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Art & separations · 6 of 6 · 1 min read

Computer-to-screen (CTS)

CTS skips film entirely. There are two kinds:

  • Masked CTS prints a UV mask (ink or wax) onto the coated screen, then you expose as usual. Lower upfront cost, with ongoing ink or wax.
  • Maskless CTS (DLP/DMD) images and exposes in one step, at a higher cost.

The benefits: no film to buy, store or tag, fewer pinholes, and faster registration on press. One caution from Screen Printing Magazine: very fast SBQ emulsions used with CTS have little exposure latitude and need tighter control of stencil thickness. See Emulsion & exposure.

Sources for this guide (13)
  1. ScreenPrinting.com, CMYK vs. spot vs. simulated process
  2. Scott Fresener, T-Biz Network, Index color separations
  3. Atlas Screen Supply, Mesh count chart
  4. PrintFilmReady, Mesh count to LPI chart
  5. ScreenPrinting.com, AccuRIP Emerald RIP software guide
  6. Solutions for Screen Printers, Halftone angles demystified
  7. BQ e-learning, Four-color process (CMYK) technical manual
  8. Screen Printing Magazine, Choosing a halftone dot shape
  9. Layersmith, White underbase for screen printing
  10. Scott Fresener, T-Biz Network, Choking, trapping and cleaning up type
  11. Impressions, The challenges of screen printing on caps
  12. Solutions for Screen Printers, Ink and film density
  13. Screen Printing Magazine, Stencilmaking in the age of CTS

Where sources disagree, the page says so.