# Software for rip/halftones/color seperation



## BMF5656 (Oct 26, 2012)

I am a relatively inexperienced printer looking to make screen printing profitable. I would like to move on from simple 1 or 2 color jobs and move onto more complex artwork that has greyscale, shading/halftones and gradient involved with it.

What exactly do I need to print these kind of images software wise? Based on my ryonet screen printing 101 dvd I could spend 1000's of dollars on software like color seperation studio, spot process software and accurip. I have an epson 7150 printer. Can I obtain halftones and separate colors using just photoshop or a similar program?

I want to print this image on a tshirt for myself but am lost how to seperate it and get the halftones without these expensive programs


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## FullSpectrumSeps (Aug 2, 2012)

BMF5656 said:


> I am a relatively inexperienced printer looking to make screen printing profitable. I would like to move on from simple 1 or 2 color jobs and move onto more complex artwork that has greyscale, shading/halftones and gradient involved with it.
> 
> What exactly do I need to print these kind of images software wise? Based on my ryonet screen printing 101 dvd I could spend 1000's of dollars on software like color seperation studio, spot process software and accurip. I have an epson 7150 printer. Can I obtain halftones and separate colors using just photoshop or a similar program?


Yes you can create all the halftone color separations you need and print them just fine with equal or better separation and halftone quality than with the things you've mentioned... just with programs like GIMP, or Adobe Photoshop which I think is available for only $20 per month in the cloud version.... but even GIMP will produce color separations and halftones with equal quality if you know how to do it.

The advantage of programs like you mentioned is perhaps they will make it easier for a beginner to press the button to get a certain color-separation or print those separations to converted halftones (RIP) and in a certain way to a film printer to make dark positives for exposure. Without going into detail, I am simply answering the question that you don't absolutely need to spend the thousands on those programs, and you can get equal or better results with a free option like GIMP if you know how to create the color separations from there and convert the halftones, then print with the right settings to your film printer you should be able to dial in the same or better results, and also for programs like Adobe Photoshop you can find or create your own automation routines or plugins to speed up the workflow of color separation and halftone RIP conversion, and how to print those to your film output device.

In GIMP, I think it is under the effects/filters and "Newsprint" -- to create halftones / RIP, and color-separation can be done using certain adjustment tools and blend modes.

In another thread we were talking about this stuff and I'm working on a tutorial video for photoshop that will show a definitive and relatively easy/simple way to manually create the color-separations/halftone rip ready to print out to films in that program, and possibly I will show how to do it with GIMP as well. 

There are some very easy to learn and re-produce basic standard ways to work with graphics in these programs to color-separate and also to produce the halftone RIP (Raster Image Process), but things can get complicated the more you want to break away from the logical approach to blending halftones for print color reproduction, however the tools within the programs can also help you to create spot-color separations more easily from raster artwork and custom ink colors blending, but there is a sort of learning curve to it all... but you would have the best grasp of things as a printer yourself in knowing what you want to do with your inks/screens to reproduce a certain type of art/graphic.

In photoshop for example, you can use the "Image Adjustments> Selective Color", "Black and White" and "HSL" to extract/separate colors into greyscale/black and white gradients, and you can convert those to halftones yourself with the Image Mode> Bitmap conversions.

Attached is a full-color test-pattern I created for helping to test and calibrate color-separation in programs manually or with automated software, and another file is a greyscale test-pattern that I converted within Adobe Photoshop to a halftones at 30 LPI with a round dot, at 22.5 degrees angle using the method I listed above. The other greyscale file is a NON-RIPPED version of that test so you can try it out... but one thing to be sure is you match the Resolution... I have the DPI already set to 1200 DPI so when you convert to Bitmap mode you want to keep the output also at 1200. Then pick halftones and choose the numbers in the next step, such as 22.5 angle and Round Dots, maybe try a higher LPI (frequency) such as 45 or 55 LPI ... you can also try diffusion patterns but those require a lower DPI resolution output in the first step like 200, 250, or 300. 

