Author Topic: Anybody ever make a custom ink swatch chart?  (Read 2070 times)

Offline Fresh Baked Printing

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 755
  • "Tattoo Free Since 1965"
Anybody ever make a custom ink swatch chart?
« on: January 04, 2012, 02:42:56 PM »
Thinking about getting a white, heather and black tee and maybe just using a cardboard stencil, squeegeeing a print a thumb dabs size worth of each ink color I stock onto each shirt color.
What you think? Dumb?
50% of the time I'm 100% right.
http://www.spiffylab.com


Offline Frog

  • Administrator
  • Ludicrous Speed Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 13980
  • Docendo discimus
Re: Anybody ever make a custom ink swatch chart?
« Reply #1 on: January 04, 2012, 03:02:04 PM »
Not dumb, but a fair amount of work
I do this on some common colors for which I offer choices, especially custom mixes that have become standards, like yellows, and greens and blues.

Years ago, Union's Navy was really dark, and I mixed it 50/50 with Royal to produce what I called "Cal Blue". When swatches were compared,  many folks chose it over the stock Navy.

It also comes in handy when someone's artist wants a Pantone color, but I show them one of my "stock" colors which is close.
That rug really tied the room together, did it not?

Offline ScreenFoo

  • Gonzo Member
  • ******
  • Posts: 1296
  • Semper Fidelis Tyrannosaurus
Re: Anybody ever make a custom ink swatch chart?
« Reply #2 on: January 04, 2012, 03:16:09 PM »
I need to do it again, but I've done white pellons like this for stock and custom colors--I just used a 1/2" section of a vinyl squeegee without a screen.  It's handy in that you can tell by the look of it how opaque an ink is.

The grey and black are a good idea, although the easy way I was doing it wouldn't work...  if you were doing black, would you print an underbase and overprint?

The original reason I did it was for "sale" colors--we gave a bunch of customers a nickel a print off if they picked custom ink colors we overmixed and would never get orders for.

Offline Socalfmf

  • !!!
  • Gonzo Member
  • ******
  • Posts: 1238
  • Lead, Follow or Get Out of the Way!
Re: Anybody ever make a custom ink swatch chart?
« Reply #3 on: January 04, 2012, 03:24:44 PM »
here is what we have



plus we use names like Palomar Red, Palomar Blue ect...so that way we know what color it is but the customers if they leave will not...ahhahahahahahah...

we have about 5 of these panels...

sam

Offline inkman996

  • !!!
  • Gonzo Member
  • ******
  • Posts: 3760
Re: Anybody ever make a custom ink swatch chart?
« Reply #4 on: January 04, 2012, 03:50:30 PM »
Here is what I used to do. When printing a job that had a color I wanted sampled on these fabric blanks we have I would finish the run then tape off a square then slide the fabric panel to where I need it and print that color. Takes longer but no extra work.
"No man is an island"

Offline jsheridan

  • !!!
  • Gonzo Member
  • ******
  • Posts: 2130
Re: Anybody ever make a custom ink swatch chart?
« Reply #5 on: January 04, 2012, 09:04:04 PM »
here is what we have



Sams way works very well. You can hole punch and store them in a 3-ring binder. .
Blacktop Graphics Screenprinting and Consulting Services