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Spot color, CMYK and simulated process

Color Separation for Screen Printing

Color separation splits your artwork into one layer per ink, so you can output a film or positive for every screen. We separate spot color, CMYK and simulated process artwork by hand, with the white underbase and highlight white set for the garment color you print on. One flat price per design, not per ink, with unlimited revisions.

One channel per ink, named in print order
Underbase and highlight white for dark garments
Halftone settings matched to your press
Send artwork for separation → See all prices
Separations by hand
Send the artwork you print
Logos, illustrations and photo-real designs
From $12 per design
Separation type chosen for the artwork and garment
Each ink on its own named channel
White underbase choked so it stays hidden

Free quote, nothing to pay now. Need rush, formats or notes? Use the full form

One
Channel per ink, in print order
4
Separation methods: spot, CMYK, simulated, index
Per design
Flat price, never per ink
Unlimited
Revisions, no time limit
4–8h
Standard delivery
At a glance

Color separation specs

What it isYour artwork split into one layer per ink, each ready to output as a film or positive for its own screen
MethodsSpot color, CMYK (four-color process), simulated process and index separations
Garment colorLight or dark. For dark garments we build a white underbase and, where the design needs it, a highlight white
Files deliveredA layered file with one channel per ink, plus separated PDFs you can send to film. Tell us if your RIP needs another format
HalftonesSet to the line count and angle you give us. If you do not know them, we use a common default and tell you which
Artwork we work fromVector files (AI, EPS, SVG, PDF) or high-resolution images (PSD, TIFF, PNG, JPG). Blurry or low-resolution art can be redrawn first
PriceFlat rate per design, not per ink; rush +50%. See the price table below
TurnaroundStandard 4–8 hours · Rush 2–4 hours · Super rush 1–2 hours, 24/7. Large simulated process jobs are confirmed in your quote
Choosing the method

Four ways to separate artwork

Spot color is for logos, text and flat shapes: each solid color becomes one ink. It is the cleanest and cheapest to print, and most business artwork needs nothing else.

CMYK process rebuilds a full-color image from cyan, magenta, yellow and black dots. It works best for photographs printed on white or very light garments.

Simulated process uses a handful of spot inks, plus an underbase, to reproduce photo-real artwork on dark garments, where CMYK inks would disappear. Index separations do a similar job with square dots of solid color, which some presses hold more easily than fine halftones.

Not sure which one you need? Send the artwork and the garment color, and we recommend the method before any work starts.

Separation is only as good as the artwork behind it. If your file is a blurry JPG, we redraw it first as clean screen-print vector art, then separate it.

What we check on every job
01
Ink count that fits your press
We keep the number of screens to what the design needs, and to the maximum you tell us your press can run.
02
An underbase that stays hidden
The white underbase is choked back from the edges, so it supports the colors without peeking out around them.
03
Channels in print order
Every channel is named after its ink and ordered as it prints, so the files make sense at the press without a phone call.
Which method fits

Match the method to the artwork

A rough guide. We confirm the method, and the number of inks, in your quote.

Your artworkSeparation methodTypical inks
Logo, text or flat shapesSpot color1 to 4, one per color
Photo on a white or light garmentCMYK process4
Photo-real art or gradients on a dark garmentSimulated processUsually 6 to 10, including underbase
Photo-real art where fine dots are hard to holdIndexUsually 6 to 10, square dots

Printing on colored garments? Tell us the shirt color, because it changes the underbase and which inks can drop out.

Pricing

What color separation costs

SeparationPriceNotes
Spot color separation, up to 4 inks$12Each ink on its own channel, underbase included for dark garments
5 or more inks, CMYK, simulated process or index$22Underbase and highlight white included where the design needs them
Blurry or low-resolution artwork redrawn first$10See screen-print vector art
Rush (2–4 hours)+50%Added to the base price of the design
Super rush (1–2 hours)+50%Added to the base price of the design

Flat rate per design, not per ink. Every separation includes the layered file, separated PDFs for film output and unlimited revisions with no time limit. Standard delivery is 4–8 hours, 24/7.

Get a price for this design → See the full price list
Auto-separation vs by hand

What a one-click separation gives you vs a hand separation

Automatic separation
Too many near-identical inks. Every slight shade becomes its own screen.
Underbase printed edge to edge. White creeps out around the colors.
Unnamed channels in random order. Guesswork at the press.
Halftones left at software defaults. Dots too fine for the mesh fill in or wash out.
No thought for the shirt color. Colors that could drop out are printed anyway.
Separated by hand
The fewest inks that hold the design. Fewer screens, faster setups.
Underbase choked back. Clean edges on dark garments.
Channels named and ordered. Ready to output and register.
Halftones set for your press. Line count and angle you asked for.
Garment color used on purpose. Shirt shows through where it helps.
What to send

What we need for a color separation

  • The artwork: a vector file or the highest-resolution image you have
  • The garment color, or colors if you print the design on several
  • How many inks you want to use, or the most screens your press can run
  • Press details if you have them: mesh count, halftone line count and angle
  • Pantone references or brand colors, if the inks must match
Send artwork for separation →
How it works

From artwork to film-ready separations

Send your artwork
Plus the garment color and how many inks you want.
We separate it by hand
Method chosen, inks named, underbase choked.
Check and output
Layered file and separated PDFs; ask for changes as often as you need.
FAQs

Color separation questions

It is the process of splitting a design into one layer per ink. Each layer is output as a film or positive, which is used to burn one screen, and each screen prints one color.
Spot color prints each solid color with its own ink, which suits logos and text. Simulated process uses a small set of spot inks with halftones to reproduce photo-real artwork, usually on dark garments.
Yes. For dark garments we build a white underbase, choked back from the edges so it stays hidden, and add a highlight white where the design needs it.
Yes, if it is sharp enough at the printed size. If the image is blurry or small, we redraw it first as screen-print vector art, which gives cleaner separations.
No. It is one flat price per design, whether the design needs two inks or eight. See the price table on this page.
A layered file with one named channel per ink, plus separated PDFs you can send to film. If your RIP or film printer needs a different format, tell us and we supply it.

Artwork too blurry to separate? We redraw it as clean spot-color vector first. Screen-print vector art →

Need the same design embroidered? Stitch files are digitized, not separated. Logo digitizing →

Related print and artwork pages

Send the artwork and the shirt color

We recommend the separation method, separate it by hand and send a layered file with separated PDFs, at a flat price per design.

Separated by hand, not auto-split
Underbase choked for dark garments
Unlimited revisions, no time limit


Ordering for clients or in volume? See trade & distributor accounts.

1
Standard: 4–8 hours
Flat price per design, 24/7
2
Rush: 2–4 hours
+50% on the base price
3
Super rush: 1–2 hours
+50% on the base price
Send artwork for separation →

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