You can print out and expose the already ripped greyscale test pattern, but there are ways people use to get dark and dense black on their printers like the epson you may want to search about yours on these forums to see how you can set your Pre-Ripped image to perhaps use more inks like the Cyan, Magenta, Yellow to give a darker image... which is what the "RIP software" programs that are standalone will do more automatically they will convert your separations from a program into halftones and print those with some density settings to the film of the epson... again you can still do this manually yourself to get the same or better results, just like the halftone conversion, but when you do it manually or with other automated programs you still need to take into account and find the best way that works with your particular film printer to pick the settings that will give the darkest print if you're not going to use a RIP program to process it. So it is a positive and a negative when it comes to learning things on your own or using automated software programs to do those things, and personally I can't really say which is better as I know both of those sides to it and it is not fair for me to discuss any further about the automation, so I'm only trying to help answer your question and offer advice and some tools or techniques/education and manual instruction about what you specifically asked about.


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## BMF5656 (Oct 26, 2012)

FullSpectrumSeps said:


> Yes you can create all the halftone color separations you need and print them just fine with equal or better separation and halftone quality than with the things you've mentioned... just with programs like GIMP, or Adobe Photoshop which I think is available for only $20 per month in the cloud version.... but even GIMP will produce color separations and halftones with equal quality if you know how to do it.
> 
> The advantage of programs like you mentioned is perhaps they will make it easier for a beginner to press the button to get a certain color-separation or print those separations to converted halftones (RIP) and in a certain way to a film printer to make dark positives for exposure. Without going into detail, I am simply answering the question that you don't absolutely need to spend the thousands on those programs, and you can get equal or better results with a free option like GIMP if you know how to create the color separations from there and convert the halftones, then print with the right settings to your film printer you should be able to dial in the same or better results, and also for programs like Adobe Photoshop you can find or create your own automation routines or plugins to speed up the workflow of color separation and halftone RIP conversion, and how to print those to your film output device.
> 
> ...


I am excited to see that video you are working on. Using photoshop/illustrator, how would you go about seperating the image I posted, to be printed on a white tee? What would be different if I wanted to print a black tee?


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## FullSpectrumSeps (Aug 2, 2012)

BMF5656 said:


> I am excited to see that video you are working on. Using photoshop/illustrator, how would you go about seperating the image I posted, to be printed on a white tee? What would be different if I wanted to print a black tee?


Actually I just finished up a recording and writing as "SIMPLE" of a method as I have found so far to really just manually create the halftone RIP conversion AND the color-separations at the same time, while going to what I like to call "Interlocked" halftone patterns which are really just an automatic result from the conversion of CMY/RGB directly into halftones.

I'm attaching a few files, this is going to be my primary "open-source" contribution to the color-separation and halftone RIP methods I teach and automate in Adobe Photoshop, and I have made both a simple How-To Text file for the steps I'm running in photoshop, and an action .atn file I wrote to go along with it that is the same steps in the text file but in actions so you can just play the button.

This creates a basic set of color-separations into halftones.. I defaulted to a 45 LPI sized dot and the interlock angles, the base would possibly still need to be choked.. but provided in the instructions /results from the actions are: Underbase White, Black, Highlight White, Process Cyan, Process Yellow, Process Magenta, Red-Yellow-Green-Cyan-Blue-Magenta 6-Hue Process set.... so you can pick between the process CMYK / WCMYKW, or the 6-hue what people call "simulated process" basic set of 6-colors you still mix with black and use the underbase or highlight whites to go on black or other colored shirts.

It's really only a start, because its in the stencil-making and lots of other variables that these things work out on press and with the inks, but its really not that hard or complicated I just wrote it in the last hour or so, took me longer to write it out in text while doing it than to just record the actions, lol... but this is a unique way to get right to the halftone RIP and separations in channels ready to print out to films... I will have to really show in the videos what to actually do perhaps choking the base or how to print out to films... but this is a FREE and OPEN-SOURCE tutorial and action, so feel free to share the text file and action file, I'm providing it to the forum and also will make a video and attach links to a cloud-hosted way to get the action and any other things I make that are free.

