In screen printing, there is often a gap between the creative and production teams. Designers think organically, in color, in a flow of storytelling; printers think in terms of flash times, pressures, squeegees, and registration. Bridging that gap has often requires either:
- A unicorn, someone who understands both creative and printing. Rare, valuable, and usually overbooked or …
- A partnership between a designer and a printer teaming up, translating each other’s language.
But recently, a new gap has emerged, and it’s growing rapidly. It’s between creative and automation.
The New Divide: Creative Meets Automation
Art departments have adopted digital design tools; however, proofing, quoting, and separations still require repetitive, manual steps. This is where automation should excel, but it requires programming. Just as before, you need either another unicorn (someone who is both creative and technical) or you build a bridge team, pairing a creative person with a programmer already in your shop.
The difference now is that AI shortens the gap. What used to take a lot of back-and-forth programming can now evolve dynamically. The code can finally keep up with the art.
Read the rest of this story on Apparelist, a publication of PRINTING United Alliance, ASI’s strategic partner.
