Screen Printing - June/July 2012 - (Page 12)

E XPE R T A P PA R E L EXPERT APPAREL GRAYSCALE MAGIC Thomas Trimingham Trimingham describes how to build incredible looking grayscale prints on dark garments that are light and detailed. Thomas Trimingham has worked in the screenprinting industry for more than 15 years as an artist, art director, industry consultant, and head of R&D for some of the nation’s largest screen printers. He is an award-winning illustrator, designer, and author of more than 45 articles on graphics for screen printing. He can be reached at ttrimingham@yahoo.com. here are lots of ways to create separations for prints on dark shirts, but very few really make the graphic jump off of the garment with the least amount of work. The best prints on dark garments use the garment to a degree to darken the shadows in the image, and it always is a bonus if the printed area feels light to the touch. Without printing discharge or water-based inks, the best way to create a softer feeling shirt is to change the printing order on some of the separations so that there is less ink going down and still a sense of brightness to the image. It is possible to achieve both of these objectives by using a style of printing and separation that many printers tend to avoid. This style is very useful particularly when printing and separating grayscale images on dark shirts because it can really help to create the deep shadows in an image with having the colors all be completely under printed with a white ink. The lower ink volume is what really gives the shirt its incredible look and feel. The trick to building an unconventional grayscale print on a dark garment is to follow a simple three-step process. First, you extract the grayscale base part of the image. Second, you decide if you need a bump plate or color overlay. Finally, you pull out the highlighted white areas and review the work in a digital proof. T FIGURE 1 A digital picture with poor edge quality Before you start The same process that is used in high-end, detailed separations in multiple colors when you begin the file preparations is also used for quick grayscale separations. It is critical to check the file to make certain it is the right size (actual size of the final output) and a decent resolution (at least 150-300 dpi) prior to starting the separation process. If you need to adjust other things about the file, it is always better to do so prior to separation—examples include typography, edge quality in the design, and the overall tonal range. Once everything is adjusted or clarified, then the separations can be started. Probably the most common problem with submitted files is that they tend to be low in resolution and in edge clarity. The reason this is a concern for images that will be broken into halftones is that without a clear definition to the edges in an image, the ink tends to wander past where it should go and the whole graphic can begin to look fuzzy or indistinct. A lot of times this is something that won’t be caught until it is being printed as well, because the computer simulation 12 SCREENPRINTING FIGURE 2 Use the Lasso tool and then the Color Range tool to create an extra layer on top of the original image and edit areas for better edges. FIGURE 3 Copy the original, paste and invert it, and title the channel My Gray Channel.

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Screen Printing - June/July 2012

Screen Printing - June/july 2012
Contents
Newsworthy
New Products
Digital vs. Screen and the Dilemma of Process Improvement
Grayscale Magic
Step Up Your Game With Team Wear
Boosting Garment-Printing Efficiency
What Printers Think About Rip Software
Direct-to-Garment Site Preparation and the Environment
Industry Update
Shop Talk
Classifieds
Distributor/Dealer Directory
Ad Index
Editorial Insights

Screen Printing - June/July 2012