🧢 How to Prepare Artwork for Color Separation in Photoshop
Before starting a color separation, the most important step is preparing your artwork correctly.
A clean, well-organized PSD file will save you time, reduce printing errors, and guarantee smooth registration during the screen printing process.
Whether you print simulated process, spot colors, or CMYK, the setup phase determines how accurate your final print will be.
🎨 Step 1 – Choose the Right Color Mode
Always start by converting your file from RGB to CMYK.
RGB is great for screens and digital work, but screen printing is based on ink, not light.
Working in CMYK ensures that your colors are closer to real-world ink behavior and helps you preview how the print will look once separated.
💡 Tip: In Photoshop, go to Image → Mode → CMYK Color.
Make sure your design uses solid tones and clear edges — avoid transparency or blending effects unless they’re intentional.
🧹 Step 2 – Clean and Organize Your Layers
Before separating, remove any unnecessary elements:
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Delete hidden layers, backgrounds, and unused effects.
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Merge duplicate objects that share the same color.
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Group elements by color or printing layer.
Every visible color in your artwork should correspond to a physical screen.
A messy PSD can lead to confusion later — especially when naming and aligning channels.
Pro tip: Keep your layer names short and clear, e.g. “Red Ink,” “White Underbase,” “Black Outline.”
🎛️ Step 3 – Adjust Image Resolution and Size
For the best print results, make sure your file is at 300 DPI and scaled to the actual printing size.
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Go to Image → Image Size and confirm both resolution and dimensions.
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Avoid upscaling small images — this causes pixelation and muddy halftones.
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Use vector shapes or high-resolution images whenever possible.
A properly sized and sharp file gives you clean halftones and perfect registration on press.
🌈 Step 4 – Separate Colors Manually Using Channels
Automatic separation tools are tempting, but they often miss subtle details or create poor underbases.
Manual separation in Photoshop gives you total control over every tone and transition.
Here’s how:
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Open the Channels panel.
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Duplicate each key color into a new channel.
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Adjust each channel with Levels or Curves to control shadows and highlights.
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Name channels clearly — for example:
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White Underbase
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Red
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Yellow
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Black
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This method ensures each ink layer aligns perfectly during print.
💡 Don’t forget to preview your underbase alone to check if it properly supports the bright colors on dark garments.
⚙️ Step 5 – Test and Save Your File
Once all colors are separated, double-check your file before sending it to film or DTF output.
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Toggle channels on and off to confirm registration.
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Print a quick halftone preview to test dot gain.
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Save your file as .PSD to preserve all channels and layers.
When exporting previews or proofs, you can also send flattened .JPG or .PDF versions to your clients.
🧠Common Mistakes to Avoid
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Leaving unused colors or hidden layers in the file.
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Forgetting to convert RGB to CMYK.
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Using automatic separations without review.
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Ignoring the white underbase on dark shirts.
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Not testing halftones before burning screens.
Each of these can ruin print quality — fix them early, and you’ll save hours of rework.
✅ Final Thoughts
Preparing your artwork properly is half the job in screen printing.
It gives you cleaner films, sharper prints, and more predictable color results.
Whether you’re doing spot colors, simulated process, or CMYK, following these steps will make your separations faster and more accurate.
👉 Need professional separations?
Send us your design and get a print-ready PSD file with perfect registration and underbase — delivered in 24 hours.
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