Thanks and stay tuned, let me know if you have any questions about this, I am pretty sure the tutorial steps in the text file and which I will list out in the next post, will work exactly as the actions file although the actions add a shirt-color at the end and re-arrange the channels to view it in photoshop but that is not necessary to simply print out the channel separations already ripped that you need to work with... for example with the image you provided.. if you were to run it through the steps or action and I think it will only need black, red, yellow, base and white.


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## FullSpectrumSeps (Aug 2, 2012)

Here are the steps in the text file for how to color-separate to halftones in photoshop & I've attached the text file and action to this in case its not in the previous post.
_________________________________
FULL-SPECTRUM FREE WCMYKW+RGBCMY PHOTOSHOP COLOR SEPARATION RIP TUTORIAL
______________________________________________________________________
(With MERGED over Transparent with no other layers, RGB Mode Document in Adobe Photoshop)

IMAGE> IMAGE SIZE> RESOLUTION: 1200 DPI, RESAMPLE CHECKED, NEAREST-NEIGHBOR (HARD EDGES)

RENAME ORIGINAL LAYER of MERGED ART TRANS BG to:

"ORIGINAL"

LAYER> DUPLICATE LAYER:

Name: "ORIGINAL INVERTED"

IMAGE> ADJUSTMENTS> INVERT

EDIT> FILL> CONTENTS: USE: WHITE, BLENDING: MODE: BEHIND, OPACITY 100%, OK

LAYER> HIDE LAYERS

(SELECT LAYER "ORIGINAL")

EDIT> FILL> CONTENTS: USE: WHITE, BLENDING: MODE: BEHIND, OPACITY 100%, OK

(SELECT RED CHANNEL SO THAT ALL CHANNELS ARE INVISIBLE EXCEPT RED)

IMAGE> MODE>BITMAP (Flatten Layers? OK) 

RESOLUTION: OUTPUT: 1200, METHOD: USE: HALFTONE SCREEN (OK)

FREQUENCY: 45, ANGLE: 22.5, SHAPE: ROUND (OK)

SELECT> ALL

EDIT> COPY

EDIT> STEP BACKWARD

EDIT> STEP BACKWARD

(SELECT RED CHANNEL SO THAT ALL CHANNELS ARE INVISIBLE EXCEPT RED)

EDIT> PASTE SPECIAL> PASTE IN PLACE

(SELECT GREEN CHANNEL SO THAT ALL CHANNELS ARE INVISIBLE EXCEPT GREEN)

IMAGE> MODE>BITMAP (Flatten Layers? OK) 

RESOLUTION: OUTPUT: 1200, METHOD: USE: HALFTONE SCREEN (OK)

FREQUENCY: 45, ANGLE: 22.5, SHAPE: ROUND (OK)

SELECT> ALL

EDIT> COPY

EDIT> STEP BACKWARD

EDIT> STEP BACKWARD

(SELECT GREEN CHANNEL SO THAT ALL CHANNELS ARE INVISIBLE EXCEPT GREEN)

EDIT> PASTE SPECIAL> PASTE IN PLACE

(SELECT BLUE CHANNEL SO THAT ALL CHANNELS ARE INVISIBLE EXCEPT BLUE)

IMAGE> MODE>BITMAP (Flatten Layers? OK) 

RESOLUTION: OUTPUT: 1200, METHOD: USE: HALFTONE SCREEN (OK)

FREQUENCY: 45, ANGLE: 22.5, SHAPE: ROUND (OK)

SELECT> ALL

EDIT> COPY

EDIT> STEP BACKWARD

EDIT> STEP BACKWARD

(SELECT BLUE CHANNEL SO THAT ALL CHANNELS ARE INVISIBLE EXCEPT BLUE )

EDIT> PASTE SPECIAL> PASTE IN PLACE

SELECT> DESELECT (IF STILL SELECTED)

(SELECT RGB CHANNEL ON TOP SO THAT ALL CHANNELS ARE SHOWING)

