Screen printing artwork fails at the separation stage, not at the design stage. A file that looks perfect on screen can separate into a dozen colours, produce trap gaps at every junction and cost your printer a setup charge to sort out. We deliver artwork that is separated, trapped and ready to pull.
What we supply
- One spot colour per separation, named and numbered to your colour list
- Overprint and knockout set deliberately, not left to default
- Trap or overprint rules added at colour junctions to prevent white gaps
- Positive film-positive artwork at true print size
- Underbase and overprint notes where a garment colour needs them
- A reference colour proof image for your approval
Why the spot colour count matters
Every separation is a screen, and every screen is money and setup time. Artwork designed in full colour often separates into eight or ten colours. We design or prepare for a sensible colour count from the start, which usually means simplifying the artwork rather than accepting a bill you did not expect.
Garment and substrate considerations
Dark garments need an underbase and a white layer between colour and fabric, and light garments usually do not. We will tell you which your design needs. We also keep detail above the minimum that will actually hold in ink on fabric, and mark anything that risks disappearing on a dark or textured garment.
Other print processes
If the job is going to DTG, DTF, sublimation or heat transfer vinyl rather than traditional screen printing, tell us. The preparation differs, and in particular you do not want separations or traps on a process that prints in full colour.