Great video! I learned index long ago, but never used it at press. Thanks for the help. Lot of experience using the channels so I just watched it at double speed and slowed down on the sweet spots. I like that halftone underbase technique.
Hi! First thank you for a Great video tutorial. Super detailed, well organized and explained! Still I have a doubt. I print limited editions artworks on paper. Usually I’d do it with spot colors, vectorized images etc. But now I have a image that is too complicated for that and I am here wondering which technique would suit best, a process color cmyk?,simulated color or index color?. I think I like the index color best cuz it has more of a artsy vibe to it (in my opinion in any case) but either way I got stuck with the ‘rip software’,which I haven’t. Is it really necessary? You can’t make any halftones or this index technique without it? If necessary, any recommendations?Any help would be appreciated .Thank you again!
Hi, I didn't understand how you said the registration mark will show on all film. And later You mentioned: Make sure it's registration swatch that shows on all films. I'm totally lost on this. Please help. Thanks.
Hello genius! Thanks for this tutorial!! I'm doing some work for screenprinting on t shirts, and you have helped me so much. However, the printer man told me he uses the files separated in semitones, they print in 50 lines per inch, the quality is not the best but this is what my client gets, here in Argentina. So, do you think that if I separate my artworks in Index mode (as you show here), it would be allright? Because I'm thinking it will miss a lot of "dots" in the printing of the screen, am I right? (Sorry if my grammar is not the best, hope U understand what I'm trying to explain). Have a good day!
To answer your question: What is the mesh count of the screens they are using? An index print looks best when the artwork is separated at 200 pixels per inch (ppi) and printed with a mesh count of 305 for the screens. In the US, many screen printers have these high meshes available. They, however, usually use lower mesh counts such as a 230 mesh or even lower when printing spot colors on a daily basis. The setting in the RIP software (50 lines per inch) probably means your printer is using 230 screens and so some of the single dots may not hold. 55 or 60 lpi would be better... if they are using the higher mesh counts. All in all, it would still print though - just not with the detail that looks best for indexing. Here's some further reading: Semi-tones are also known as halftones. To determine the halftone frequency (lpi) divide the mesh count by 5 (source: www.photoscreenprint.com/tutorials/film-output/ ). Some, however, say 4.5 is enough (source: www.monstergraphics.net/separationresources/separationspecs.html ). Creating halftones is a different technique than indexing, often more appropriate for smoother gradients (one color blending into another color). Not that you can't index smooth gradients but doing so can be harder than the other methods available. For example, if using Illustrator, you would create a spot color gradient and let the RIP software (a special printer driver) create the tiny dots that are then printed on film. This, of course, means that the artwork is vectored. For raster images, the methods are CMYK or Simulated Process color channels in Photoshop, Simulated Process being the one that usually yields best results, but uses more colors/screens. In the end, deciding which method to learn and use doesn't come down to mastering one, but instead, mastering them all. Because in my experience, the method I use is determined by both the press and the artwork itself. You can see an example of someone creating simulated process half-tones in Photoshop here: th-cam.com/video/tEnaXjrSwc4/w-d-xo.html Hope this helps and good luck!
Thanks ! Very clear and useful
Great video! I learned index long ago, but never used it at press. Thanks for the help. Lot of experience using the channels so I just watched it at double speed and slowed down on the sweet spots. I like that halftone underbase technique.
Hi! First thank you for a Great video tutorial. Super detailed, well organized and explained! Still I have a doubt. I print limited editions artworks on paper. Usually I’d do it with spot colors, vectorized images etc. But now I have a image that is too complicated for that and I am here wondering which technique would suit best, a process color cmyk?,simulated color or index color?. I think I like the index color best cuz it has more of a artsy vibe to it (in my opinion in any case) but either way I got stuck with the ‘rip software’,which I haven’t. Is it really necessary? You can’t make any halftones or this index technique without it? If necessary, any recommendations?Any help would be appreciated .Thank you again!
Thanks so much for this. It has taught me so much :)
Very detailed!! Thanks :)
Hi, I didn't understand how you said the registration mark will show on all film. And later You mentioned: Make sure it's registration swatch that shows on all films. I'm totally lost on this. Please help. Thanks.
Hello genius! Thanks for this tutorial!!
I'm doing some work for screenprinting on t shirts, and you have helped me so much.
However, the printer man told me he uses the files separated in semitones, they print in 50 lines per inch, the quality is not the best but this is what my client gets, here in Argentina. So, do you think that if I separate my artworks in Index mode (as you show here), it would be allright? Because I'm thinking it will miss a lot of "dots" in the printing of the screen, am I right? (Sorry if my grammar is not the best, hope U understand what I'm trying to explain).
Have a good day!
To answer your question: What is the mesh count of the screens they are using?
An index print looks best when the artwork is separated at 200 pixels per inch (ppi) and printed with a mesh count of 305 for the screens. In the US, many screen printers have these high meshes available. They, however, usually use lower mesh counts such as a 230 mesh or even lower when printing spot colors on a daily basis. The setting in the RIP software (50 lines per inch) probably means your printer is using 230 screens and so some of the single dots may not hold. 55 or 60 lpi would be better... if they are using the higher mesh counts. All in all, it would still print though - just not with the detail that looks best for indexing.
Here's some further reading:
Semi-tones are also known as halftones. To determine the halftone frequency (lpi) divide the mesh count by 5 (source: www.photoscreenprint.com/tutorials/film-output/ ). Some, however, say 4.5 is enough (source: www.monstergraphics.net/separationresources/separationspecs.html ).
Creating halftones is a different technique than indexing, often more appropriate for smoother gradients (one color blending into another color). Not that you can't index smooth gradients but doing so can be harder than the other methods available.
For example, if using Illustrator, you would create a spot color gradient and let the RIP software (a special printer driver) create the tiny dots that are then printed on film. This, of course, means that the artwork is vectored. For raster images, the methods are CMYK or Simulated Process color channels in Photoshop, Simulated Process being the one that usually yields best results, but uses more colors/screens.
In the end, deciding which method to learn and use doesn't come down to mastering one, but instead, mastering them all. Because in my experience, the method I use is determined by both the press and the artwork itself.
You can see an example of someone creating simulated process half-tones in Photoshop here: th-cam.com/video/tEnaXjrSwc4/w-d-xo.html
Hope this helps and good luck!
Index Color ?.......where is the COLOR?