Expert: LizaL - 5/10/2006

Question
I'm using Photoshop CS on a Mac with OS X3.9. How can I use a layers and
channels for spot colors to be printed on a T-shirt? I'm attempting to use
separate layers for each color (in RGB mode) and then move them and assign
them spot colors in channels and save as a DCS.2 file. How do I move them
and will it work? Thanks.

Answer
Hi Phil,

When you say "move them," what exactly do you mean? Are you talking about moving the whole file to another program (like a page layout program)?

Or are you talking about taking an existing image and selecting the colors from it, then moving those colors to separate layers?

I'm thinking you probably mean the latter, but if I'm wrong please post back and let me know. Also, I'm going to assume you're talking about line art here and not a bitmap.

What I think you might be talking about doing would go something like this:
1. In your file, use the magic wand tool to select an area of color. Once it's selected, go to the Layer pulldown menu and select New > Layer Via Cut. This will put that color on its own layer.

2. With your eyedropper tool, sample that color. You'll see the color picker dialog box come up, and now click on the Custom button. When you see the Pantone colors come up, the corresponding PMS color will be selected. Make a note of that color.

3. Make sure the selection you just put in its own layer is loaded (using a Mac, command + click on the layer in the layers palette). Now, in your Channels palette, click on the flyout menu on the upper right (the little triangle). Select New Spot Channel.

4. In the New Spot Channel dialog box, click on the Color box, and then type the number of the PMS color you made note of earlier. The Color Picker will automatically go to the number you're typing. This creates a spot color channel of the area you selected and separated to a new layer.

The Solidity option gives you an on-screen simulation of the solidity of the printed spot color. A value of 100% would simulate an ink that solidly covers the inks beneath, and a value of 0% simulates a transparent ink (like a clear varnish). But this only for on-screen simulation, and has nothing to do with how the image will actually print.

5. Once you've done this for each color, then you can go to the File menu, select Save As, and then select Photoshop DCS.2, which of course will generate the 4 color seps, and an EPS. Also, make sure you have Spot Colors checked when you're in the Save As dialog box (you'll see this right below and to the right of the Format pop-up menu).


I tested this out, and it worked for me -- I also recorded my actions for you:
http://little-works.com/all_experts/spotchannel.mov

Hope this helps! Let me know if it doesn't and we'll figure it out.

Lisa