One of the biggest mistakes any sublimation decorator can make is to use
the wrong color model when choosing colors. CYMK (cyan, yellow,
magenta, and black) comprise the basic four colors all inkjet printers
utilize. It is easy to make the assumption that, because the printer is
using CMYK colors, a design should be created using the CMYK color
palette. If CMYK colors are used, it’s not likely the color you are
looking for to come out the same on the finished item. This is because
CMYK is a set of very specific color instructions meant primarily for
the offset printing world. When we are sending art to a desktop printer,
the print driver is responsible for translating the information it
receives into CMYK. So what color model should colors be chosen from
then?
RGB (red, green, and blue) are the colors that create the images we see
on every computer monitor, digital projector and television available.
There are 16,581,375 colors that can be created using the RGB color
model. RGB is commonly used because it is how the human eye sees color.
There two basic kinds of receptors in the eye, rods and cones. The rods
are what see black and white, while the cones communicate color. The
cones are staggered in the eye with specific cones detecting red, green
and blue. As this is the case, the RGB color model is used in many
industries and all artwork for sublimation should be designed this way.
Toolbox:
The most basic tool for accurate color reproduction is a simple color
chart. Color charts should be printed and pressed on each of the
substrates being used. Getting a real-world representation of colors on
the exact substrate that will be sublimated will achieve accuracy.
Simply choose the color from the printed chart then enter the
corresponding RGB number back into the graphics program. Regardless of
what color you are viewing on the screen, you can have confidence that
you will achieve the desired color output for each sample substrate
ICC profiles
One of the methods used for color correction is with ICC profiles.
The International Color Consortium is a group that sets standard
guidelines for color management in the digital imaging/printing world.
All monitors, scanners, digital cameras and printers use ICC profiles
that are found on the disc and installed with the device drivers. Color
profiles simply communicate how another device has created its colors to
the hardware or software and, in turn, how they should be interpreted
or reproduced.
In sublimation, ICC profiles are created to match the specific ink
being used with a specific substrate. Though this method works well for
many, it can also leave quite a bit of work for the decorator. If an
image is to go on several different products, for example, the colors
will vary on each item unless tweaks are made in the graphics program.
There are also specific programs developed by sublimation printer
manufacturers that are specifically designed for its brand of ink and
printing system. Functions vary by company, but some offer color chart
palette systems, for example, that integrate with CorelDraw or Adobe
programs. These programs offer users an entire integrated system from
ink to software to hardware.
More:
https://printwearmag.com/features/color-management-sublimation
http://www.t-shirtforums.com/dye-sublimation/
Color Profiled for Maximum Color and Brightness
MultiRIP has
been profiled for the two main types of dye sublimation inks
from Sawgrass Systems - Artainium Inks and SubliJet IQ Inks. Sublimation
inks are an encapsulated ink – which means the way they look printed on
the release paper looks completely different than after being transfer.
Dye
sublimation inks are very much different than your standard Epson inks.
Sublimation inks are an encapsulated ink – which means the way they
look printed on the release paper looks completely different than after
being transferred to the substrate. MultiRIP has profiled the different
types of sublimation substrates to provide you with the bright colors.
Below is a list of the different substrates and resolutions that have
been color profiled:
- Polyester Fabric – Normal, Enhanced & Fine
- Mousepads – Normal & Enhanced
- Ceramic Tile - Enhanced
- Metal – Enhanced & Fine
-
Glass Tile -
Enhanced
If you would like to learn more about the Color Management you can do with MultiRIP,
click here
https://web.archive.org/web/20130504010941/http://www.multirip.com/dyesublimation.html#DS_Profiled
--
Printing Dye Sublimation Transfers:
o Easy Dye Sub Printer Selection
o Color Profiled for Maximum Color
and Brightness
o Calibrated for Proper Ink Usage
o Add Custom Page Sizes
o Page Previewing
o Job / Page Priority
o Re-Print without Re-Ripping
o ICM / ICC Color Management
o Print Spot Colors
For more information on the process of dye sublimation, please click here.
To learn how to get the best colors for your dye sublimation transfers, click here.
Features for Printing Dye Sublimation Transfers:
Easy Dye Sub Printer Feature
MultiRIP has an Easy Dye Sub Printer selection that allows you to print polyester fabric with a one click selection.
Calibrated for Proper Ink Usage
Most
decorators use print drivers that drop too much ink on to the release
paper. To compensate for this, decorators will use a release paper that
absorbs more ink quicker so that it does not pool and distort the
image. MultiRIP is calibrated to print the appropriate amount of ink on
to the release paper to maximize your ink usage and minimize your
costs.
Add Custom Page Sizes
Unlike some applications that limit your designing
abilities to set paper sizes, MultiRIP will let you design your own
paper size and keep this size in memory for future use. All the
standard dye sublimation release transfer paper sizes (8.5" x 11", 11" x
17 and 13" x 19") are preset.
Page Previewing
You can preview individual pages in both the output
queue and the "processed jobs" queue. This can save a lot of time if a
mistake is caught before expensive media is wasted.