(SELECT LAYER "ORIGINAL INVERTED")

LAYER> SHOW LAYERS

IMAGE> ADJUSTMENTS> BLACK & WHITE> REDS: 100%, YELLOWS: 100%, GREENS: 100%, CYANS: 100%, BLUES: 100%, MAGENTAS: 100% (OK)

IMAGE> ADJUSTMENTS> INVERT

(SELECT RED CHANNEL SO THAT ALL CHANNELS ARE INVISIBLE EXCEPT RED)

IMAGE> MODE>BITMAP (Flatten Layers? OK) 

RESOLUTION: OUTPUT: 1200, METHOD: USE: HALFTONE SCREEN (OK)

FREQUENCY: 45, ANGLE: 22.5, SHAPE: ROUND (OK)

SELECT> ALL

EDIT> COPY

EDIT> STEP BACKWARD

EDIT> STEP BACKWARD

(SELECT RED CHANNEL SO THAT ALL CHANNELS ARE INVISIBLE EXCEPT RED)

(MAKE SURE ALL RGB CHANNELS AND RGB-CHANNEL SHOWING)

EDIT> PASTE SPECIAL> PASTE IN PLACE

LAYER> MERGE DOWN

IMAGE> ADJUSTMENTS> INVERT

(SELECT RED CHANNEL SO THAT ALL CHANNELS ARE INVISIBLE EXCEPT RED)

RIGHT-CLICK ON THE RED CHANNEL> SELECT DUPLICATE CHANNEL> NAME: HIGHLIGHT WHITE,(OK)

DOUBLE-CLICK CHANNEL> COLOR INDICATES: SELECT SPOT COLOR, COLOR: SET TO WHITE, SOLIDITY: 100%, (OK)

(SELECT RGB CHANNEL ON TOP SO THAT ALL CHANNELS ARE SHOWING)

LAYER> DELETE> LAYER (YES) (WITH THE "ORIGINAL INVERTED" SELECTED TO DELETE THIS LAYER)

LAYER> DUPLICATE LAYER> NAME: BLACK (OK)

IMAGE> ADJUSTMENTS> BLACK & WHITE> REDS: 100%, YELLOWS: 100%, GREENS: 100%, CYANS: 100%, BLUES: 100%, MAGENTAS: 100% (OK)

(SELECT RED CHANNEL SO THAT ALL CHANNELS ARE INVISIBLE EXCEPT RED)

RIGHT-CLICK ON THE RED CHANNEL> SELECT DUPLICATE CHANNEL> NAME: BLACK,(OK)

DOUBLE-CLICK CHANNEL> COLOR INDICATES: SELECT SPOT COLOR, COLOR: SET TO BLACK, SOLIDITY: 100%, (OK)

(SELECT RGB CHANNEL ON TOP SO THAT ALL CHANNELS ARE SHOWING)

LAYER> DELETE> LAYER (YES) (WITH THE "BLACK" RGB LAYER SELECTED TO DELETE THIS LAYER)

IMAGE> APPLY IMAGE> SOURCE, LAYER: MERGED, CHANNEL: BLACK, INVERT CHECKED,, TARGET, BLENDING: ADD, OPACITY: 100%, SCALE: 1, OFFSET: 0, UNCHECKED ALL, (OK)

(SELECT RED CHANNEL SO THAT ALL CHANNELS ARE INVISIBLE EXCEPT RED)

RIGHT-CLICK ON THE RED CHANNEL> SELECT DUPLICATE CHANNEL> NAME: CYAN,(OK)

DOUBLE-CLICK CHANNEL> COLOR INDICATES: SELECT SPOT COLOR, COLOR: SET TO CYAN, SOLIDITY: 0%, (OK)

(SELECT GREEN CHANNEL SO THAT ALL CHANNELS ARE INVISIBLE EXCEPT GREEN)

RIGHT-CLICK ON THE GREEN CHANNEL> SELECT DUPLICATE CHANNEL> NAME: MAGENTA,(OK)

