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4 color process? CMYK? Line work? Halftone? Dot gain? - Tradewinds demystifies print terms here.
| Methods of print |
4 Colour Process Printing
Process printing (see also 'halftone printing' below) uses dots of 4 inks; Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black to create continuous tone images of any colour mix.
 Use this method for re-creating colour photographs.
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Solid Colour
Often referred to as ‘line printing’ this method uses individual inks to create solid areas of colour.
Use this method for logos, simple type messages etc.
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| 'Muddy Prints' and Dot Gain |
What it is, why and when it happens.
Halftone Printing
Halftone printing, as opposed to solid (line) printing uses a series of dots arranged to give the appearance of continuous tone. Halftone printing is used for the re-creation of photos, illustrations etc.
Dot Gain - What Is It & How To Avoid It
Simply put, dot gain is enlargement of the halftone screen dots when they're transferred via ink under pressure to the fabric.
An increase in 50% - 60% is referred to as 10% dot gain. Excessive dot gain can be caused by a multitude of factors including naive colour separation, too much ink pressure, badly set-up equipment and a general misunderstanding of the printing process.
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Excessive Dot Gain
Results in muddy images & loss of detail.
Minimal Dot Gain
Clear, bright, sharp images every time. |
All this results in loss of detail, grey appearance, incorrect colour balance, and overall image muddiness. Dot gain is inherent in all halftone printing processes - the trick is having the experience, the equipment and the know-how to keep it to a minimum.
Tradewinds have the experience - lots of it, and the equipment - state of the art machinery.
The know how, well that goes without saying. |
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