The Lithography Process
---> Designs without Primer
It is a valuable skill to be able to look at the client's design and understand how the art will be processed onto metal and into a crown. When you look at the design, ask yourself, is there substrate showing or is the crown covered in ink colors completely?
If the substrate is showing anywhere then the crown cannot have white primer....remember primer covers the entire sheet. Hence, the primer would cover the areas of substrate. It is possible however that the design will require spot white to go underneath other colors to enhance their appearance.
2. Designs without Primer Example: CM & Cola
Since you can see the skirt of the crown is substrate, white primer cannot be applied. It would cover the skirt, which is obviously not desireable for this particular design. Spot white ink can be applied underneath the red to give it a brighter appearance. The spot white is applied only on the top of the crown, and the other inks on top.
Dylan and I worked through a situation in August 2012. This design requires spot white and gold varnish on top. Only one pass of spot white will not be as bright as primer; it could appear beige or dirty white underneath the gold. In this case, two or more passes of spot white will achieve the desired effect.
