Photoshop CS3 for Screen Printers- P19 docx

You’ve pared the image for printing, whether it is a one- or two-color spot colordesign, a four- or five-color indexed color design, or a multichannel pro-cess color design.. You’vecreat

Printing Color

Separations

So, you’ve created your design and are ready to print it out You’ve pared the image for printing, whether it is a one- or two-color spot colordesign, a four- or five-color indexed color design, or a multichannel pro-cess color design

pre-For the spot color and indexed color prints, you’ve pulled the spotchannels and tweaked them For process prints, you’ve lightened, satu-rated, and corrected color contaminations You’ve used unsharp maskingand done various tweaks on the design, including color correction You’vecreated the CMYK color separations, created a white printer, underbase,and/or highlight white plate if needed, created spot colors if needed, andyou have the channels in the correct print order in the Channels palette.You might have even created a shirt color channel to see how the designwill look on a particular color of shirt

In this chapter, we learn how to print out the images that you’ve ated, including spot color, indexed color, and process color images There

cre-is an overlap in the directions to enable you to jump directly to the tion that contains the information you need without having to read therest of the chapter

sec-. Note:

In this chapter we work through the print configuration process using files

I’ve included on the companion CD You’ll have to adapt these settings to

match the needs of the files you’ll be working with in your own shop

517

Double-check the Color Settings

Before we get started with the actual print process, let’s verify that thesettings in the Color Settings dialog box are correct These settingsshould be configured already, but if you didn’t start at the beginning ofthis book and read each chapter in order, they might not be set properly

] Tip:

If you worked through Chapter 5, you can skip this part

Work through the following steps to verify that you have the correct tings These settings should have been configured before converting anyRGB image to CMYK, and if they weren’t, you’ll need to set them andperform the CMYK conversion again Photoshop uses these settings toperform optimal separations for your equipment and needs

set-1 Select Edit>Color Settings.

2 In the Working Spaces choices under RGB, choose Apple RGB Yes,

you should choose this no matter what, even if you aren’t working on

a Mac

. Note:

If you’ve saved any ink profiles to your hard drive that you’ve received fromyour supplier or ink dealer, you can choose Load CMYK, change Files of

Type to CMYK setup, and locate the ink values Click on the file to load

these specific ink value numbers

3 Next, change the CMYK Working Spaces setting to Custom CMYK.

This will allow you to specify custom ink settings, dot gain settings,and more

4 In the Custom CMYK dialog box, as shown in Figure 29-1, renamethe custom settings if desired I prefer to leave the name the way it

is, as it is very descriptive and changes as the values change in theCustom Settings dialog box

5 From the Ink Colors drop-down list, choose Custom if you have

spe-cific ink values to input (Some companies offer a free plug-in forthese values that include numbers for their specific product.) If you

do not have any custom plug-ins, select another option from the list

if it is available and meets your company’s specifications Otherwise,

choose SWOP (Newsprint) if you aren’t sure what to pick This

choice most closely matches standard process colors provided bymany ink companies

6 Continuing in the Custom CMYK dialog box, change the Dot Gain to

35 percent for automatic presses and up to 40 percent for manual

presses Leave the Dot Gain setting at Standard.

7 Change Black Generation to Light, Black Ink Limit to 85 percent, and Total Ink Limit to 250 percent This limits how much ink will

print on the substrate

] Tip:

You’ll get different thoughts on these settings; some people will set Total InkLimit at 240 percent and others at 300 percent Additionally, Black Ink Limit

is sometimes set to 90 percent and Black Generation at Medium You’ll need

to experiment with your own presses and equipment; these are simply dard numbers that often work well

stan-8 For the Separation Type, GCR is generally the best setting Choose

GCR if most of the image is neutral in color and light in most areas;

choose UCR when the design has lots of black.

9 Leave UCA Amount at 0 if a setting is available Click OK to return

to the Color Settings dialog box

Figure 29-1: Custom CMYK settings

10 In the Color Settings dialog box, click the down arrow next to Spot

and choose Dot Gain 30% This will allow you to preview the image

with dot gain in a spot color image

11 Under Conversion Options, use the Adobe (ACE) engine and choose Relative Colorimetric for the intent Do not check

Desaturate Monitor Colors By in the Advanced Controls area anddon’t worry about any other settings

12 Click Save Name the color settings that you are saving, and click

Save again.

