Author Topic: OUR DOTS ARE FAT.  (Read 29527 times)

Offline inkman996

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Re: OUR DOTS ARE FAT.
« Reply #30 on: March 04, 2021, 09:11:17 AM »
You all arguing over a simple image that Dan did in halftones. My ass would have shot that all as spots and been done with it. Not because I do not see the benefit of a softer handing using halftones, but because I could never shoot a damn screen with that much field of continuous halftones with out a speck of dust or something ruining it.  ;D ;D ;D
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Offline Dottonedan

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Re: OUR DOTS ARE FAT.
« Reply #31 on: March 04, 2021, 01:54:09 PM »
It really all boils down to a matter of printing style and personal preferences. Some printers/artist like solid smooth red letters, and some like soft shirt textured letters.  Most customers just want it to look right. How the print looks, (smoothness) etc. is commonly not that important to most of them.
Artist & high end separator, Owner of The Vinyl Hub, Owner of Dot-Tone-Designs, Past M&R Digital tech installer for I-Image machines. Over 35 yrs in the apparel industry. e-mail art@designsbydottone.com

Offline 3Deep

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Re: OUR DOTS ARE FAT.
« Reply #32 on: March 04, 2021, 03:04:28 PM »
It really all boils down to a matter of printing style and personal preferences. Some printers/artist like solid smooth red letters, and some like soft shirt textured letters.  Most customers just want it to look right. How the print looks, (smoothness) etc. is commonly not that important to most of them.

point on and don't forget price  :o
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Offline CBCB

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Re: OUR DOTS ARE FAT.
« Reply #33 on: March 04, 2021, 08:21:33 PM »
Whipper snapper here. How are you measuring dot size on the shirt?


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Offline mk162

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Re: OUR DOTS ARE FAT.
« Reply #34 on: March 05, 2021, 08:38:48 AM »
Whipper snapper here. How are you measuring dot size on the shirt?


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A tiny tiny ruler. ;)

You can use a refraction densitometer(i believe that is what they are called, not a transmissive one, that is for measuring through film.)

Offline Dottonedan

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Re: OUR DOTS ARE FAT.
« Reply #35 on: March 06, 2021, 05:43:32 PM »
Personally, I don't have a concern to be that accurate or to sweat weather or not my 50% is a true 50%.  That wasn't really the point of the thread. The point of the thread was more so (just a random complaint) about the dots we use these days not being as small as they once were. The 65lpi dots are just a little heavier than the same 65lpi dots from a good photo film imagestter. But hey, (we don't use photo film imagestters anymore), so the point is moot anyways. I was just ranting aimlessly.


The digital fat dots are the new norm.

But a way to measure dot gain on the printed shirt is THE most accurate way to measure total gain. after seps and imaging method, exposure, wash out, and printing...using a 65lpi or any given lpi on a specific type of shirt and screens setup.
It's also very hard. It's hard to get a consistent read in any one area "printed". So you must get an average read of say 3-5 sections of the same intended total % in a test file.


It is as Mk162 pointed out. But it's a "reflection" densitometer".  You really want one that is both a transmissive and a reflective densitometer if you can get it. My shop isn't buying one of those any time soon.  I have heard mention of people sending their film to Pierre and when he's back in town, and has time, he might take a read on yours so you can compensate for that in your rip. But I'm not speaking for him. He might not do that anymore. I donno.
Artist & high end separator, Owner of The Vinyl Hub, Owner of Dot-Tone-Designs, Past M&R Digital tech installer for I-Image machines. Over 35 yrs in the apparel industry. e-mail art@designsbydottone.com

Offline mk162

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Re: OUR DOTS ARE FAT.
« Reply #36 on: March 08, 2021, 08:37:35 AM »
Personally, I don't have a concern to be that accurate or to sweat weather or not my 50% is a true 50%.  That wasn't really the point of the thread. The point of the thread was more so (just a random complaint) about the dots we use these days not being as small as they once were. The 65lpi dots are just a little heavier than the same 65lpi dots from a good photo film imagestter. But hey, (we don't use photo film imagestters anymore), so the point is moot anyways. I was just ranting aimlessly.


The digital fat dots are the new norm.

But a way to measure dot gain on the printed shirt is THE most accurate way to measure total gain. after seps and imaging method, exposure, wash out, and printing...using a 65lpi or any given lpi on a specific type of shirt and screens setup.
It's also very hard. It's hard to get a consistent read in any one area "printed". So you must get an average read of say 3-5 sections of the same intended total % in a test file.


It is as Mk162 pointed out. But it's a "reflection" densitometer".  You really want one that is both a transmissive and a reflective densitometer if you can get it. My shop isn't buying one of those any time soon.  I have heard mention of people sending their film to Pierre and when he's back in town, and has time, he might take a read on yours so you can compensate for that in your rip. But I'm not speaking for him. He might not do that anymore. I donno.

Duh, refraction is how light bends through something...dangit.  We tested the heck out of prints and dan is right, it is hard to get a read on a shirt, you are best off with averages of several spots