Information Needed Process Color on 2-color press print order

[sameer7star]

On 2 Color Machine why is Cyan and Magenta printed first ?
Black and Yellow later.

 

[5150pressman]

I use to print black and yellow or black and cyan first.
Never did cyan and magenta first.

 

[NotAGooner]

On 2 Color Machine why is Cyan and Magenta printed first ?
Black and Yellow later.

I always did K and Y first because M and C can be fine tuned on the last pass, that is to say, K and Y have a less effect on the final print

 

[FFR428]

I've run Y and M the first pass and C and K the 2nd. Or if there were 2 dominant colors on the job that were very tight register I'd run whatever 2 colors those were mainly based of. We used to use color keys and read color density as well. I also found the Y and M would track less running back thru on the 2nd pass. Was a little more forgiving. Everyone has their way. So try a few and see what suits you the best.

 

[turbotom1052]

back when i was running multiple pass 4/c process id try to match the sequence to the jobs requirements. if i were printing many flesh tones id opt to run magenta and yellow in the second pass. lots of blue sky and green grass would have cyan printing on the second pass. the most control over final product comes with the dominant colors on the last pass cause your looking at finished product

 

[fullyboy]

It's all about ink tacking which cause trapping....
4c press will start with Black, and 1 color press will start with Cyan,

 

[zeevette02]

I run process on a twin tower, and I usually choose the heaviest ink coverage for my last pass. Basically, it doesn't seem to matter which color combo is first pass, just easier to print the heavier colors last.

 

[Borut]

I was runing on two colour press I always printed first Cyan and Magenta in second pass Black and Yellow. But it also depend of the ink coverage.

 

[bluebeep]

i always ran cyan - yell 1st magenta - black last but some printers find the yellow difficult to see correctly.
working back from the way a four process is not in my opinion the best route.
magenta black la.st gives more control over making good sharp result

 

[4 color GTO]

Depends on the job. When I ran 4c on the 2c press, I always was more concerned with register, assuming the last pass will not be perfect, which colors will be the least noticed if they bounce.

 

[hockojr]

which sequence of colour

on my ryobi 2 col i do mag or cyan the yellow and black.reason,strongest colours ist incase of paper strech and then yellow black to pull the powder of.Its only the yellow that needs a good wash up.

 

[pressing situation]

I am in the same boat as you, I just started running a two tower two color press and read every color combo going that works for people. I did a test run of cyan, magenta and a second pass of yellow and black.
It did not work to good and reading about how everyone has every different color combination to run these jobs doesn't help at all. maybe if we heard about what machines they are using, what inks and what plates might help.
A densitometer I understand is essential, however some printers say they never use one. Who Knows?????

 

[hockojr]

I have now tried yelo 1st what i learnt from this.Put on more yelo as it's light,and wil soak into u/c stock.Also consider the finished job.I use polyester plates hosman steinberg inks.What i have found is after 500$ lines appear in the back ground this is cured by uping the water during the run. but the ink weakings also It is ok on small runs.

 

[oldfa*t]

There are always exceptions, but for the general rule i'd have to say my best results were black-cyan on 1st pass, then magenta-yellow on a 2 color machine, keeping a densitometer close by, cyan-140-150, blk-170-190, magenta-135-145, yellow 105-115, always gave lovely results. Of course theres always that nasty job where you need to change sequence ..

 

[William Taylor]

It also depends on the tack of your ink. Don't run the tackiest ink last or it wont trap properly. I run KCMY on a 4 colour SM and so would do the same on our 2-colour GTO as this is how my inks are set up. If I had a huge black solid then I would have it set up as a rich black using all four colours.

 

[pressing situation]

When I started out attempting 4 color on a two color, I did cyan, yellow, magenta and black.
I found it worked out well having usually the least coverage first and adjusting the magenta and black which can be overbearing colors are easier to adjust on the tail end. You do have to take into consideration your image and if there is a lot of flesh tones and or coverage of the bulk of the solids on the sheets. It's a learning thing and the more do it you will get it. It's just to bad for so many of us you have the added pressure of learning it and producing a job your boss has to sell. Good Luck... I am doing the learning thing as well now having to learn and produce on a 4 color machine with one weeks notice. Let us know how you make out...

 

[Chris from Printshop]

I normally decide which colours to do first by looking at the job in hand. I tend to always do black last. A very skilled printer I know swore that the best order to do CMYK on a 2c press was YM, then CK. And the stuff he turned really was superb. He's on a 4c press these days...

 

[plotter]

i was always told that the most critical colours are cyan and magenta, so i do these first and then yk. just how ive always done it, now i just do it without really thinking about it. ive never used a densitometer, i must just have a good eye for it, been doing it for 23 years

 

[pressing situation]

I have moved on a long way since this question. I'm Still running a two color as well as a DI 4 color. Two color or spot color put on the ryobi, 4 color process goes on the DI.
Different color sequence and it was good to first learn on a two color machine because you have to be a better press operator, but there is nothing like doing 4 colors at once and knowing right away your job is o.k.
Doing two colors, hoping it's right and two more colors on a second pass is so stressfull.
Especially if you are working in a shop with a two color press that does not even run up to specs because the owner won't even buy the rollers you need, and have needed for years...

 

[Chris from Printshop]

That sounds like progress. Out of interest, which order does your DI put the colours down? I know very little about DI other than I could probably make good use of one, given the chance. Poorly maintained presses are a fact of life in the printing trade, especially in the small format size. It's worth bearing in mind that most printing company owners would love to have perfectly tuned presses with new rollers and so-on, but many of them just can't afford to work like that. It can take a day to fit and balance a set of roller sometimes and beside the cost of the actual parts, they are also paying for you to be there not doing any printing etc. I know it's a false economy but there really are very few printers out there who can say they have all the facilities they need and in perfect order.