How to export a white imprint to eps

Printing and Prepress
#1

Hello all,

I am needing to export an ai file to eps for screen printing. The imprint is white. Should i export it with a black or transparent background?

Thanks!

#2

EPS doesn’t support transparency. Contact the screen printer and get their specs.

2 Likes
#3

What do you mean it doesn’t support transparency? I am able to save it with a transparent background.

#4

Leave it transparent

1 Like
#5

I think HotButton referred to transparent (translucent or partially opaque) colors that enable what’s behind it to show through (which isn’t doable with screen printing anyway). Perhaps you’re just referring to an empty or white space.

With screen printing, the printer will likely need spot colors. Why they’re asking for an EPS file is another issue, but if that’s what they want, OK. For that matter, even spot colors can sometimes be iffy with EPS, but again, if that’s what they want…

Anyway, keep each of your spot colors on separate layers and name each layer with the Pantone number you’re using. Label the white layer as white. As for whether you make the white layer white or a very light gray or fluorescent pink, it doesn’t matter. What matters is that the screen printer needs to know that the layer should print with white ink. (I’m assuming you’ll be printing with white ink and that you’re not just referring to a white substrate showing though.)

Now, if you’re dealing with an online company that mass produces screen-printed clothing with little human interaction, you might need to carefully read over their instructions or contact them to see how they want the file set up.

1 Like
#6

Follow the printer’s instructions. Almost every vendor I use has a special callout for white, most use magenta, some use cyan, but ALL of them require it be on its own layer and specified as “color_name = White”
I do wide format direct to substrate printing using white inks. Your mileage may vary with silkscreen vendors

#7

I had a printer insist that I send it in black because they couldn’t see the text in Acrobat (even though I told him how to view the PDF in acrobat with no white background, obv ignored).

So I sent the text in Black instead of White, and then I got 1000 smart watches with black straps with the company logo printed in black on them.

That was fun.