A Better Way to Underbase?

Talk about what's on your mind! For topics unrelated to our other forums.

Moderator: Moderator Team

Post Reply
Xtreme_Adam
Just Browsing
Just Browsing
Posts: 3
Joined: Wed Sep 15, 2010 2:19 pm

A Better Way to Underbase?

Post by Xtreme_Adam »

I'm looking for a better way to create an underbase. Here's my situation:

I use Separation Studio (I still call it SPVR though) for separating raster images. Then I place the eps file into illustrator and print the spot colors that were created from Separation Studio. If I want to print a vector image, I obviously don't use Separation Studio, I just output the spot colors. Separation Studio automatically creates a Base White, whereas I need to create one when printing a vector image made in illustrator. All that I do to create that base white is change all the spot colors to the same white spot color and resave the file as a Base White file. I do not change the positioning of the design at all. That's not where I'm having trouble though.

When the designs are finally on screens, it seems like the Spot Process designs line up perfectly with no underbase being visible. When I have to create the base white myself, our printer has one heck of a time lining the base white up. I have resolved to adding a 0.25 point outline of a "no-print ink" so that it actually slightly shrinks the base white image. That has seemed to help our printer line the screens up, but I would like to know if there's an easier way, other than just sending those vector files also through Separation Studio. I don't know if this is actually happening or not, but when I'm in Separation Studio, I zoom in to the base white channel and then switch to a different channel and it looks like the base white channel is slightly smaller, like a pixel or two smaller. Maybe I'm just seeing things on that though.

Any advice?

Thanks!
Post Reply