DOUBLE-CLICK CHANNEL> COLOR INDICATES: SELECT SPOT COLOR, COLOR: SET TO MAGENTA, SOLIDITY: 0%, (OK)

(SELECT BLUE CHANNEL SO THAT ALL CHANNELS ARE INVISIBLE EXCEPT BLUE)

RIGHT-CLICK ON THE BLUE CHANNEL> SELECT DUPLICATE CHANNEL> NAME: YELLOW,(OK)

DOUBLE-CLICK CHANNEL> COLOR INDICATES: SELECT SPOT COLOR, COLOR: SET TO YELLOW, SOLIDITY: 0%, (OK)

(CREATE A NEW CHANNEL in THE CHANNELS will be called Alpha 1, Rename to "UNDERBASE WHITE")

IMAGE> ADJUSTMENTS> INVERT

DOUBLE-CLICK CHANNEL> COLOR INDICATES: SELECT SPOT COLOR, COLOR: SET TO WHITE, SOLIDITY: 100%, (OK)

WHILE SELECTED ON THE UNDERBASE WHITE CHANNEL,

IMAGE> APPLY IMAGE> SOURCE, LAYER: MERGED, CHANNEL: HIGHLIGHT WHITE, INVERT NOT CHECKED,, TARGET, BLENDING: LINEAR BURN, OPACITY: 100%,UNCHECKED ALL, (OK)

IMAGE> APPLY IMAGE> SOURCE, LAYER: MERGED, CHANNEL: CYAN, INVERT NOT CHECKED,, TARGET, BLENDING: LINEAR BURN, OPACITY: 100%,UNCHECKED ALL, (OK)

IMAGE> APPLY IMAGE> SOURCE, LAYER: MERGED, CHANNEL: MAGENTA, INVERT NOT CHECKED,, TARGET, BLENDING: LINEAR BURN, OPACITY: 100%,UNCHECKED ALL, (OK)

IMAGE> APPLY IMAGE> SOURCE, LAYER: MERGED, CHANNEL: YELLOW, INVERT NOT CHECKED,, TARGET, BLENDING: LINEAR BURN, OPACITY: 100%,UNCHECKED ALL, (OK)

IMAGE> CALCULATIONS> SOURCE 1, LAYER: MERGED, CHANNEL: YELLOW, INVERT UN-CHECKED,, SOURCE 2, LAYER: MERGED, CHANNEL: MAGENTA, INVERT UN-CHECKED,, BLENDING: ADD, OPACITY: 100%, SCALE: 1, OFFSET: 0, UNCHECKED ALL, , RESULT: NEW CHANNEL, (OK)

DOUBLE-CLICK CHANNEL> SET NAME TO "RED", COLOR INDICATES: SELECT SPOT COLOR, COLOR: SET TO RED, SOLIDITY: 100%, (OK)

IMAGE> CALCULATIONS> SOURCE 1, LAYER: MERGED, CHANNEL: YELLOW, INVERT UN-CHECKED,, SOURCE 2, LAYER: MERGED, CHANNEL: CYAN, INVERT UN-CHECKED,, BLENDING: ADD, OPACITY: 100%, SCALE: 1, OFFSET: 0, UNCHECKED ALL, , RESULT: NEW CHANNEL, (OK)

DOUBLE-CLICK CHANNEL> SET NAME TO "GREEN", COLOR INDICATES: SELECT SPOT COLOR, COLOR: SET TO GREEN, SOLIDITY: 100%, (OK)

IMAGE> CALCULATIONS> SOURCE 1, LAYER: MERGED, CHANNEL: CYAN, INVERT UN-CHECKED,, SOURCE 2, LAYER: MERGED, CHANNEL: MAGENTA, INVERT UN-CHECKED,, BLENDING: ADD, OPACITY: 100%, SCALE: 1, OFFSET: 0, UNCHECKED ALL, , RESULT: NEW CHANNEL, (OK)

DOUBLE-CLICK CHANNEL> SET NAME TO "BLUE", COLOR INDICATES: SELECT SPOT COLOR, COLOR: SET TO BLUE, SOLIDITY: 100%, (OK)

