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screen printing => General Screen Printing => Topic started by: Prosperi-Tees on September 05, 2011, 01:44:56 PM

Title: Do you guys choke your underbase?
Post by: Prosperi-Tees on September 05, 2011, 01:44:56 PM
That sounds kinda funny. But do you guys choke your underbase and if so how much, 1 point?
Title: Re: Do you guys choke your underbase?
Post by: Dottonedan on September 05, 2011, 02:21:03 PM
It's my opinion that you should always choke your underbase when it's color over top. If it's white on white, then I say no need. Stroke the underbase no matter if it's vector art or raster art.
Or, only choke the areas that are to have color out on the edge of the art. If it's white and very fine, I leave that alone.

If vector art, I choke by 1.5 Pts-2pts

If raster, your stroking thickness will be based on your resolution. At 300 Rez, I stroke my underbase at 2 pixels. I am for the most part assuming my customers have decent registration.

If on a manual, I will stroke it by 3 Pts unless it's small type.

A 1 pixel stroke at 100 Rez is not the same as a 1 pixel stroke at 300 Rez.
Title: Re: Do you guys choke your underbase?
Post by: Fresh Baked Printing on September 05, 2011, 02:31:51 PM
It's my opinion that you should always choke your underbase when it's color over top. If it's white on white, then I say mo need. Stroke the underbase no matter if it's vector art or raster art.
Or, only choke the areas that are to have color out on the edge of the art. If it's white and very fine, I leave that alone.

If vector art, I choke by 1.5 Pts-2pts

If raster, your stroking thickness will be based on your resolution. At 300 Rez, I stroke my underbase at 2 pixels. I am for the most part assuming my customers have decent registration.

If on a manual, I will stroke it by 3 Pts unless it's small type.

A 1 pixel stroke at 100 Rez is not the same as a 1 pixel stroke at 300 Rez.
Right on. A lot depends on your presses/screen tension, etc., ability to hold register too. There are probably some printers who scoff at those of us who have to trap or choke.
Title: Re: Do you guys choke your underbase?
Post by: JBLUE on September 05, 2011, 02:37:50 PM
For vector I choke it .5 in the center. If its PS and 300 dpi I try to get away with one pixel. At 600 dpi I use two pixels. My auto holds super tight reg and my manual as well. I also over expose the base screen a bit and use the undercutting to my advantage. For some reason when I see a big halo it drives me up the wall even though nobody else notices it.
Title: Re: Do you guys choke your underbase?
Post by: Prosperi-Tees on September 05, 2011, 02:53:41 PM
It is vector and somewhat small type and its black on orange. I do worry about the halo it will leave.
Title: Re: Do you guys choke your underbase?
Post by: Frog on September 05, 2011, 03:24:16 PM
why are you underbasing black on orange?
Title: Re: Do you guys choke your underbase?
Post by: Fresh Baked Printing on September 05, 2011, 03:26:34 PM
why are you underbasing black on orange?
Maybe it's like one of my recent customers who wanted me to underbase black ink on a light colored shirt. I didn't UB and the customer couldn't tell the difference from his last printers order.
Title: Re: Do you guys choke your underbase?
Post by: Prosperi-Tees on September 05, 2011, 03:26:58 PM
whoops reverse that orange on black.
Title: Re: Do you guys choke your underbase?
Post by: JBLUE on September 05, 2011, 03:42:38 PM
If you choke it too much/ and or PFP the orange you will. Orange is already pretty transparent and will go right into the shirt. If this is your first time experiment and see what your equipment will hold. You wont know until you play around and see what you can get away with.
Title: Re: Do you guys choke your underbase?
Post by: Prosperi-Tees on September 05, 2011, 03:47:45 PM
I am gonna try a 1 point since there is some small type and see how it goes.
Title: Re: Do you guys choke your underbase?
Post by: JBLUE on September 05, 2011, 03:53:15 PM
I am gonna try a 1 point since there is some small type and see how it goes.

Next job up today is a orange and white on black. 600 dpi 2 pix choke. I a lot of detail in the frilly sh!t to hold.
Title: Re: Do you guys choke your underbase?
Post by: Prosperi-Tees on September 05, 2011, 04:03:23 PM
Thats what mine is orange and white on black but pretty simple
Title: Re: Do you guys choke your underbase?
Post by: Lizard on September 05, 2011, 04:17:57 PM
I usually choke .75 on most images. 1 pt on really big stuff.  Here is the trick on small lettering.  Leave the base alone and stroke the top color out so the letteres do not lose there integrity.
Title: Re: Do you guys choke your underbase?
Post by: whitewater on September 05, 2011, 04:19:17 PM
I do 1.5-2 for the vector...and 2 pixles for raster...seems to work for me.

Title: Re: Do you guys choke your underbase?
Post by: tpitman on September 05, 2011, 04:31:54 PM
For vector I choke it .5 in the center. If its PS and 300 dpi I try to get away with one pixel. At 600 dpi I use two pixels. My auto holds super tight reg and my manual as well. I also over expose the base screen a bit and use the undercutting to my advantage. For some reason when I see a big halo it drives me up the wall even though nobody else notices it.

Ditto. Up to .65 if it's a fairly big graphic. And overprint without too much pressure. I try to get the overprint to lay right on top of the underbase with almost no overlap.
Title: Re: Do you guys choke your underbase?
Post by: Dottonedan on September 05, 2011, 05:53:10 PM
Some shops/presses can get better results, but for the most part, even the largest auto shops stroke the underbase at or near the setting below.

(http://www.dot-tone.com/graphics/images/stories/Tech_HowTo/pt-stroke_example.jpg)
Title: Re: Do you guys choke your underbase?
Post by: Im-Magic on September 06, 2011, 12:45:21 AM
We do a universal .2mm for white underbase.
Title: Re: Do you guys choke your underbase?
Post by: Screened Gear on September 06, 2011, 12:50:18 AM
How many of you gutter your underage for touching colors?
Title: Re: Do you guys choke your underbase?
Post by: Prosperi-Tees on September 06, 2011, 01:07:04 AM
How many of you gutter your underage for touching colors?
HUH?
Title: Re: Do you guys choke your underbase?
Post by: Dottonedan on September 06, 2011, 01:34:25 AM
How many of you gutter your underage for touching colors?

For me an pertaining to screen printed apparel, almost never. I have been asked on maybe two occasions in my 24-25+ years. When doing so, I assume that in these cases, the press is extremely out of whack or the printer is not familiar with printing wet on wet.  Low tension and heavy ink deposits are trouble for these shops. We may have  a reason somewhere, but I've never experienced a need for doing it.

In direct ceramic screen printing, (like on coffee mugs), you do try to print so that the colors do not overlap. Only reason being, is because they do not blend at all ( and are very think inks). When they dry, they are raised off of the mug. If you put so may screens/inks on top of each other, they build an unwanted thickness and once they become too stacked, they can knock off the print with the next screen. These inks are not permanent until fired. It's a very chalky ink and must be applied while hot or in a liquid stage. They are very opaque. Decal printing on coffee mugs is a different beast.
Title: Re: Do you guys choke your underbase?
Post by: Dottonedan on September 06, 2011, 01:49:28 AM
We do a universal .2mm for white underbase.

Glad to have you here and participating. :)
Title: Re: Do you guys choke your underbase?
Post by: inkbrigade on September 06, 2011, 06:02:51 AM
We use to do .5pt for vector. Now we're running at .75pt
On top colors we'll run a .25 gutter between colors. This seems to give us sharper lines where the colors butt up together.