Author Topic: How to get neon sign effect  (Read 1060 times)

Offline IntegriTees

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How to get neon sign effect
« on: July 30, 2018, 10:11:58 PM »
I’ve found several tutorials on how to get the look on screen. Looking more for tips on setting the artwork up for proper separation and printing. Anyone have some advice?


Offline Dottonedan

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Re: How to get neon sign effect
« Reply #1 on: July 30, 2018, 10:38:57 PM »
When people use a color for the fade on the outside (the glow part), they often over underbase that. This is a common trouble area. Be sure to make a selection of the inner parts and reverse the selection so that you are affecting only the outer blur part...and go to the base and adjust by curving that (using curves) back...so that the base is cut back more and the color overlaps to the shirt color greatly (if on dark shirts).  If on light shirts, don't over saturate that blur color. You may even want to cut that color mid tone back from 50 to 35% so that any gain will still print well.
Artist & Sim Process separator, Co owner of The Shirt Board, Past M&R Digital tech installer for I-Image machines. Over 28 yrs in the apparel industry. Apparel sales, http://www.designsbydottone.com  e-mail art@designsbydottone.com 615-821-7850

Offline ABuffington

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Re: How to get neon sign effect
« Reply #2 on: July 31, 2018, 11:33:23 AM »
Stochaistic on a 350 is another way to create a glow effect and capture that subtle transition to the shirt color. 
Alan Buffington
Murakami Screen USA  - Technical Support and Sales
www.murakamiscreen.com

Offline Sbrem

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Re: How to get neon sign effect
« Reply #3 on: July 31, 2018, 12:06:01 PM »
Stochaistic on a 350 is another way to create a glow effect and capture that subtle transition to the shirt color.

for curiosity's sake, what resolution?

Steve
I made a mistake once; I thought I was wrong about something; I wasn't

Offline Dottonedan

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Re: How to get neon sign effect
« Reply #4 on: July 31, 2018, 01:19:26 PM »
Stochaistic on a 350 is another way to create a glow effect and capture that subtle transition to the shirt color.

for curiosity's sake, what resolution?

Steve


Highest Rez I've ever used was 266 on a 355 mesh. Why the 266 and not just 260,  I'm not positive but at the shop we did that at, it was a pre- set figure before me and I have to assume was a result of some testing. At any rate, It worked.  I loved that printing. You could get your art and blending to look photo real. We even did 4 clr process with Stochastic. That was 22 years ago.  OMG I'm getting some time under my belt.


I remember we did use the Stochastic on some neon glow in the dark prints I did and separated that came out really well. Don't remember the specifics of those but prob we did use at least a 305 and could easily be a 355 like Al was saying. At that shop, thats really all we ever used was stochastic. No traditional dot. It was our thing. Every job.


Even with stochastic, you do NOT want to use a resolution that is close to the same as the mesh count (such as a 200 Rez on a 200 mesh) or you will get mesh interference (similar to Moire).  If using 200 mesh, we would use something below, like a 180 rez.   190 Rez on a 230 mesh.  233 on a 305 mesh. 266 on a 355 mesh. This was pretty beneficial when doing special effect inks with sim process as you could mix up the Rez (on a specific color or screen)...and mix it with a very high Rez and mesh for the rest of the art. Unlike using halftone line counts and various mesh.


We didn't like to go lower than a 180 Rez on much of anything except for special affect inks when you had to.


Thing is, many who do indexing (not exactly the same as Stochastic) but still using a square dot, people often say "Use a Rez of 150 on high mesh like 230's and 305's.  Apparently thats very common and they get good prints as I hear. I'd think they would easily hold that dot, but could use a much higher Rez.  Higher Rez to me, means better looking image.  They are still using about the same mesh as I did so not much should be different in coverage except for the up one level of mesh.


Has to be that it's all in how you prepare the seps and what you get used to doing.


Was common to use a rez of 100 and use that on a puff screen...and achieve some gradation of puff for example. Then print sim process blending over top of that on high mesh using high rex.  Really fun this way.







Artist & Sim Process separator, Co owner of The Shirt Board, Past M&R Digital tech installer for I-Image machines. Over 28 yrs in the apparel industry. Apparel sales, http://www.designsbydottone.com  e-mail art@designsbydottone.com 615-821-7850

Offline ABuffington

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Re: How to get neon sign effect
« Reply #5 on: July 31, 2018, 01:27:01 PM »
Thanks Dan for the numbers. 
Alan Buffington
Murakami Screen USA  - Technical Support and Sales
www.murakamiscreen.com