Choosing Your Film Output System

This is the place to talk about how to create film positives for screen printing. You may discuss topics like RIP software, inkjet and laser printers, film positive products, thermal printers and image setters.

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Catspit Productions
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Choosing Your Film Output System

Post by Catspit Productions »

In order to print film positives which you will need to make the stencil on your screen, you will have to choose a film output system for your graphics computer and software. There are a few options here and we need to consider the quality of each. The best output system would be image setters but they are very costly and film outsourced on them may also be expensive. Thermal printers would be the next best option but the printer itself can cost $5000 and up depending on size and brand. Next would be water proof inkjet films with special dye based inks in an Epson printer. This article covers the subject well: http://catspitproductionsllc.com/outputtingfilm.html

For my Epson printer picks please visit this page of the Catspit Productions website: http://catspitproductionsllc.com/inkjet-printers.html

Try out my very own inkjet film positives for inkjet printers here: http://catspitproductionsllc.com/inkjet ... tives.html

Other film and vellum media are printed using laser printers. That would be the last choice I think as far as quality and density of the final film positive. Finally you will need some RIP software to control the output of the film positive to the printer. This will enable you to produce halftones and it should also help you control ink flow to some extent through different heads with all black dye inkjet systems. If you use laser printers and vellum, this video will help out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovFu5ELTdV0

This article is about different types of film positives: http://catspitproductionsllc.com/film-positives.html

This video offers some tips on working with film positives: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6es7fC_CKw

What type film positive do you use? What printer or other device are you using to print the film positives? Which RIP software do you run? Does the RIP software run well on your computer? And finally what would you recommend to a fellow beginner in screen printing T shirts from what you have learned or experienced with your film output system?
Jonathan Monaco
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ApeShirt
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Re: Choosing Your Film Output System

Post by ApeShirt »

I have an Epson 1400 with AccuRip. I have yet to use it though.
Greg
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Re: Choosing Your Film Output System

Post by Catspit Productions »

ApeShirt wrote:I have an Epson 1400 with AccuRip. I have yet to use it though.
I think I might be doing a video with AccuRip and inks from Ryonet in the future. Maybe that will help but if you get to using yours first make sure to leave a post about it... :D
Jonathan Monaco
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ApeShirt
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Re: Choosing Your Film Output System

Post by ApeShirt »

Catspit Productions wrote:
ApeShirt wrote:I have an Epson 1400 with AccuRip. I have yet to use it though.
I think I might be doing a video with AccuRip and inks from Ryonet in the future. Maybe that will help but if you get to using yours first make sure to leave a post about it... :D
That would be outstanding! I'm going to try to explore with it this coming week.
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Re: Choosing Your Film Output System

Post by Catspit Productions »

Make sure to let us know how it goes. You can post pictures and embed YouTube videos here on the forum too! Good luck!
Jonathan Monaco
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Free Man
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Re: Choosing Your Film Output System

Post by Free Man »

Just a thought for options. Was out of ink once and didnt have the cash for new cartridge so I just took art work on thumb drive to kinkos and they printed my transparencies for me. It was actually at a cost of slightly less than I print them for., of course the worth of being in home or shop and not driving some where, waiting in line, etc., all makes printing your own worth while.
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Re: Choosing Your Film Output System

Post by Catspit Productions »

Yeah you can certainly do that. There should also be print houses that will do film from an image setter for you too if you needed that high quality film positive.

But generally speaking inkjet film positives should be much darker than laser transparencies. That’s why many people who use them double them up for opacity.

Thanks for the input!
Jonathan Monaco
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http://catspitscreenprintsupply.com/
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Free Man
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Re: Choosing Your Film Output System

Post by Free Man »

Welcome, man I am like addicted to this forum now. Sorry if I am just talking too much every where here. Just soaking it all in. Thanks.
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Re: Choosing Your Film Output System

Post by Catspit Productions »

No problem. I appreciate your using the forum!
Jonathan Monaco
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http://catspitscreenprintsupply.com/
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Reflections
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Re: Choosing Your Film Output System

Post by Reflections »

Hi Jonathon. First of all may I say that I'm a big fan of yours, you know almost as much about screen printing as I do... Only joking lol
I am an experienced screen printer and last year I also started to use vinyl transfers as well as screen printing. I picked that up in a couple of hours, mainly from youtube clips. Now I've ventured into inkjet transfers. The print quality that I'm getting from my Epson xp 202 is brilliant. Some of the fine detail and shading is amazing, and with no screens, separations and set-up and take-down times, it is going to be a cost effective hit, I know.
One thing puzzles me tho'. Rich black ink. Why is it so difficult to get inkjet printers to only print only black, rather than using C,M,Y,K? Surely black is black, and adding any other colour (which is by default lighter than black) is going to make the black lighter. I can't get my head around this.
I've found the best way to get a truly rich black is to print my transfers twice. I'm talking about multi colour prints which include black. Obviously this is twice as time consuming and costing twice the amount regarding ink. But transfers that are only printed once, to me, seem pale and light. The quality of the print is the most important thing to me and my business, so I don't regard the extra costs relevant.

Keep up the good work,mate. Your videos are truly educational, and I'm sure you've helped out thousands of people over the years.
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