IMAGE> MODE> MULTICHANNEL (FLATTEN LAYERS OK)

(TOP RGB-CHANNEL DISAPPEARS, RED, GREEN, BLUE CHANNELS BECOME Cyan, Magenta, Yellow)

(SELECT CYAN CHANNEL AT THE TOP SO THAT NO OTHER CHANNELS ARE SHOWING)

IMAGE> APPLY IMAGE> SOURCE, LAYER: MERGED, CHANNEL: GREEN, INVERT CHECKED,, TARGET, BLENDING: ADD, OPACITY: 100%, SCALE: 1, OFFSET: 0, UNCHECKED ALL, (OK)

(with Cyan Channel still selected) IMAGE> APPLY IMAGE> SOURCE, LAYER: MERGED, CHANNEL: BLUE, INVERT CHECKED,, TARGET, BLENDING: ADD, OPACITY: 100%, SCALE: 1, OFFSET: 0, UNCHECKED ALL, (OK)

DOUBLE-CLICK CHANNEL> SET NAME TO "CYAN 6-HUE", COLOR INDICATES: SELECT SPOT COLOR, COLOR: SET TO CYAN, SOLIDITY: 100%, (OK)

(SELECT MAGENTA CHANNEL AT THE TOP SO THAT NO OTHER CHANNELS ARE SHOWING)

IMAGE> APPLY IMAGE> SOURCE, LAYER: MERGED, CHANNEL: BLUE, INVERT CHECKED,, TARGET, BLENDING: ADD, OPACITY: 100%, SCALE: 1, OFFSET: 0, UNCHECKED ALL, (OK)

(with Cyan Channel still selected) IMAGE> APPLY IMAGE> SOURCE, LAYER: MERGED, CHANNEL: RED, INVERT CHECKED,, TARGET, BLENDING: ADD, OPACITY: 100%, SCALE: 1, OFFSET: 0, UNCHECKED ALL, (OK)

DOUBLE-CLICK CHANNEL> SET NAME TO "MAGENTA 6-HUE", COLOR INDICATES: SELECT SPOT COLOR, COLOR: SET TO MAGENTA, SOLIDITY: 100%, (OK)

(SELECT YELLOW CHANNEL AT THE TOP SO THAT NO OTHER CHANNELS ARE SHOWING)

IMAGE> APPLY IMAGE> SOURCE, LAYER: MERGED, CHANNEL: RED, INVERT CHECKED,, TARGET, BLENDING: ADD, OPACITY: 100%, SCALE: 1, OFFSET: 0, UNCHECKED ALL, (OK)

(with Cyan Channel still selected) IMAGE> APPLY IMAGE> SOURCE, LAYER: MERGED, CHANNEL: GREEN, INVERT CHECKED,, TARGET, BLENDING: ADD, OPACITY: 100%, SCALE: 1, OFFSET: 0, UNCHECKED ALL, (OK)

DOUBLE-CLICK CHANNEL> SET NAME TO "YELLOW 6-HUE", COLOR INDICATES: SELECT SPOT COLOR, COLOR: SET TO YELLOW, SOLIDITY: 100%, (OK)

_____________________________________________


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## OSSKOBRET (Sep 17, 2011)

Thanks
That's a wealth of info for those of us that are not proficient in photoshop

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using T-Shirt Forums


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## BMF5656 (Oct 26, 2012)

WOW! thanks for all that. I'm going to play around with it tonight and see how it comes out.


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## jtedz (Sep 6, 2008)

thank you sir jeff...


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## FullSpectrumSeps (Aug 2, 2012)

The post has been up for too long so I can't edit it.. but I just tested and found I could only change 2 steps and this works just fine in Adobe Photoshop version 7!

So attached are updated Zip of the action and TEXT file of the tutorial steps where I changed the "black and white "effect into a "Hue/Saturation" effect does the same thing but PS 7 has no black and white effect... however it has all the halftone bitmap-mode RIP capability and other steps worked fine so its awesome... backward compatible!


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