While knowing precisely how much ink is needed for a job is necessary, determining the exact amount of ink has always been a problem. A specific amount must be ordered when working with a special ink color. Or, when working with mixed colors, it is never good to run out before the job is finished and risk the second mixed color will match exactly.
While it is possible to print a test with a specific ink, mesh count, thread diameter, tension, and press set to standards, the question often arises of how to know how much of each color will be needed. This is quickly resolved with math with standard shapes, but it becomes more difficult to measure when the shape is irregular. This is especially true of process and simulated or stochastic (FM) processes.
Thankfully, a software program can analyze each color’s image and provide an easy solution. The software is in the public domain, open-source, i.e., free, software available for Mac OS X, Linux, and Windows. The software was initially designed in 1997 for scientific image processing and analysis at the U.S. National Institutes of Health. And, while it is highly robust to achieve our goals of percentages, it more than serves the purpose.
While the software works by contrast and can interpret color and black-and-white images, it is preferable to work on color-separated files that are saved as black and white. Working in black and white when two or more colors are close is especially helpful.
We downloaded and tested the software to ensure it worked for the screenprinting process. While the instructions with the software were written for the medical field, we wrote about our testing and the formulas needed to determine ink usage. The download includes the article and the software. We are not charging for the software as it in the public domain, thus the price is for the article and not the software.
Product Details
Format: PDF, Mac and Windows Software Versions
File Size: 7.1 Mb
Print Length: 9 pages
Publisher: Solutions Publishing
Sold by: ScreenprintBooks.com
Language: English
Lending: Disabled
Author: Bill Hood
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