Separations decide how a print looks long before ink touches the shirt. A clean set registers easily, holds its detail on press and prints with a soft hand. A rushed set means extra screens, fill-in, visible underbase and wasted shirts. Our screen printing separations are built by people who think about the press, the mesh and the garment, not just the artwork.
What color separation for screen printing means
Color separation splits a design into one layer per ink. Each layer is printed as a black positive on clear film, and each film exposes one screen. Solid areas print as solid ink, and tones are made with halftone dots. The separations also carry everything the printer needs to line the screens up: registration marks, the color name and the print order.
Three types of separations
| Type | Best for | How it prints | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spot color | Logos, text, team designs, flat graphics | Each color is a solid shape or simple halftone in its own ink | $25 up to 4 colors, then $5 per extra color |
| Simulated process | Photos, painted and detailed illustrations on light or dark garments | A set of spot inks with overlapping halftones that blend into full color | Quoted |
| Index | Detailed art where you want a bold, grainy look and easy registration | Square dots of the same size placed side by side, one ink per dot | Quoted |
Spot color separations
Spot color separations cover most garment work. Each ink is a separate, solid vector shape, colors are specified by Pantone name, and where two colors meet they are trapped so no gaps show on press. If the design uses a tint, such as a lighter version of one ink, it becomes a halftone on that same screen instead of an extra color.
Clean vector art is the starting point. If your artwork is a low-resolution JPG or a screenshot, it needs to be redrawn first; order logo vectorization on the same order and we separate from the new vector file.
Simulated process separations
Simulated process separations reproduce full color art with a limited set of spot inks, often somewhere between six and ten screens including the underbase. Each ink gets its own halftone channel, and the overlapping dots blend visually into shades and gradients. Sim process works well on dark garments where CMYK process printing struggles. Because the number of screens and the work involved depend heavily on the art, simulated process separations are quoted after we see the file.
Index separations
Index separations convert the art into square dots of a single size, each dot assigned one ink with no overlap. The result looks slightly pixelated up close and bright from a distance. Index is forgiving on registration and works well on manual presses. Like sim process, it is quoted per design.
Underbase for dark garments
On dark garments, most ink colors need a white underbase printed first, flashed and then overprinted. Without it, colors look dull and sink into the fabric. A good underbase is not just a white copy of the design:
- Choked slightly smaller than the top colors so no white edge peeks out.
- Knocked out where the design uses the shirt color itself, which keeps the print lighter and softer.
- Halftoned under darker top colors that do not need full white behind them, which reduces ink deposit and improves hand.
- Paired with a highlight white, printed last, when bright white areas need extra opacity.
If you print discharge or other water-based inks that do not need an underbase, say so in your order notes and we build the separations for that process instead.
Choke, spread and trap basics
No press holds perfect registration, so separations build in small overlaps. Spreading (also called trapping) makes a lighter color slightly larger so it tucks under a darker neighbor. Choking makes a shape slightly smaller, most often the underbase, so it hides under the top colors. The amount is small, usually a fraction of a millimeter, and depends on your press, garment and mesh. Tell us if your shop uses a specific trap width and we build to it.
Halftones
Garment screen printing uses much coarser halftones than paper printing. Common settings:
| Setting | Typical choice | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Line screen | About 45 to 65 LPI | Coarser dots hold better on fabric and on typical garment meshes |
| Mesh match | Mesh count roughly 4 to 5 times the LPI | Helps dots sit on the mesh without dropping out |
| Angle | Commonly around 22.5 degrees | Reduces moire between the dots and the mesh threads |
| Dot shape | Elliptical or round | Elliptical dots give smoother midtone transitions |
Very small highlight dots and very small shadow gaps tend to drop out or fill in on press, so we keep tonal ranges inside what the mesh can reproduce. If your shop has standard LPI, angle or mesh counts, add them to the order and we use them.
Registration marks and film-ready output
Every separation set is delivered film ready:
- One black positive per screen, including underbase and highlight white
- Registration marks in the same position on every film
- Each film labeled with the ink color, Pantone name where specified, and the print order
- A composite preview showing the design on the garment color
- Output at the print size you ordered
We deliver digital files only. You output the films on your own film printer or send the files to a film output service.
Pricing and turnaround
Spot color separations are $25 for up to 4 spot colors, plus $5 for each additional color. A six color job, for example, is $25 plus two extra colors at $5 each. Tell us the garment color so the proof shows every screen, including any underbase and highlight white, before you pay. Simulated process and index separations are quoted.
Standard turnaround is 24 hours, with rush (12 hours) and express (6 hours) available. For quoted work, the clock starts when you accept the quote. Shops ordering separations every week can also add redraws, DTF files and embroidery through the same dashboard, as described on our page for print shops.
What to tell us when you order
- Garment colors the design will print on
- Ink colors, by Pantone number if you have them
- Print size and placement
- Your press setup: manual or automatic and the number of heads
- Preferred mesh counts, LPI and trap width, if your shop has standards
- Ink type, such as plastisol, water-based or discharge
For the full range of vector work, including redraws and custom art, see vector art conversion.
Need seps for your next run? Upload the art and see your separation price before you submit.