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I know printing in general is on topic as it's already being discussed; but I'm wanting to ask several questions regarding screen printing techniques, tips and tricks.

Since this is on the verge of being fine art questions, would they be out of scope?

EDIT:

Ok so I should have searched before asking, so I'll make this question more specific than the previous Are screen printing questions on topic? question.

I'm looking to ask questions about:

  • recommended inks for specific projects
  • when to use a particular type of screen printing (stencil, photo emulsion, block out, etc)
  • differences in process from printing on fabrics to printing on paper and what to consicer
  • etc.

My arguments FOR these being on topic are that printmaking is a required feild of study at some/most schools when majoring in Graphic Design. Before computers, understanding printmaking was essential in designing work as knowing how the design would be displayed was part of the design solution (and it still should be today). Printmaking is an essential part of the history of graphic design.

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I'd say all the examples given should be on topic (so long as it's related to a design project).

It's good practice to design to the capabilities of the production medium and process, and many print designers work on this by gaining expertise on available mediums and processes.

As OghmaOsiris says, design/art schools encourage this with print production related modules. Design magazines also often include features on new papers, inks and processes, and I've known print designers who really go out of their way to better understand the print process in order to better design for it better (e.g. organising afternoons shadowing printers they work with regularly).

Of course plenty of designers (me included) get by with only basic knowledge of the print process, working with standard setups, and this site does currently have more web-oriented than print-oriented designers (simply because we're associated with a popular coding site) - but that's no reason to stand in the way of people who want their designs to push inks, papers and processes to the limit.

I'd encourage people like that to use this site and I'd be keen to read what they say.

It would seem like a step in the wrong direction to forbid questions about print production, even if they're asked by a designer trying to better understand the end medium in order to better design for it.

We might want to hold back a bit if people setting up print shops started asking us about how to assemble print production lines, but that's pretty unlikely...

We're not going to be overrun by technical print production questions to the point that it needs a moderator's intervention to stop the flood. I'd be amazed if we see more than 25 a year.

Those <25 questions would probably be interesting, advanced questions that might attract more top brass print designers to the site, which would be a good thing.

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I think questions as they relate to design for screen printing are fine - setting up art, color use, etc.

Questions about Inks, screens, media would all be off-topic since they are production questions, not design questions. Printing questions would be equally off-topic if they asked about ink wells, rollers, platemaking, imagesetters, etc.

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