Job / Page Priority
Allows users to change print priority on a per-job or
per-page basis. When manually inserting jobs in the RIP or re-printing
jobs that have been ripped; simply use the slide-bar to set values from 1
to 99 (just like Window's Print Manager) or enter the number by hand.
The job or page will then assume it's new print priority. When printing
from applications (Quark, PageMaker, etc.) select the priority in the
print settings dialog.
Re-Print Pages without Re-Ripping
Allows you to re-print individual pages or colors from a
separation with a few simple clicks of your mouse. Once the job has
been processed, simply open the job item in the queue, select the pages
you wish to re-send to the printer (1). Select the number of copies (2)
and click "Print Selected Pages" (3). The selected pages will be sent to
the output queue. When making multiple copies, the pages can be
"stacked" (1,1,1, 2,2,2, 3,3,3 etc.) or collated (1,2,3, 1,2,3, etc.).
ICM/ICC Based Color Management
Supports the use of ICC and ICMs for color management. The user can
select the color space of the input CMYK and RGB as well as the output
ICM if they desire. All media types included with MultiRIP have been
pre-linearized and the manual selection of an output profile is seldom
needed. If the user has created a custom output profile, however,
MultiRIP uses it per your request. You can select the ICC/ICMs at
print-time or right at the RIP control panel when manually inserting
PostScript or PDF files or re-processing previous jobs. A utility is
included in the software which allows you to add ICM name entries into
your PPD so that they appear at print-time in the print configuration
dialog.
Print Spot Colors
To ensure accurate spot color reproduction you can
activate MultiRIP's "TrueSpot™" you use special logo colors or product
colors then you can easily add them to MultiRIP with the Spot Color
function. Just click on Add and type in your special color. MultiRIP
will remember your color and use it each time it is requested within
your application.
More, Veel:
https://web.archive.org/web/20121213084446/http://www.multirip.com/applications.html#Apps_Dye_Sub
Available Applications for MultiRIP:
o Screen Printing Film Positives
o Dye Sublimation Printing on Fabrics
and hard substrates
o Inkjet Heat Transfers for Light and
Dark Transfer Paper
o High Quality Photograph Printing
o General Printing for Invoices, Marketing
Materials, Reports, Forms & More
MultiRIP is THE Multiple Application RIP for the Decorated Apparel industry!
Highlight Features for Printing Screen Printing Film Positives:
Highlight Features for Printing Dye Sublimation Transfers:
Highlight Features for Printing Inkjet Heat Transfers
Highlight Features for Printing High Quality Photographs
Highlight Features for General Printing (Invoices, Marketing Materials,...)
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aaaaaaaaaaa
Grrrrreat argument:
http://www.t-shirtforums.com/dye-sublimation/t383825-3.html
Hilights: ICC or no ICC, CMYK or RGB
-
Rest assured places like Conde Systems and Marvelpress do tons more
fulfillment stuff than you or I do. Marvelpress 90% uses desktop
printers.
Rest assured Conde and Marvel Press are color managing per the consensus methods.
Marvel Press is one the largest fulfillment companies in the country,
they have Walmart and most of the major retailers that offer custom
products to customers.
The CEO of Marvel Press is Paul Hirst, he was the original owner of
Artainium. He was the first to offer sublimation ICC profiles for ink
jet and the proper way to color manage sublimation was all pioneered by
him. I'm not the expert, I learned from experts like Paul and followed
their advise.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHDtoH0Iyts
See what is possible with cheap desktop printers?
I do this but on a smaller scale, don't try and draw up a strawman of me.
Do you think they spend much time tweaking those thousands of "one ups"
they make? Or not use ICC sublimation profiles or throw CMYK data into
their printers? NO
------------
All professionals I have dealt with, my shop included, will use RGB
colors with smaller, non-industrial printers, with the provided color
profile. That gives the results intended by the companies selling the
inks and accessories.
---
" I've read article after article year in and year out but it doesn't
change the fact that for "me" using CYMK color mode gives me better
colors that I can not get in RGB. So all science aside it seems CYMK
works just fine.
I have spoken with Wasatch and they also say there is no reason you can
not use CYMK color mode with their RIP Software even though most people
use RGB."
So it's not clear to me what you are really using. ???
Again, what is "my opinion" is based on others I deem expert and has consensus among other experts, it is not my invention.
New comers you can't assume anything. If they think they can throw CMYK
data into a printer with a RGB driver or not use a ICC sublimation
profile they are going to have serious trouble doing any kind of complex
color graphics. It's that simple.
--------
Jimmy, I'm Mike BTW, but no big deal (There is a Mark posting here as a sock puppet though LOL).
I do a lot of work in vector. I don't disagree that your method swatches
work. But I compose from scratch in vector using RGB values straight
from my palette and don't have to swatch except rarely as what I see on
screen matches the output nearly every time. I also take in vector
artwork from customers. I also have mixed bitmap and vector work as
well.
If you are not color managing correctly then you are pretty much forced
to swatch for a lot more than if you color managed properly.
Swatching for me is the exception and not the rule.
I simply can't agree that working without a ICC profile is good practice.
