# Help needed with RIP and halftones



## 2MFPress (Jul 29, 2009)

I have just entered the screen printing world from magazine printing and am having a few issues. Hopefully someone can help me out.

So, by now I've realized that I need to print some things with halftones. I don't have enough capital to buy AccuRIP or some other software. However, I have downloaded ghostscript and a viewer, but still can't tell if I'm doing everything correctly. I'm looking via the viewer for halftone dots, but don't see any. 

Do I need a RIP if I have ps print drivers or can I just use them? Should I be able to actually see the halftone dots, even on a vector image? Can someone help me?


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## out da box (May 1, 2007)

You wont see the halftones with ghost view- I dont think.. but the output on your inkjet should be halftones.


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## customprint (Jun 2, 2009)

Hi Bill, To have total control over printing halftone vectors from drawing software such as corel draw & illustrator you really need a good rip such as Accurip. If you can save hi res. to photo shop, there is a free download to do halftones there: EasyArt Downloads.
Hope this helps.
Cheers,
Brent.


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## 2MFPress (Jul 29, 2009)

out da box said:


> You wont see the halftones with ghost view- I dont think.. but the output on your inkjet should be halftones.


If I make the postscript file a pdf, should I be able to see it in Acrobat?


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## 2MFPress (Jul 29, 2009)

customprint said:


> Hi Bill, To have total control over printing halftone vectors from drawing software such as corel draw & illustrator you really need a good rip such as Accurip. If you can save hi res. to photo shop, there is a free download to do halftones there: EasyArt Downloads.
> Hope this helps.
> Cheers,
> Brent.


Will the halftone images be any good to print? Have you seen download in action and does it work well?


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## JonnRamaer (Aug 7, 2009)

Hey Bill, 
I have been using both Corel and Photoshop for four years now. Still learning Photoshop tricks. I use Ghost script/view for outputting halftones from my Corel Work...and I use the halftone pluging provided by EasyArt, as recommeded by Brent, for outputs from Photoshop. Both work fantastically! Have no fear for the photoshop plugin. Use it and make your life a slice of heaven!


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## 2MFPress (Jul 29, 2009)

JonnRamaer said:


> Hey Bill,
> I have been using both Corel and Photoshop for four years now. Still learning Photoshop tricks. I use Ghost script/view for outputting halftones from my Corel Work...and I use the halftone pluging provided by EasyArt, as recommeded by Brent, for outputs from Photoshop. Both work fantastically! Have no fear for the photoshop plugin. Use it and make your life a slice of heaven!


Jonn,

Thanks for the response, I guess my question to your answer is how do I know that ghostscript is working without printing? It seems to me that if I continue to process the postscript file and make it a pdf, I should be able to see halftone dots in the pdf. I've also tried viewing it in preview to no avail. I have never used Corel, but have used Illustrator for around 12 years.


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## out da box (May 1, 2007)

You will not see the halftone dots on- screen. If you bitmap the image in photoshop- you can see halftones on-screen, but that is the only way I know besides my non-standard ghostscript program. My version of ghostscript is NOT the usual version- I can output directly to my Epson 4800 or output to a .bmp file as viewable and printable halftones.


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## JonnRamaer (Aug 7, 2009)

Hey Bill, 

I just tried a test. I converted a cmyk post script file to a pdf in adobe acrobat. All I saw was the greyscale seps, no hafltones. 

I think dependent on the printer you use, your preview would show the dots in preview. I used to use an HP 656c... it showed the dots in preview. Now I use an HP 9800... it doesnt show dots in preview, the image just looks sort of rough-ish. 

But still, rest assured the software does work! My cmyk practice attests to it.

I have tried to attach a pic here, to show the results achieved with halftones from ghostscript. I hope my attachment came through. Its winnie the pooh.


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## ROBEE (Jan 11, 2009)

Hey john what mesh count did you use and if i have photoshop 7 and use a laser printer can i use that ghost script? What kind of exposure unit did you use? I know alot of questions but that winnie came out really good ive been printing for about a year with no formal training on printing or photoshop i would be stoked if my halftones came out like that looks good.


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## JonnRamaer (Aug 7, 2009)

Hey Rob, I love the questions, glad to be of help.

Ok, here goes: 
I use 40 lpi
I use both Flemenco method and Variant angles to do CMYK...I found they both work, have tests as proof.

