OK? I'm unclear on the actual question, mostly because there wasn't one. 😁 Spacing between copies and/or jobs is all-or-nothing - you can't vary it - so if the question is how to add extra gap between gang jobs, you can't do that directly. Instead create a blank file of whatever gap you need and put that between the two nested jobs you want to print.

In this case the "gutter" is a CMYK "spit bar" on the sides of the print, outside the live area. They are helpful to diagnose potential banding and also to keep the printheads exercised when there is a primary color that goes unused for a long portion of the print.

I do not - I don't have any halftone-able printers at my disposal and honestly I've forgotten that's even an option.

@@LeeManevitch so it is an option? But where? You should do a tutorial. Smile

Tough to do a tutorial if I don't have a printer capable of showing the outcome, but halftones ARE available for any non-contone printer. They're just well-hidden. When you create a new print mode in Media Manager, in the Basic Print Mode Settings you can choose Halftone in section 3 (dot pattern) by clicking the gear icon to the right of the dot pattern and choose from a variety of output options. But you're on your own as far as the options there, unless you're willing to send me a free printer for my home office so I can test. 🤣 Also note that you'll have to create an ICC profile from scratch as using a non-OEM dot pattern will almost guarantee that existing ICC profiles in the media library will not produce the desired output.

@@LeeManevitch thanks. It's interesting there isn't a tutorial anywhere to be found on this subject as it relates to Onyx

I have zero knowledge about DTF printers. In general, the workflow I laid out is for dealing with a printer that has a white channel, so in the absence of any personal experience the best I can offer is...probably?

Two ways to accomplish this, depending on your intent: 1. If you intend to make a permanent change to the artwork in the library, double-click the art in the Libraries palette. it will open in a new window where you make changes and then save the file, resulting in the changes made permanent in the Library. 2. If you just want to change the art on one file, alt-drag (or Option-drag on Mac) the library item onto your artboard and then it will be live, editable art.

If there's a difference in color between Save for Web and Export for Screens, then you need to look closely at the export settings and your document color settings. Save for Web automatically converts your color to sRGB and Export for Screens does not, so if your files aren't already in sRGB then that might be where the discrepancy is coming from.

So the case of the lion was a different design strategy. The easiest way to do this is: Convert the file to greyscale and INVERT the data - everywhere that is black in the file will print white so it needs to be inverted image data. TIP: I usually set my lightest point (once inverted) to 1% so there are no blown-out highlights. Save as a TIF and then colorize it in Illustrator or InDesign...just apply the "Spot1" spot color to the image there and then save as PDF. If you want to stay straight Photoshop then it becomes a little more complicated. Convert and invert, then create the Spot1 channel. Cut and paste the image data from Gray to Spot1. You should then have two channels - an empty "Gray" channel and a "Spot1" channel with your image data. Then just convert to CMYK and all the channels except Spot1 should still be empty. Save your file as TIF and it should do what you need it to!

Not in Onyx, no. What you're looking to do is often referred to as "common crops" and there's no easy way to overlap artwork - of which the cutlines are a part - in the RIP. Set up a multi-piece file with the cutlines you want, and Onyx will treat it as a single file and cut accordingly. I generally would set up a job for as many columns as I could fit across the media (with appropriate clear space) and several rows - so let's say 5 across by 3 down - and then just send as many copies of that 15-up job as is required.

@@LeeManevitch do you have a video that talks about Layouts in Onyx?

I do not - I can't stand the Layout Tool. In general I find it takes me more time to use that tool than it does to repoen artwork in Illustrator or InDesign and create a finished layout there...so i just avoid it.

OK let me clear up a couple of things: Pantone is a color communication system that ONLY works as planned when you're printing on a printing system that allows the use of custom inks. So, for example, dedicating an offset printer head to 7404 and actually inking that head up with 7404 ink. Or doing the same with screenprinting - printing using 7404 ink on one screen. For ALL other print processes, there's no such thing as Pantone. The color 7404 is converted by the RIP to CMYK (or whatever primaries your print process uses) and it EMULATES that color for final output. In a true Pantone environment it's entirely possible to print gradients of PMS colors - we use tints just like in my video. It's also entirely possible to overprint different Pantone colors on top of others but still only print using the two ink colors in your example. But the inks used would in fact be the correct Pantone colors; in this case you're confusing the source ink with the final output. What if I printed Orange 021 on green paper - the ink used would be Orange 021 but the output color would most definitely not be orange. That doesn't invalidate what we did, but if you measured the color then you are correct that it would not "be" Orange 021 anymore. In a process print environment like a digital printer, we're doing the same thing but the result emulates what it would look like if you actually were able to print with Pantone inks. But it's an emulation because that how all Pantone colors are reproduced on a process printer.

