What is color separation?
Color separation is the process of dividing a design into individual color layers so each color can be printed separately. In screen printing, every ink color needs its own screen. If a design has four colors, you need four separated layers, each one containing only the shapes that print in that color.
A separation file can make the difference between a sharp print and a messy one. Poorly separated art leads to muddy edges, gaps between colors and wasted ink and screens.
Who needs color separation
- Screen printers preparing a job for films or screens
- Apparel brands ordering printed t-shirts
- Schools, clubs and teams printing uniforms
- Sign shops and print studios
- Designers who need production-ready artwork
Types of separation
Spot color separation
Each ink color is chosen and printed as a solid. Spot color gives bold, consistent results and is the most common approach for logos and simple graphics.
Simulated process
Many colors are simulated with a set of base inks and halftone dots. This is used for detailed, multicolor artwork on garments, often with an underbase on dark fabric.
CMYK process
The image is split into cyan, magenta, yellow and black. This suits photographic artwork and certain print workflows.
Which approach is right depends on your artwork, the garment and your printer's setup. Tell us your method and we prepare the separation to match.
What we do
- We review your artwork and your print method.
- We rebuild or clean the art as vector shapes when needed.
- We separate each ink color onto its own layer.
- We clean edges so layers print crisply.
- We add small overlaps, known as trapping, where colors meet, to reduce gaps from slight misregistration.
- We prepare the files for your workflow.
- A person checks the files.
Dark garments and underbase
When you print on dark fabric, a white underbase is often printed first so colors stay bright. If you need an underbase layer, mention it in the order form and we prepare it for you.
Information that helps us
- Number of colors your printer can handle
- Garment color
- Ink type, such as plastisol or water-based
- Size of the print
- Pantone colors, if specific colors matter
- Whether you need halftones
Files we deliver
We deliver vector files with each color on its own layer, in formats such as AI, EPS, SVG and PDF. If your printer needs a particular setup, tell us and we follow it.
Tips for a better separation
- Send the cleanest artwork available. If your image is low resolution, start with our image to vector service.
- Reduce unnecessary colors. Fewer colors mean lower printing cost.
- Avoid tiny gaps and hairlines, since they may not print well.
- Tell us your minimum line thickness if your printer has one.
Pricing
Simple separation jobs start from $10 as part of our vector pricing. Artwork with many colors or heavy cleanup is quoted before we begin. See our pricing page.
Related services
Need your artwork rebuilt first? See vectorization. Want to put the same logo on a shirt in thread? Visit left chest embroidery digitizing.