In this article we will look at how to make the ‘quality’ of files better simulate the production process, to get the sharper or rougher look. Here we are not looking at colour breakdown changes or overprinting colour effects, if you want to improve these aspects please see articles on AVA Production Colour Management or contact AVA for further information on this.
Typical Gravure Printing
Normally you will see that the Gravure prints look a little less soft than CAD prints, you will see small white spots in solid areas on the production prints and the production print registration will not be perfect.
To get the Sharpness we would suggest using the Gaussian Noise Filter, see effect below
This effect was created using the settings shown below, you may need to adjust these settings to get closer to your production.
To get the effects of the white dots you could use a texture on an opaque layer, or apply this to a mask so you could have a slightly different texture for each layer, see example below.
To get the effect of layers printing a little off set, I used the Palette action ‘Tracking checker’ to randomly shift the layers a little. As with all these effects it’s quite obvious you will never get exactly the same registration error as production, but putting in the small offset can help simulate registration errors from a typical production press. Below you can see an example of this effect.
You could apply these effects with a Palette and save in a Separate file that is for colouring / proofing, not Engraving. Alternatively you could use a Palette to apply the effects for printing only and leave the file unchanged, there is an example palette for this available to download.
The dot gain will also have a large impact on screen printed designs, for more information on Dot Gains click here or contact AVA Technical Support.
DeleteTypical Screen Printing textiles
The part of the production process that will have the biggest effect with regards to screen printing is normally the halftone dot structure used when printing in production. You will also get more of a registration issue than with other printing methods.
To get the halftone screen effect you simply need to apply the same or similar halftone screening to the layers in your file. If you are licensed for this function you will find Halftone screening in the Layers menu. You can create a new file or add screened layers to the existing file, you would simply use these layers when printing so you get a similar effect to your production.
To get the effect of layers printing a little off set, I used the Palette action ‘Tracking checker’ to randomly shift the layers a little. As with all these effects it’s quite obvious you will never get exactly the same registration error as production, but putting in the small offset can help simulate registration errors from a typical production press. Below you can see an example of this effect where the file is screened and offset.
The dot gain will also have a large impact on screen printed designs, for more information on Dot Gains click here or contact AVA Technical Support.
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