What does your Image Size dialog say about your dimensions and resolution? What dimensions is it resized to, and where / what RIP?

Knowing the sheen is great if you need to know if paint is matte or eggshell. For graphic communication, though, I don't think it's worth the extra cost.

PNG files don't contain white. They may contain "white" areas but that would be onscreen white and not white ink. You would have to manually add white ink to your file and save as a TIFF. The print modes are in no way connected to your artwork so you could print as spot, overflood, underflood, or sandwich. That is decided at the RIP.

If you literally need to merge the 3 files that seems more like a project that would require automation of some sort via Photoshop or other scriptable image editing software. If what you need to do is manipulate the text then that's best done right in Excel. In either case, InDesign is absolutely not the right choice for what you're trying to accomplish and way beyond the scope of this video.

@@LeeManevitch thank you for reaponse. I really appreciate it. I asked AI. Now I'm working with Python and the results are pretty good. I'm still making a modifications. BTW I have used Your advices from that video. Quick and easy job thanks to You. Greetings

The pass count defines the white density and at 6-pass, 60% is the only white density you can print. If you need more density you need to increase the passes...the heads need more opportunity to drop more ink and the only way to do that is to go to a higher pass count that offers 100% or even 160% density.

You know what? I'm not sure. I'm general, that would be controlled through the black generation settings inside the ICC profile but I've never tried it to do a 3-color profile.

Did you try this out on DTF printer ? @stuff9016

No. I have no access to a DTF printer nor do I understand that process at all.

i will be as its the software supplied with my new dtf that is on a boat from china, although i may have to get cadlink as i dont want to have to edit over 300 designs in png format to add spot colours, i am a dtg guy atm, and getting white to print with the brother rip is easy.@@babybirdscraftingmemories2468

If you want white and color to print at the same time - and there's no overlap between white and color - then Spot mode is what you need. Have you tried that and you're having issues? PS second surface so don't forget to reflect your image!

im using onyx and ive tried spot mode, but when we do it, it prints the white circles and floods white over the top of the colored circle@@LeeManevitch

Are you also adding white in Onyx? It's either/or - if you create white in Onyx you can't use your designed white, and vice-versa. From your description, you need to design the white outside of Onyx and then don't do anything in Onyx to create white. If you want to send me your file, email it to [email protected] and I'll send back a quick video of how it all *should* work.

SHORT VERSION: Use the Filter > Pixellate > Color Halftone filter in Photoshop. LONG VERSION: For what I needed, the Color Halftone filter wouldn't work as I couldn't make the effect sharp enough to capture detail. So I busted a CMYK image apart into 4 separate greyscale files, then converted each to Bitmap using the Halftone Screen option and set each screen angle to the appropriate one for the color (C=15, M=75, Y=0, K=90). Once all that was done I converted each image back to greyscale then recombined them into one multichannel file, at which point I converted from multichannel to CMYK.

@@LeeManevitch WOW You are awesome! thank you 🙏

Is there a question there? What are you trying to accomplish?

Is there a question there? What are you trying to accomplish?

Can you send me the file so I can take a peek? [email protected]

Just sent files @@LeeManevitch

Check your inbox! 😁

As PNG is a raster image format, you'd be way better off using the Photoshop techniques I discuss in kzfaq.info/get/bejne/m910eJqnmtTYhqM.html Otherwise, your only recourse would be to generate a vector path in Illustrator either manually or through Auto-trace and tackle it that way. It's much less efficient than using Photoshop in this case.

Spot channels have been around since at least the days of Photoshop CS6. Are you experiencing problems?

I am using Oki 1050 printer.. and I have never printed white from it yet because I am not able to understand how exactly to do that. I watched your video I got an idea of how to do it but if i face any problem can you please guide me...

Sure thing - if you run into any snags shoot me an email at [email protected] and I'll see if I can help you. I'm not familiar with that printer though...does it print via a RIP or directly from design software?

@@LeeManevitch it can print directly from adobe pdf

@@baba.onboard ah. Looking at the user guide, it does not appear that this printer supports *designing* with white ink. Your options are limited to what is supported by the print driver, which allows the option of adding white to a color-only file with certain options for how the white is generated. See page 118 of the English manual for the options. I don't think anything in this video is pertinent to your particular model of printer.

Thanks - I appreciate the kind words! It's been crazy for me at work for a couple of months and I'm way behind on delivering contact, but if there's anything you would like to see (and if it's in my skillset) let me know and I'll work on it.

