The best way to ensure quality color separations that result in accurate, clear screen prints is to create and follow a process for color separation time and time again. You absolutely can create successful color separations, project after project, relatively simply, with no additional training or fancy software. The separations are performed in Photoshop, but images can be easily transferred from other programs, such as CorelDRAW or Illustrator. However, it often takes more colors to create a photorealistic print. Performing and printing and index color separation can be easier to perform than process separations. Index color separations use square pixels of the same size, rather than halftone dots, to create color shading. Like four-color process separations, simulated-process color separations are done in Photoshop. They tend to be more vivid than four-color process prints and can be printed on darker materials, unlike four-color process separations.

The difference is that simulated process color separations utilize a range of ink colors. Like traditional four-color process separations, simulated-process color separations make use of halftone dots to create highly detailed or photorealistic images. These types of separations are usually done in Photoshop, and creating a process color separation and printing four-color process correctly can be tricky. The four-color process uses halftone dots of CMYK - cyan, magenta, yellow and black - to create detailed, photorealistic images. Spot color separations are usually created in CorelDRAW or Illustrator. While they are typically solid, spot color separations can include some halftone dots to create a shading effect. Spot color separations are done for vector images. The most common type of color separations used in screen printing is spot color separation. Common screen printing color separations include:

Understanding the different types of separations, and the challenges they present, can help you execute successful separations on a routine basis.

There are a handful of separation processes that screen printers use. Color separations are vital to the screen printing process, but they can be tricky! Here are the basics to get you started.

Spot process separation studio 4