My mesh count...i guess its about 110. 
I dont use "standard mesh". To start cheap, I use Organza... a polyester-cotton mesh-fabric available in fabric stores for $20 a yard here in Trinidad. It is not as tough as standard mesh, but it goes the whole distance. I have done up to 300 prints of one design using this material. For you, I would recommend using mesh between 195 to 230 for your CMYK work.

Yes, you can use Phtshp 7 and a laser printer to output your halftones just fine. I have not used a laser printer to do my work, I use inkjet, but a friend of mine uses laser. His films look really crisp and nice. Using photoshop, you should get the free halftone plugin from Wilflex Easy Art and you can produce great dots with any printer!!!

EasyArt Downloads

Will show you my exposure unit soon....


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## jsf (Aug 4, 2009)

Photoshop will do everything for your seps. You will actually see end-result.

Do not print your artwork seps as .pdf it will add bitmap/jpeg compression to your work!!!!!

Here's a video on how you can easily do ripping using photoshop.

http://vimeo.com/2811225

[media]http://vimeo.com/2811225[/media]Only thing differs with the video is how he actually designate angles for every channel.

Try printing my sample... and see the difference. 

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=WJ94ASSX


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## JonnRamaer (Aug 7, 2009)

Ok, Rob, 

Here is my light box....

Made of half inch thick plywood sheet. Measures internally 26" L x 24" w x 8.5" D. It houses eight 2-foot fluorescent bulbs/tubes set in encased-trays. Topped over with half inch thick plain sheet of glass resting on stoppers set inside the walls of the light box. I can burn a screen in five minutes with this device. I have made fundamental calibrations on the glass to facilitate placement of positives and the screen itself. When exposing, I put a doubled piece of black bristol-board (card board) inside the screen, atop that a square cut piece of one-eight inch thick plywood sheet, then a few five pound dumbbell plates (not on top each other) to keep the exposure tight. 

Then...VOILA! A screen is burned in 5 minutes! Even my Halftones!!! Yes, halftones in 5 minutes with normal fluorescent bulbs.


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## ROBEE (Jan 11, 2009)

John wow thats good to know im actually building the same type of box tonight crazy right.....i've been using a 500 watt construction light i built out of pvc pipe about 20 inches from the screen works good but cant do half tones they just wash out the box im building tonight is 25x20 with the hieght bieng 8 inches i bought 4 plant/aqrium 20watt bulbs they are 24" long but im having trouble finding the fixtures for them word is is that the t-12 size (the ones i have) are becoming obsolete i think ima hit up a few garage sales tomorrow. I cant wait to see how it works, thats funny that you get your mesh from a fabric store when i first started printing i used those wooden embroidery hoops and the wedding gown fabric that they have at fabric stores about $6 a yard even though i only got what i got ive come a long way with many moons to go thanks for the halftone info.


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## JonnRamaer (Aug 7, 2009)

No probs Rob. 

Go bravely! Do well! 

I am checking out the video posted by jsf. It is going great. I am just so happy to find a forum where people like you guys are not uppity and snobbish or harsh about sharing and advice. I like it here. God bless.


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## ROBEE (Jan 11, 2009)

JOHN "I have made fundamental calibrations on the glass to facilitate placement of positives and the screen itself. " WHAT DOES THAT MEAN DID YOU PUT DOUBLE GLASS?


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## JonnRamaer (Aug 7, 2009)

Oh no, no. Not double glass.

It only means that I drew out the shape of the standard frame I use, centered on the glass, with a marker. 

Then using a ruler, marked off inch measurements along both sides to help me level off my positives when placing them on the glass. To aid this further, I have a flat wooden strip about 1 1/4 inch wide that i place across the glass, so my positives can be leveled by it, then i remove the strip so I can tape my positive down. 

My screen goes within the border/ outline you see marked on the glass. Look closely and you see short lines marked along the sides of the rectangular outline...those are my inch measurements. 

That's all there is to it.


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## A Perfect Pixel (Jul 4, 2008)

2MFPress said:


> Will the halftone images be any good to print? Have you seen download in action and does it work well?


I just tried it on my mac with CS3 and it just threw up a bunch of error messages... I dont get it

Oh well


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## Digitee (Jan 13, 2008)

Thanks for the link EasyArt Downloads.


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