Yes, I am a gifted digital artist, but I know nothing about printing. I would love to see a video about how to prepare various art pieces for the various types of print on demand print mediums; basically what you should and shouldn't do in art terms like colors, compositions, amounts of color, saturation levels, like a cartoon image i've made vs the simpler graphic designs, also I made some simple graphics for fabric print. For an example I'm about to get started selling on Etsy but had to scrap my bookmark design because I realized my artwork was too colorful to go on a bookmark, at least I think anyways... I'm wondering if my bookmarks were professionally printed if they'd look better than my silly little Canon. Thanks.@@LeeManevitch

Oh I like that. It might be a little too complicated for a video, because each provider will have its own file requirements. But I'll round up the top 3 or 4 and see if there are enough similarities that I can turn it into a one-size-fits-all video.

I was going to go with Printify since I hear good things. I guess I could do some reading and see how best to create for their printing services.@@LeeManevitch

Well something must be going wrong. Are you able to send me an example? [email protected] - I'll see what's different about a file that doesn't work properly.

Photoshop Express and Photoshop are not at all the same thing. Sorry to say, you'll need the full paid version of Photoshop in order to work with spot color channels.

All my photos are from paid stock websites, so I can't provide them, but you can probably find some good images on sites like Unsplash.

I'm not sure I fully understand the question because there's a huge difference between a gradient and a blur, but: Gradients are smooth transitions between two (or more) predefined colors. A smooth transition from black to white, for example. It's generally a transition in a straight line with specific steps in color that are usually so small that you cannot see them. Gradients can be either vector or raster. A blur is just that...a blur. Look through a fogged-up window and you've seen the effect. Blurs are raster-only, and they simply smooth adjacent pixels to make everything less clear. If you blur type you'll end up with very soft edges, and if you blur far enough then you won't even be able to read the type. But I'm totally confused as to what you're really asking...are you having a specific problem with blurs or something? The two are totally different in almost every way so I think I need a lot more information if you need me to help you solve a specific problem you're experiencing.

Thank you! I only noticed the mis-edits after the video had been up for several days. Unfortunately, KZfaq's algorithms penalize heavily for reuploading content and so in order to keep my channel from not being recommended I really had no choice but to leave this as-is. We're learning together. 😁

@@LeeManevitch I was unaware of this. Thanks for the tip. First video I’ve seen of yours, from suggested. Great content, subbed up and excited to learn more

What "this" print mode are you talking about? In general yes - Smart Choke MUST be turned on because the diameter of the white ink drops is slightly larger than that of the colors...so even if registration is perfect, there will be white ink peeking out. Start with 4px and adjust from there. If it's misaligned by a lot, though, that's a head alignment issue.

Thanks Jon! The big "gotcha" with gradients is to make sure that you have endpoints defined at the 0% and 100% sides of the gradient. I've seen lines at the end of gradients if the endpoints are dragged in and there's just clear space hanging out at one side or the other. If you're doing that then it's possible that what you're seeing is a bad calibration (linearization) on your printer. That's a totally different topic and depends heavily on what RIP and printer you're using.

@@LeeManevitch Thanks Lee for the quick reply and help. I actually made the gradient by creating a rectangle shape, in CMYK from black to white as a gradient, then I placed another rectangle under that in the colour I wanted (a deep red), then I created a mask from the two in the transparency window. Once it goes to print, it always has a lighter red colour block where the gradient is supposed to be. I tried the overprint tip in your video, but it didn't work unfortunately. Do you think it might be the customers ripping software or am I doing the gradient wrong? Thanks again for everything!

Adding that transparency mask is the problem. Can you send the file to [email protected] so I can take a look? Just send the gradient if it's a really large complicated file.

@@LeeManevitch Hi Lee! Thanks for confirming, I figured it was something I was doing wrong. It's been driving me crazy trying to figure this out. Thank you so much! I just sent you an email. I really appreciate your time and help!

I have zero experience with Canva and/or Redbubble so I have no way of knowing. Work with your provider (Redbubble) and follow their guidelines.

I don't think it's possible to change the named color from Spot1 to something else - it appears to be hard-coded. However, you *CAN* make the change on-the-fly by opening the file in Job Editor and going to the Color Correction tab. Once there click the "Tools>>" button and choose "Named Color Replacements." Click the Insert button, and you can change "Spot_White" or whatever to print as 100% white in that dialog box. If this is going to be an ongoing process you probably will want to save that adjustment as a filter. At the top of the Color Correction dialog there's a "Filter..." button. Click it, then click the "Manager..." button. From there you can export the adjustment you just made, and then create a new Quick Set that uses that filter every time. (Quick Sets is on my to-do list because of how easy they make everyday adjustments) If you go the filter route be aware that any adjustment you made will be included. So to be safe make sure that the only thing you've done inside the Job Editor is to make that one color replacement.

