black and white for a smaller run. If there is more money, you can throw in a dark gray.
Open the image in grayscale and use the curves in photoshop to isolate the highlights, mid tones and shadows. Make the highlights the white screen, mid tones gray and shadows black. Than play with it until it looks good on the monitor. 'not very hard at all . . .

pierre