Screen Printing Resources

CMYK vs Spot Color For Screen Printing

Life is always full of tough choices. Especially when it comes to printing. We are here to walk you through the pros and cons of screen printing CMYK vs spot color printing.

Basic rules: Spot colors are very rich in color, while photographs require CMYK colors to be screen printed in order for them to look…well like a photograph. Other graphics are obviously spot colors because you can only see one or two colors. Spot colors provide a clean, bold, vibrant color that color matches the Pantone® number provided. Solid colors can also be imitated using CMYK; however, the CMYK screen printing color range has a limited spectrum of colors that can be achieved. For example, if you have a picture but also want to achieve a bright pink printed element below your picture you can choose to print CMYK and one spot color of pink. This will allow you to get the picture you want and the vibrant spot color as well.

CMYK vs Spot Color for Screen Printing

What is The CMYK Meaning?

The CMYK acronym stands for Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Key. This printing method is also known as true color processing or full-color printing. CMYK is the oldest color reproduction print method and is recommended when a design requires a full spectrum of colors.

Process printing uses percentages of cyan, magenta, yellow and black inks which are applied through a screen on top of each other to create photo realistic prints.

CMYK vs. Spot Color Diagram

Why Does ‘K’ stand for Black?

The letter ‘K’ in CMYK stands for ‘Key’. In four-color screen printing, cyan, magenta and yellow screens are ‘keyed’ or aligned with the black screen registration marks.

Screen Printing Process Colors

Pros:

  • The final print is soft to the touch
  • Only 4 screens are needed for printing on light garments
  • Cost-effective when a full range of colors is needed
  • Achieves photo-realistic designs

Cons:

  • Must know how to properly separate colors inside Photoshop
  • Requires knowledge of mesh selection and reproduction of halftone
  • Limited color vibrancy
Setting Up Screen Printing Process

What is Spot Color?

Spot color printing is a method where premixed colors are transferred onto a blank t-shirt. This is the best option when a design only requires a few colors or when CMYK is not capable of reproducing the vibrant colors needed for the job.

Unlike the four colors used in traditional CMYK, spot or solid colors are mixed from a palette of 18 basic colors. The Pantone Matching System was developed by Pantone (pantone.com) with a total of 1,867 Pantone spot colors available for screen printing, each with its own mixing formula.

Spot Color vs Process Color Diagram

Pros:

  • 1,867 Pantone colors are available for screen printing
  • Capable of achieving vibrant colors
  • Excellent for designs with few colors
  • Final job results in

Cons:

  • Limited to solar color vector illustrations
  • Not capable of reproducing photographic designs
  • Can become expensive based on the number of colors needed
Creating Your Design

How to convert your artwork to Spot Color

Here is a simple guide on how to convert your artwork from CMYK to a spot color inside Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop.

Adobe Illustrator

  1. Select the artwork and go to Edit > Edit Colors > Recolor Artwork
  2. In the “Recolor Artwork” dialog box you will see the current colors used for your artwork. Find the “limit the color group to colors in a swatch library”
  3. Select Color Books > Pantone + Solid Coated. Click OK and your artwork should now be in Spot Colors.

Adobe Photoshop

  1. Open up Photoshop’s Color Window.
  2. Select the Eyedropper tool and click on the color you would like to convert to Pantone
  3. Click on the colored square to open the Color Picker Window.
  4. Select “Color Libraries”
  5. Click on the Book drop down menu and select PANTONE + Solid Coated
  6. Photoshop will draw a black box around the Pantone that matches the original color selected in your image
  7. Select “Picker” to open the Color Picker window again
  8. Click “Add to Swatches”
  9. Give the swatch a name and click OK
  10. Select “OK” to close the Color Picker window and return to our image.

Conclusion

Each type of printing has its purpose and unique benefits as well as cons. It really depends on what you are printing to pick the best screen printing method. If this is still complicated and confusing, don’t worry! Let us help print your design on your garments. Click through to request a free quote on our Custom Screen Printing Service.

Accessibility by WAH