13 In the Color Settings Comment dialog box, type in T-Shirt settings

or some other descriptive name Click OK twice.

Photoshop will remember these settings for you These settings willallow you to get the most out of the program and, as you’ve seen, evenallow you to download ink color values from a supplier and automaticallyinput those into the program’s customization settings

6 Caution!

Once again, if you are just making these adjustments to the color settings

and you’ve already performed a CMYK color separation, you’ll have to go

back and perform that separation again Photoshop uses these settings to

decide how to separate an image If they’re not set up correctly, the tion will not be created correctly

separa-Printing True Spot Color Separations

True spot color separations are the easiest and most forgiving way toboth output the print and to screen print I define “true” spot colorimages as those images that consist only of one to eight solid, definablecolors and whose colors do not have tints, gradients, or highlights andtherefore do not need to be printed with halftones

These types of images, designs, and logos are great for clients such

as sports teams, small businesses, and anyone else interested in buying

an inexpensive screen printed shirt In addition to being a good option forclients, it’s a terrific way to start or build a screen printing business andattract clientele

. Note:

You can print true spot color separations on just about any printer at all; it

doesn’t have to be a PostScript printer because there are no halftones

To print a spot color design, you’ll first need the separations Figure 29-2shows a spot color design that consists of four colors—black, green,orange, and purple These colors have been separated and are shown inthe Channels palette No underbase is needed if the image is to beprinted on a light colored shirt

. Note:

If you’d like to experiment with this image, it’s on the CD in the Chapter 29folder and named SADD puzzle.psd

To print these separations:

1 Verify that you have a PostScript, laser, or inkjet printer available andthat this printer can really lay down the ink or toner (You could use

an imagesetter too, although that might be overkill.)

2 In the Channels palette, remove the eye icon from the compositelayer and the RGB layers Place an eye next to each of the spot

Figure 29-2: Printing out spot color separations

channels you want to print and select them for good measure Figure29-3 shows an example Although selecting all channels isn’t neces-sary (as shown in Figure 29-4), some printers might give errors ifthe channels are not selected (To select multiple channels, holddown the Shift key while selecting.)

3 Choose File>Print.

4 Verify that the print fits

in the Preview window

5 If desired, check Center

Image, Scale to Fit Media, and Show Bounding Box Be sure to

configure the same settings for additional prints

6 Verify that Output is selected See Figure 29-5.

Figure 29-3: Selecting

multiple channels to print

Figure 29-4: Selecting a single channel to print

7 Because there are no halftones in the image, setting options forScreen and Transfer aren’t required However, you can configureBleed, Border, or Background options if needed You can also printregistration marks.

8 Click the Print or Print One button.

9 In the Print dialog box that comes up next, choose a printer from theSelect Printer area I’ll choose a PostScript printer, as shown in Fig-ure 29-6, although an inkjet printer would do just fine

Figure 29-5: Output options

Figure 29-6: Choosing a printer

10 Click the Preferences button.

11 For a PostScript printer, choose high quality and the correct papertype, set contrast, increase toner darkness, and configure resolution(if applicable) for the image

12 For an inkjet printer, adjust the quality settings to Best Quality andBlack and White You’ll want to really lay down the ink if you areprinting on vellum or film, but you don’t want to lay down so muchthat the ink smears or bleeds Be sure to pick the appropriate papertype and print resolution also I generally choose a fairly high setting(600 to 1200 dpi), but you’ll want to experiment with your own inksand papers before committing to a resolution

] Tip:

Read your printer’s documentation to see how to get the best print ble Compare this information with what your paper, film, acetate, and

possi-vellum suggests

13 Click OK and OK again (or Print) to print.

If the print doesn’t come out as desired (for instance if it’s pixelated, toolight, or the wrong size), you’ll have to start over Read Chapter 22 onspot color separations, Chapter 27 on page setup and the print dialogboxes, and Chapter 28 on specialty papers

] Tip:

Visit your printer manufacturer’s web site and see if there are any ICC files available or any tips for working with Photoshop

pro-Printing Process Color Separations

Printing process separations is a little more complex than printing outsolid spot color separations With process color, you’ll have to set screenoptions, including frequency, angle, and halftone shape, among otherthings, and you’ll need a PostScript printer

Prepare the Image

Preparing the print is the biggest part of getting an image ready, and eral chapters in this book cover that part of the process Preparing the

sev-image for the printer requires you to tell Photoshop and the printer what

channels you’d like to print, how large the image should print, and howthe page should be set up

To prepare the image for the printer:

1 Open the file FishProcess.psd from the

Chapter 29 folder on the companion CD

(This file is provided for this example only;

it isn’t necessarily ready for the printer and

press.)