No matter what palette you are using colors are just numbers going into
your printer, there is no reason that an RGB color cannot be found that
matches other colors that you need that you find in other palettes. The
only thing that limits you is your ink gamut. There is nothing magic in
those other palettes, you just have more number combinations available.
I understand exactly why you are using the other palettes, you just
don't have a big enough RGB palette and using the other palettes just
lets you get there without expanding your existing RGB much. I can see
some time savings there not expanding your RGB palette and just use what
is already there.
This may not be applicable to you but most of my artwork I don't care what printer I will be using in the future.
As soon as you start composing strictly from your swatches, ***which
represent error*** then your file is married to the specific inks and
printer you have now.
Not saying I won't have to adjust things in the future, but the "porting" of the graphic is less fuss if you color manage.
There is no such thing as perfect color management but your swatched
artwork will need radical changes once you change to a new system and/or
inks, or if you start using an ICC.
Since you are not color managing at all it really makes no difference what palette you pick from.
I'm not against your method of swatching, what I do take exception to is
not using a sublimation ICC. Swatching is a necessary evil at times, so
it's best to avoid swatching when you don't have to. Correct color
management means less tweaking.
If there are a ton of colors in artwork given to you then going in a
re-assigning swatch values to hundreds of objects in vector is very time
consuming.
------------
Print this photo and transfer ...
http://www.gballard.net/dl/PDI_TargetFolderONLY.zip
You will not get accurate colors across the entire gamut of your inks with what you are doing.
It is only that using swatches you can pick whatever color happens to "land" to the right color you need after transferring.
My money says what you are seeing on screen isn't true either. 'Super
dark" "Awesome" and "Super Clean" indicates you are seeing colors
subjectively and not objective. Being accurate requires objective color
and correct color management. While you might like the colors you see I
bet they are not accurate. If you don't have a wide gamut calibrated IPS
monitor then you have no true reference. But if your color management
setup is correct in the application software, your using an ICC that was
made correctly and you apply it correctly, and your printer/inks are
good then you can get by without a high end monitor. But you can't
trust onscreen viewing 100%.
Swatching using other palettes just means you have more color variations to choose from to find a matching color.
To each his own? You are sublimating without using a sublimation ICC, I don't recommend anyone do that
---------
Yup color swatching allows you to pick the exact colors that you need.
As I stated if I give you art that needs to be accurate you now have to
jump through hoops to make things color accurate, the more objects in
the vector file the more you have to play with things. If a vector file has a hundred objects you are going to have to click each one and reassign the color in the object. I don't need to tweek much because I do things correctly. Most of my stuff I print the source image without modification.
I agree on your point about Sk Daves requirement though.
What you do can only work for you or someone only doing what you do. As
soon as you try anything else you now need to tinker more tweak and
experiment.
What I do works for ANY art, vector, photograph, mixed.
------------
Time is everything for me.
I do a mixture of all kinds of art. I do a decent volume of product and I
sell wholesale. Most of my stuff are individual unique graphics and
photo novelty and low volume per design, but I do many many of them,
typically all in one batch.
If I followed some of you guys methodology I would spend more time tweaking than I can make on the product.
I spend very little time ever tweaking.
AGAIN THIS IS NOT MY WAY, IT IS ACCEPTED PRACTICE BY ALL THE EXPERTS.
Just because some of you guys do simple color doesn't mean new comers
here won't be doing more advanced stuff or even photo novelty items, so
why promote a practice that can only work in narrow situations?
I can assure you for the times I do need to swatch or tweak I don't
spend any more time doing so than if I didn't color manage, so I don't
get your "efficiency" point. Swatching only requires you keep your color
workspace and color management fixed and don't change it. But when I
don't have to tweak (most of the time) I save a ton of time by using
accepted proper color management.
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Here
you go again - trying to elevate yourself above those of us that do
"simple" colors and claiming the way you do it is the same as all
"Experts". You are offensive and clueless to anything other than what
is in your tiny little box. I can assure you if you are working on a
little WF1000 we produce more in a day than you do in a year yet it is
you that is the "expert". You are an expert in your world - in my world
you are inexperienced and all noise.
If I followed your methodology I would be selling misc goods from a
spare room in my house versus making a living producing custom dye
sublimation apparel.
---
I told you, I'm OCD so my colors are near perfect...I spent countless
hours, tons of size 5X shirts for making swatches, went back and forth
with profiles, back and forth with RGB and CMYK art boards until I was
happy...I didn't just take one persons advise and use the Cobra ink CIS
profile, I tinkered until I found what I liked the best and gave me the
best results...
As far as calibrated monitors yada yada, I'm small time, so I use my
laptop, tons of memory, CS6 Illustrator and my monitor shows me whatever
it shows me but I can assure you, most people on this board are like
me, small time with simple computers and software and not super
calibrated crazy stuff...we are startup people so to say, I'm far from
an expert but I've been doing sublimation for 10+ years and along the
way learned from people like you and also by trial and error and sweat
and hard work...
If you want to be good, fine, if you want to be better than prepare
yourself, try things, experiment and you'll find your own way to make
things better...go
----
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