Color Separation

4 color printing (also known as process printing) utilizes the CMYK color mode. When preparing files for process printing, there are a few simple steps to take using a graphics editing program. For this tutorial, we'll use Adobe Photoshop's color separation features to prep a file for screen printing.

For this tutorial, we will use the caveman photo above as our example. If you'd like to try this yourself, download the pic and give it a try!

Step 1:
Open the file with Photoshop.

Step 2:
Select the "channels" tab in the Layers palette.

Step 3:
Choose "Split Channels" in the channels menu.

The result of this step will be four new files, one for each process color CMYK.

Step 4:
In the new file named "Cyan," change the color mode to "duotone" in the image dropdown menu.

Step 5:
In the duotone window that opens, click the Ink 1 color swatch.

Step 6:
In the color picker window, change the CMYK values to 100% cyan:

C = 100
M = 0
Y = 0
K = 0

Step 7:
Repeat steps 4 through 6 for the Magenta and Yellow files. Leave the "Black" file as is in grayscale.

C = 0
M = 100
Y = 0
K = 0

C = 0
M = 0
Y = 100
K = 0

Step 8:
Save each new file.

You now have 4 individual files, one for each CMYK color profile. These files can now be used in many screen printing applications. If you are using a commercial printer, check with them for their specific file submission guidelines. That's all there is to it!

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