CMYK printing question

[Golden Printing Boy]

Hello everyone, I have a quick question regarding screen printing a CMYK job onto paper.. It is for a project in my screen printing 3 class. My teacher instructed our class to do at least one run of transparent, acrylic varnish, covering the entire print area, before beginning to print with the process inks, because he says the paper absorbs the ink, leading to less color interaction/ transparency/ blending. However, this is on the paper he instructs the class to use, which is top of the line super expensive Lenox paper. I've opted to use more economical paper, with much less absorbency- the ink more or less sits on top of the paper, rather than soaking into it. THEREFORE, I should be fine taking a shortcut and skipping the acrylic varnish underbase layer, correct? Because I am not about to waste time printing an invisible layer of nothing when this project is due in less than 48 hours. Thanks GP

[Dan Black]

We use French paper (100#) for the most part, and have never had to mess around with that invisible layer business, though I can totally see why it'd be helpful. We always pre-rack our paper overnight though. Good luck with it!

[Golden Printing Boy]

Just as I thought, thank you!

[Andymac]

Hey Kyle - the other issue with fine art paper (rag) is in a lot of cases it has a 'tooth' or rougher surface, as well as being more absorbent. so a flood coating also fills in some gullies. If I try to print high line count - 50lpi or higher, especially higher - on Stonehenge or whatever, it goes all grainy etc. the problem with process is it is one hit stuff. If you try to hit it again to fill a colour in like on a normal opaque ink, it will go dark and throw your colour balance off when the rest of the CYMK goes down.

the best results printing process are when it is on smooth material.

[deadmeat]

i use 100# Cougar bright white, looks great! I used to use Wausau which DID absorb a lot...

[Golden Printing Boy]

Hey Kyle - the other issue with fine art paper (rag) is in a lot of cases it has a 'tooth' or rougher surface, as well as being more absorbent. so a flood coating also fills in some gullies. If I try to print high line count - 50lpi or higher, especially higher - on Stonehenge or whatever, it goes all grainy etc. the problem with process is it is one hit stuff. If you try to hit it again to fill a colour in like on a normal opaque ink, it will go dark and throw your colour balance off when the rest of the CYMK goes down.

the best results printing process are when it is on smooth material.

Thanks Andy, I also notice the tooth of rag paper, lots of times it throws my color off, because I have to hit each screen twice to get proper opacity. I know from printing CMYK runs at the t-shirt shop that it's absolutely necessary to print each color once, and only once, or every print will be a different color. I know there is a time and a place for fancy rag paper but what I've been getting comes in sheets twice the size, twice the bulk, and half the cost of what my teacher requires for the class.. I've tried convincing him to switch to Cougar paper, but this is a "serigraphy" course, not screen-printing.

[Fools Gold]

Yup, every school taught fine art screen printer I know has a $5000 stack of reject prints from their school days.

[Andymac]

Seripop called it 'paper fascism' in an interview about screenprinting in art school. I get it (using rag paper) for 'fine art' but it's a bit like a room full of thousands of monkeys typing....do they really need expensive paper in their typewritters when cheap bond will do?
And if the exercise is about printing process colour, why fuck it up with a crappy substrate to start.