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screen printing => Waterbase and Discharge => Topic started by: ScreenPrinter123 on April 24, 2013, 09:36:21 AM

Title: Discharge gradient blend?
Post by: ScreenPrinter123 on April 24, 2013, 09:36:21 AM
How would you sep this in illustrator to get a good blend?  Currently just a gradient in illustrator using red and white spot colors.  I want to avoid the black shirt showing through so I don't know if I should overlap them by duplicating the text and sliding the gradient location slider for each color in order to that they overlap more.  I also remember TP mentioning something about inverting (not the correct word but I cannot remember what word he used) the halftones and did not know what he was talking about (I wish I could say this was the only time that was the case!)
Title: Re: Discharge gradient blend?
Post by: IntegrityShirts on April 24, 2013, 09:44:28 AM
Think you'd have the best luck printing the red on top of a white discharge ub.  Apparently halftone gradient dots out of illustrator STACK on top of each other rather than interlock, but I'm sure someone will post more details after me!
Title: Re: Discharge gradient blend?
Post by: tonypep on April 24, 2013, 09:55:41 AM
Overlapping should do it just might half to play with the levels of the fades
Title: Re: Discharge gradient blend?
Post by: tonypep on April 24, 2013, 10:12:38 AM
Here are some DC fades
Title: Re: Discharge gradient blend?
Post by: ScreenPrinter123 on April 24, 2013, 11:02:30 AM
Overlapping should do it just might half to play with the levels of the fades

What do you mean by "levels"?  Are you talking about the location slider or something else?  Sorry if this is a stupid question.
Title: Re: Discharge gradient blend?
Post by: tonypep on April 24, 2013, 11:23:58 AM
Levels based on halftone res and the slider. This will determine how gradual or harsh the fade will look. Not a stupid question perhaps a poor term for me to use
Title: Re: Discharge gradient blend?
Post by: ScreenPrinter123 on April 24, 2013, 12:37:38 PM
Got it!
Title: Re: Discharge gradient blend?
Post by: ebscreen on April 24, 2013, 12:58:53 PM
Leave the white where you want it to fade out and adjust the red gradient slider so that it fades a bit higher so that they overlap well.
Print the red first on this one and if white is your last color consider a crush screen if they don't blend well without it.
Title: Re: Discharge gradient blend?
Post by: tonypep on April 24, 2013, 01:34:58 PM
Damn.......... thought I trademarked "Crush Screen"! We don't use them for blends but it is an excellent consideration if you are not getting the desired results. Good idea to keepone around anyways. Nothing to register just slap it in and give it a shot. We do use them for crushing red and yellow to make orange (example) without an extra film/screen/setup. You might have to wait till July for that tut.
Title: Re: Discharge gradient blend?
Post by: ebscreen on April 24, 2013, 01:42:02 PM
Playing hide the dots.
Title: Re: Discharge gradient blend?
Post by: ScreenPrinter123 on April 24, 2013, 01:53:23 PM
This board is great!  Wouldn't have thought of the crush screen.  I have outputted some sample film and even with the overlap when I line up the two films on the light table the dots line up and create area of open halftones.  Is there anyway to invert the halftone pattern on one of the colors within illustrator or accurip?
Title: Re: Discharge gradient blend?
Post by: ebscreen on April 24, 2013, 02:05:59 PM
Did you extend the red to print under the white?
Title: Re: Discharge gradient blend?
Post by: ScreenPrinter123 on April 24, 2013, 02:09:30 PM
I was typing the below as you responded eb, I would appreciate your thoughts!

Ran some more films and it was not until the slider was moved 40% that the two films began to fill in when lined up on a light table.  At least enough that dot gain and/or a crush screen may do the rest.  Does this seem excessive to those who have done this.  I would love to not have to overlap as much if I could maybe run the red halftones at a different angle or lpi (sounds weird but the only thing my feeble mind can think of at the moment).
Title: Re: Discharge gradient blend?
Post by: ScreenPrinter123 on April 24, 2013, 02:19:27 PM
After a second glance I am thinking that pushing the red from 67 to 47 should be sufficient.  If anyone has any other suggestions I am all ears, thanks for the help thus far.
Title: Re: Discharge gradient blend?
Post by: ebscreen on April 24, 2013, 02:41:09 PM
Should be good, remember that depending on dot size you may not hold the lower tones.
Discharge is very forgiving in this manner as the dots will literally blend in with the overprint and you
won't be able to see them.
Title: Re: Discharge gradient blend?
Post by: IntegrityShirts on April 24, 2013, 02:44:34 PM
Your setting in illustrator are similar to mine when I printed this:

(http://integrityshirts.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/vt_english.jpg)

Gradients had to overlap by quite a bit before you get any completely filled in dots and this print wasn't supposed to have a "solid" orange area, just a smooth transition.

When going between two non white colors I can see why playing with the sliders is good. But going from a color to white would seem easier/quicker to just put a solid white down and print red over it, I mean it's water-based so it won't have any different feel at the end of the day!

If you really have time to play with it, expose a couple screens with it BOTH ways and compare lol I'd be interested to see the difference!
Title: Re: Discharge gradient blend?
Post by: ScreenPrinter123 on April 24, 2013, 03:17:29 PM
Being that white will be the last of three colors (Due to pickup on the screen) I would have to do a solid red underneath the white which I am afraid would not result in an opaque white at the top of the text but a pink tinted white because of the solid red underneath the solid white.  I will burn two red screens one with the slider pushed 20% and one at 40% so that I can compare and hopefully have a good idea of where I should be for next time.
Title: Re: Discharge gradient blend?
Post by: NoDirectionNick on April 24, 2013, 06:17:41 PM
Can someone explain the "Crush screen" to me a bit? I haven't ventured much into the DC world but want to give it a go in the next week or so. I believe the crush screen was explained in a previous topic, but I could be wrong.
Title: Re: Discharge gradient blend?
Post by: NoDirectionNick on April 24, 2013, 06:21:06 PM
Never mind never mind! I found it in a previous thread. Carry on..
Title: Re: Discharge gradient blend?
Post by: Rockers on April 24, 2013, 08:02:10 PM
How would you sep this in illustrator to get a good blend?  Currently just a gradient in illustrator using red and white spot colors.  I want to avoid the black shirt showing through so I don't know if I should overlap them by duplicating the text and sliding the gradient location slider for each color in order to that they overlap more.  I also remember TP mentioning something about inverting (not the correct word but I cannot remember what word he used) the halftones and did not know what he was talking about (I wish I could say this was the only time that was the case!)

Here is a Youtube video  that gives you an idea on how to create interlocking halftones.

Introduction to Halftone Interlocking and 45-Degree Offset (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffgnhJvfkX0#ws)
Title: Re: Discharge gradient blend?
Post by: kingscreen on May 03, 2013, 10:43:06 AM
Here's a DC gradient we did this week. I did the seps with the lighter green solid and the darker green halftone at only 45lpi. Both 200 mesh. DC white on 155. Printed light green, dark green then white; wow.
Title: Re: Discharge gradient blend?
Post by: tonypep on May 03, 2013, 10:58:04 AM
Nice. Notice that, even at 45lpi the blend seems seamless.
 Plastisol bad.