Screen Printing Forum

hey,

first time post here...

i was wondering if you guys could point me in the direction of anything that has to do with halftone printing. i know what they are, but i am curious of the quality of halftones. i.s can you see the actual individual circles on the printed shirt like you can with magazines/newspapers sometimes? also any examples of printed halftonework and a way to set them up in photoshop?

thanks

well....
Start by doing some research
learn what the definition of HALFTONE is
then look up DOT GAIN
LINE SCREEN or LPI

It helps to have a clear understanding of terms when trying to achieve greatness.

I personally do all my Halftones in Illustrator... thats just me.

to answer your question YES you can see the dots but it all depends on the set up and application.
I print alot of haltones at 33LPI but when doing process stuff I try to get at LEAST 83LPI

GOOD LUCK
and READ READ READ

Where do you set them up in Illustrator? I do mine in Photoshop, but doing them straight from Illus. (I output my film from Illustrator) sounds handy.

First Post, just found you last night
JEff

sorry.... for delays ... SHOP IS SLAMMED WITH NEW BUSINESS.

Illustrator seps are EASY! if you have a postscript printer or RIP software.

I would take pictures but I am on VACATION!
maybe next month

is there a difference between LPI and DPI when printing haftones in photoshop. how do you print haftones in illustrator without importing them from photoshop.

LPI is LINES PER INCH.
You may also hear it refered to as LINE SCREEN but depends who you talk to.

33 Lpi is a nice size dot.... Not the best for CYMK prints or REALLY DETAIL ART.
I go with 53 LPI for most of my stuff and 83 LPI on process stuff.

Also, you might want to make note when making screens, the frequency, the lines per inch, or line screen is effected by the screen mesh. If you use too high of a line screen and not high of a mesh, you end up with a moire pattern. This is not a great thing, so to avoid it, I use a simple formula that I never have had a moire problem even since.

The first thing is the angle. If I am printing halftones only and not CMYK, I use a 22.5 angle with an eliptical pattern. I used to use a dot pattern, but someone told me to use eliptical, and any additional problems I would have had with moire vanished. I believe with the angle and the eliptical pattern, you can push the line screen higher and still avoid moire.

As for the line screen, what I do is take the mesh count and divide by 4.5. So if you were using a 110 mesh, you would only be able to get away with a 24 line screen. That's too low to be printing with screenprinting without making the dots too big. It's cool for a certain look, but not just simple halftones. Of course, the higher the mesh count, the harder it is to print through it manually, especially with white ink. So you need to find a good mesh that you can print through easy enough.

If you were to use a 180 mesh, you could easily use a 40 line screen. Now, I have never tried to see how high I could go with my line screen since I switched to elliptical and a 22.5 angle. My guess is you could go higher than what I'm used to. Since I now have an auto, I usually use a 230 mesh with a 51 line screen, so I've never had the need to test out the higher line screens on the lower mesh. I also never print CMYK shirts so it's never been an issue to try to get the highest line screen.

This is just a rule of thumb that I used over the years and have eliminated moire in my shop. If you use a similar method and push the line screen according to the screen mesh, whatever you come up with, simply use that formula from here on out.

Most of what you say DTG is accurate.

Mesh Count
Line Screen
Angle
Pressure
All Major Factors in good halftones

I have to disagree with you in the 40 Lpi on 110 Mesh
I use 109 - 110 mesh count screens and can pull as high as 70Lpi
on white garments and
305 mesh count I regularly use 83Lpi and is AWESOME!!

I am printing on an auto... that may be why my #s are slanted

Actually, it really isn't a disagreement. I said that I never pushed the envelope once I began using a 22.5 angle with an elliptical dot. I also stated that I believe you could probably go higher. Before I started using that combination, I was having moire, after it, I never had the problem again. But again, I never needed to go higher.

So I am not disagreeing with you, I just haven't needed to try out the higher halftones in my form of printing. That's why I said, to test it and whatever you come up with, use that as your formula.

Roger That & Cheers!

hey DTG, i tried your methods of halftones for making some positives in illustrator, but when i went to print under output settings all my document ink options were grey and unclickable so i couldn't alter any of the frequency, angle and dot shape. does anybody know if i am doing something wrong?

inked wear

I'm not sure how Illustrator works, but in FreeHand, there is a window that indicates the halftones. I know some other adobe products change the halftones in the print dialogue window, but I'm not sure if you can do it inside of the app.

what do you think, roadside? i saw the pictures and instruction you posted for illustrator halftone printing, but i don't seem to have that option clickable on my print screen in CS2... any help?

thanks,

Inked Wear

Like I posted in the other thread. Your printer is NON-Postscript.
Please post your printer and computer information (brands and models)

There is a trick to print your documents as a PDF and then they will seperate but its a real pain in the butt.

Feel free to give me a call
856-875-5755

If you print out in CYMK, what colors do you print with?

CMYK = Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black

If you choose to screenprint with this method, then you need process inks. You can get them through any ink supplier.

Thanks.