Separation Techniques

Simple Spot

The most prevalent technique for color reproduction involves the use of a separate screen for each color to be reproduced. This is effective in printing images that have a limited palette and contain no halftones. Cartoons, type, and line art can be easily reproduced with simple spot seps.

Dark Shirts

If the images are to be printed on darker garments a thicker coat of ink will occasionally suffice to yield the desired opacity. More often, shirt printers will use and 'underprint' to provide an opaque base for the colors that follow to lay on top of. This 'underprint' must be dried during the printing process to keep the following colors from becoming contaminated and to maintain opacity. This step is called 'flashing' and involves the use of in-line infrared or quartz heating units. Creating the underprint for simple spot seps is relatively simple but the exact specs depend on the printers technique.