That would be handled by tiling, a built-in feature of Onyx. Maybe that should be my next video!

@@LeeManevitch I can’t wait lee I wish I have your direct contact 🙏🏾🙏🏾

Thanks! Always looking for ideas - what specifically would you like to see about Onyx?

@@LeeManevitch Good morning, 1. How to print white on clear vinyl first surface and what’s the best print mode for best quality print. Thanks Lee

@@d-samglobaltv1623 printing on clear as first-surface, you'd be using Underflood mode as described in my Onyx RIP White Ink Workflow video here: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/h610fZuLkpu9n4k.html As for "best" there's no one right answer as it depends on your specific application and needs. Latex doesn't work like solvent and UV...what you lose when you drop to lower pass counts is density, not image quality. So depending on your application needs I'd just choose a print mode with an appropriate white ink density (and/or color density) and everything else will fall into line.

Spot prints white and color at the same time, and that's not negotiable. So if you print both in the same place they will mix. The reason the other modes exist is specifically so there is separation between white and color - both in terms of time (drying) and also by dropping additional Optimizer between layers. If those modes weren't necessary to create, I promise the development team wouldn't have spent as much time as they did making them work. 😄

@@LeeManevitch thanks, I’m currently using underfloor white at 100% and the 700w is slow. I’m just trying to figure out how to get faster print speeds with out compromising the opacity of the white. Do you have any tips?

White density in any print mode is controlled by the number of passes, so unless you can get by with lower density (which you can't in this case) there aren't any additional "knobs" you can change to make the printer move faster than it does. About the only advice I *could* give is that if you're not maximizing your carriage (printing 36" media, for example) or maximizing your layout efficiency, then you can see gains that way. Max throughput on the 700W in Underflood at 100% white density is 32 square feet per hour, and that assumes a full-width roll with full-width graphics. If your workflow and job specifics allow you to change to Overflood (white over color) then you'd see that throughput change to 65 sqft/hr but if you're printing on nontransparent media then that's a no-go. It's a delicate balancing act when white is involved...if it prints too fast then the white and color will mix, or the ink won't fully cure. Both of those outcomes are way worse than having to wait for a print to finish.

@@LeeManevitch day 2 with the printer and I already want to just print these jobs that need white on my Edge FX printer lol 😂

If you're running 15" punched vinyl on your 700W I think I found the problem. 🤣

If you're asking "should I design in my printer's output ICC profile" then no, absolutely not. By doing that you're not only limiting your color gamut to the printer's, which makes migrating to a different printer more difficult, but you're also introducing any printer shortcomings into your design. CMYK design should always be done using profiles that adhere to standards like GRACoL or SWOP; not based on actual measurements on a specific output device. In fact, keep in mind that the default behavior of all RIP software is to take any design - CMYK, RGB, or even Greyscale - and convert it first to Lab color. After that, it then converts to the output ICC. So if your prepress department is experiencing issues with your RGB files then either there's a problem with their RIP setup or with their output profiles...but it's not your artwork.

PS for blues and blacks: Make sure you're choosing a blue that's actually possible to reproduce. You can see in the color picker if there's a gamut warning - a little yellow triangle - that tells you you're out of gamut. It may be by a little or it may be by a lot, but at least you'll have an idea. You can turn on the Proof preview to see how much it might change. Blacks...if 0-0-0 is laying down too much ink then that's a problem with your RIP...either the ICC black generation settings or the ink limit. Create a series of swatches with diminishing levels of black and print it, then determine what you should be using for "solid" black.

@@LeeManevitch That last paragraph was what I was trying to understand. It's getting better results doing rgb > lab > ICC than if I just began in CMYK. I just didn't understand that RIP process, or the how it does it I guess. Thanks also for the blacks and blues tips.

Are you 100% certain the topmost element is set to overprint, AND the file's color mode is set to CMYK? If it's RGB then you have to convert to CMYK to preview it, then undo the conversion once you're done. Overprint preview in RGB only affects spot colors.

@@LeeManevitch Hi, yes, absolutely sure. The file color mode is CMYK. The objects also are CMYK. Overprint fill has been applied to the top object, and not the bottom object.

Odd. If you're OK with it, please send the file to [email protected] and I'll pick it apart and see where things are going crazy.

Happy to help, Rob! Good luck with your project.