CMYK print order

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2ampress
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CMYK print order

Post by 2ampress »

Hi all,

New to the site and have read the entire first page of the Newbie section...helps a lot.

When printing CMYK process...what is the recommended order in printing? I have been an offset printer for several years and the last Heidelberg press I operated printed them down as K,C,M,Y

From videos I've watched on youtube, I've seen it printed as Y,M,C,K and C,Y,M,K and also C,M,Y,K all on light or white garments. Seems to make sense to go from light to dark, but didn't know what is the best/recommended method.

Also, when printing on darks where you replace the black with white, where the black is reversed, what would be the print order then? Is it best to print a base white where Cyan and Magenta print as well?

Thanks,

Tracy
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tompaine
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Re: CMYK print order

Post by tompaine »

CMY&K is a typical print order, it doesn't really matter but it's easier to register to darker colours, but whatever works for you.
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BrokaToe
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Re: CMYK print order

Post by BrokaToe »

Generally the proper sequence for a CMYK print would be just that. And yes it is a good idea to print a base plate under the CMY. But only on darker garments. If you were printing on let's say a sport gray or white garment, then no, the base plate would not be necessary. But remember these colors must mix to create the proper effect for like a process print. Usually for just a photo, I would print, a winter blue, red, lemon yellow, then white and black on top. All of these in a 305 screen mesh. But the sequence may need to be moved around some depending on which colors are more dominate in the photo.
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