2 In the Channels palette, place an eye icon

next to all of the channels that you want to

print You won’t want to print the Shirt

Color channel, and you might only want to

print a couple of channels as a test before

printing out all of the others Whatever the

case, make the appropriate selections See

Figure 29-7

] Tip:

This file is in Multichannel mode, and the print order is

correct for most presses

3 Choose File>Print and verify that the print fits in the Preview dow Click Cancel.

win-4 Choose File>Page Setup and verify that Portrait is chosen Click

OK.

Figure 29-7: Selecting the channels to print

Output the Image

When you are ready to print, follow the steps listed here:

1 Verify that you have a PostScript printer or imagesetter available

2 Choose File>Print.

3 If desired, check Center Image, Scale to Fit Media, and Show

Bounding Box If printing out some of the channels now and some

later, remember to use the same settings on all prints

4 Verify that Output is selected.

5 Because there are halftones in the image, you’ll need to set the

screen options Click the Screen button.

6 Uncheck Use Printer’s Default Screen, as shown in Figure 29-8.

7 Click the down arrow next to Ink, and choose Underbase.

8 For Frequency, choose 55 lines/inch (lpi) for a manual press and 65

lpi for an automatic press

. Note:

If you are using a manual press, you might need to set the lpi as low as 25.This is true with all of the ink colors, not just the underbase You’ll have toget to know your equipment

9 For Angle, type in 15.

10 For Shape, choose Ellipse.

11 Check Use Same Shape for All Inks so that the Ellipse shape will

be chosen each time

12 Click the down arrow next to Ink and choose Yellow.

13 Set the frequency to either 55 lpi or 65 lpi Use an angle of 75 and choose Ellipse.

Figure 29-8: The Halftone Screen dialog box

. Note:

As mentioned in the following sidebar, you’ll get different theories here Atone print shop in our area, the owner sets the Yellow angle to 0

14 Click the down arrow next to Ink and choose Magenta.

15 Set the frequency to either 55 lpi or 65 lpi Use an angle of 45 and choose Ellipse.

. Note:

As mentioned in the following sidebar, you’ll get different theories here Atone print shop in our area, the owner sets the Magenta angle to 75

16 Click the down arrow next to Ink and choose Cyan.

17 Set the frequency to either 55 lpi or 65 lpi Use an angle of 15 and choose Ellipse (Cyan always seems to be set at 15 degrees, no mat-

ter whom you consult!)

18 Click the down arrow next to Ink and choose Black.

19 Set the frequency to either 55 lpi or 65 lpi Use an angle of 75 and choose Ellipse.

. Note:

As mentioned in the following sidebar, you’ll get different theories here Atone print shop in our area, the owner sets the Black angle to 45

20 Click the down arrow next to Ink and choose Highlight white.

21 Set the frequency to either 55 lpi or 65 lpi Use an angle of 15 and choose Ellipse.

. Note:

If you have spot color channels to configure along with the process color

channels, you’ll need to configure those in the Halftone Screen dialog box

before closing it Use the same frequency listed above and 15 to 45 degreesfor the angle for each spot channel Again, you’ll need to experiment with

your presses, inks, screens, etc

22 If you are printing to an imagesetter, check Use Accurate Screens Click OK (Be sure to read the following sidebar.)

A Word about lpi, Frequency, and Dot Shape

If you don’t agree with the settings that I’m suggesting you configure for yourscreens, you probably aren’t alone However, these angles, dot shapes, and lpiare what we use at our shop, and they work great for us They are also the samesettings that are suggested by professional screen printers in forums I’ve visited

on the Internet

Keep in mind though that there are other opinions I’ve read articles that statethe black plate should always be 45 lpi and the angle set to 25 degrees; I’ve readarticles that say never to use angles of 45 and 90 degrees because you’ll get moiré;I’ve also read articles that say that all spot color halftones should be printed at 45lpi—never higher or lower I’ve also read that circular dots are better than ellipti-cal ones, etc., etc., etc You’ll have to decide, but I’m betting that the settingsoutlined in this section will work fine for you If you are new at this, use thesettings I’ve suggested as defaults and tweak as needed

23 With the screens configured, place a check mark next to Calibration

Bars (if available), Registration Marks, and Labels Check any

additional marks as desired

24 Click the Print button.

25 In the Print dialog box, choose the appropriate PostScript printer orimagesetter I chose my generic PostScript printer, whose driver Iinstalled from the printer’s installation CD This driver is compati-ble, and my PostScript printer outputs the separations

26 Click the Properties, Advanced, or similar button to access

addi-tional features

27 Configure the settings for the printer Be sure to pick the appropriatepaper type too I print at 600 to 1200 dpi, but you’ll want to experi-ment with your own inks and papers before committing to a

resolution If applicable, set the contrast, toner darkness, and otherattributes

If the print doesn’t come out as desired (for instance, if it’s pixelated, toolight, or the wrong size), you’ll have to start over or at least reconfigurethe image resolution and printer configurations Read Chapter 23 on pro-cess color separations, Chapter 27 on page setup and the print dialogboxes, and Chapter 28 on specialty papers.

] Tip:

If C/15, M/45, Y/75, and K/75 don’t work for you, try C/22.5, M/52.5,

Y/82.5, and B/82.5 You might get better results with these numbers

Printing Spot Color Separations with Tints, Gradients, and Highlights

Spot color separations that have tints, gradients, or highlights requirethey be printed using halftones on a PostScript printer (In contrast,

“true” spot color separations can be output using any printer and do notrequire halftones.) Since you have to use halftones, you’ll have to set thelpi, frequency, and angle in the Halftone Screen dialog box in a mannersimilar to that performed for process color separations However,

because printing spot color images is different at the press and inks are

a little different than process color at the press, you’ll need differentsettings

Printing Spot Colors with Gradients

To print spot color separations that require halftones:

1 Open a file of a spot color image that should be printed with

halftones

2 In the Channels palette, place an eye icon next to all of the channelsthat you want to print You won’t want to print the shirt color chan-nel, and you might only want to print a couple of channels as a testbefore printing out all of the others Whatever the case, make theappropriate selections

3 Verify that you have a PostScript printer or imagesetter available

4 Choose File>Print.

5 If desired, check Center Image, Scale to Fit Media, and Show

Bounding Box Again, repeat these settings for any additional

screens

6 Verify that Output is selected.

7 Because there are halftones in the image, you’ll need to set the

screen options Click the Screen button.

8 Uncheck Use Printer’s Default Screens.

9 Click the down arrow next to Ink, and choose the first channel

10 For Frequency, choose 25 to 45 lpi (your preference).

11 For Angle, type in 25.

12 For Shape, choose Ellipse.

13 Check Use Same Shape for All Inks so Ellipse will be chosen each

time

14 Click the down arrow next to Ink and choose another channel

Con-figure the same settings—25 to 45 lpi, Angle 25, and Ellipse.

15 Click the down arrow next to Ink and choose another channel

Con-figure the same settings—25 to 45 lpi, Angle 25, and Ellipse.

16 Click the down arrow next to Ink and choose another channel tinue in this manner until all channels have been configured

Con-Configure the same settings—25 to 45 lpi, Angle 25, and Ellipse.

] Tip:

Some printers always use an angle of 45 degrees when printing spot colors.You’ll have to experiment to find what’s best for you and the equipment youhave available

17 If you are printing to an imagesetter, check Use Accurate Screens Click OK.

18 With the screens configured, place a check mark next to Calibration

Bars, Registration Marks, and Labels Check any additional

marks as desired

19 Click the Print button.

20 In the Print dialog box, choose the appropriate PostScript printer orimagesetter

21 Click the Properties, Advanced, or similar button to configure

advanced properties