On a dark shirt, the white underbase prints first, the colors follow from light to dark, black or the key outline goes next to last, and a highlight white, if the design has one, goes on top. That is the usual starting point, not a law: small areas first and detail last are two common adjustments, and the design always gets the final say. Underbase, a Windows app from Automata Labs, suggests exactly that order when it separates the art, lets you reorder it, and prints the order on the production ticket so the press is set up the way the film was planned.
This guide covers the default order, when to break it, a worked example, and how to put the order on paper before the first screen goes on the press.
Separate the art, get a suggested print order, and put it on the production ticket.
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What is the standard screen printing print order?
The rule most printers learn is lighter colors first and darker colors last. An article on wet-on-wet printing in Impressions magazine puts it this way: “For the most part, everyone has learned to print lighter colors first, and darker colors last (usually),” and adds that “every design is different.”
The reasoning is practical. When you print wet ink onto wet ink, a little of the earlier color can pick up on the back of later screens. A dark ink picking up a trace of yellow barely shows; a yellow picking up a trace of navy is ruined. Printing dark last also means the darkest, sharpest edges sit on top, where the eye goes first.
On a dark garment, the order usually looks like this:
| Position | Screen | Why it goes there |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | White underbase | Gives the colors a bright base to sit on; everything else prints over it |
| 2 to n | Colors, light to dark | Light inks are the most sensitive to contamination from darker ones |
| Next to last | Black or the key outline | Carries the edges and type that define the design |
| Last | Highlight white | Bright white details on top of everything else |
On a light garment there is usually no underbase, and the order starts at the lightest color.
Why does the underbase print first?
The underbase is a layer of white under the colors that need it, so those colors read bright on a dark shirt instead of soaking into the fabric. It has to go down before the colors it supports. Our guide to the white underbase for dark shirts covers how the base is built and why it is choked back from the edges so it never peeks out.
Not every ink needs it. Dark inks often print straight on the shirt, and some designs need no underbase at all. The Impressions article raises high opacity inks as one way some shops avoid an underbase screen on dark garments. That is a trade-off between ink cost and an extra screen; ask your ink supplier before you plan around it.
When should you break the light-to-dark rule?
The same Impressions article describes two strategies for wet-on-wet jobs.
Smaller areas first. A small area puts down little ink, so it causes little trouble for the screens that follow. In the article’s flower example, the small red center prints first, then the larger yellow petals, then the navy outline and type.
Detail last. The screen that carries the important detail, often the outline and the type, prints last so it lands clean on top. In the flower, that is the navy screen.
Notice that in the flower, red prints before yellow. That breaks strict light to dark, and it is deliberate: the small area and detail strategies outrank the lightness rule when they conflict. The article says it plainly: “The design will dictate the moves you make on the press. Sometimes printing the darkest color first is a great option.”
A quick way to decide:
| Question | If yes | If no |
|---|---|---|
| Is the shirt dark and do colors need to read bright? | Underbase first | Start with the first color |
| Is there an outline or type that defines the design? | Put it last, or next to last if there is a highlight white | Order by lightness |
| Is one color a small area and another a large one? | Consider the small one first | Order by lightness |
| Is there a bright white detail on top of colors? | Highlight white last | No highlight screen |
| Are two colors butted together with no outline? | Watch the trap between them | Order by lightness |
For the butted case, our screen printing separation terms glossary defines spread, choke and trap, and the right amount depends on your press.
Reorder inks in the live preview and send the final order to the press on the ticket.
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What does a print order look like for a real job?
Take a four-color logo on a black shirt: a pale yellow sunburst, an orange band, a red wordmark with a black outline, and small white sparkles on top.
| Head | Screen | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | White underbase | Under the yellow, orange and red only; choked back from the edges |
| 2 | Pale yellow | Lightest color |
| 3 | Orange | |
| 4 | Red | |
| 5 | Black outline | Carries the type edges; next to last |
| 6 | Highlight white | Sparkles on top |
That is six screens. If the press has six heads, it fits. If it has four, something has to give: merging close inks, printing the black as the shirt color by leaving it open, or dropping the highlight white. Our guide to how many screens a design needs works through that kind of trade.
How does Underbase help with print order?
From its Microsoft Store listing and product page:
- A suggested print order: light to dark, black next to last, white on top as the highlight white.
- Inks you confirm. You rename, merge, reorder or switch off any ink before anything is generated, and choose which inks sit on the underbase. Dark inks can print straight on the shirt.
- A plate budget. Tell Underbase how many screens your press has; it counts the underbase and every printing ink, shows the print order, warns when a job runs over, and merges the closest inks down to fit in one click.
- A production ticket as PDF and JSON with the print order, mesh, offsets, coverage per plate, garment, quantity, due date, notes and sign-off boxes.
- Film to match. A 1-bit film TIFF per plate, a true-size film PDF with registration marks and plate labels, mirrored for emulsion-down output when you need it.
It runs entirely on your PC with no account, no upload and no subscription. It is built for spot-color jobs of two to six inks; photographic simulated-process separations need a Photoshop-based tool. Our guide to making color separations for screen printing covers the whole workflow.
Frequently asked questions
Does white always print first?
On a dark shirt with an underbase, the underbase white prints first. A highlight white is a separate screen that usually prints last. On a light shirt, white may not be needed at all.
Should black always print last?
Not always. If there is a highlight white, black usually goes next to last. And the design may call for something else entirely, so treat the default as a starting point.
Do I flash between colors?
That depends on your inks, press and the design. Flashing after every color slows the job, which is why the Impressions article focuses on printing wet-on-wet where possible. Follow your ink maker’s guidance.
Can I change the order Underbase suggests?
Yes. You can reorder inks before anything is generated, and the ticket shows the order you chose.
Try Underbase
Underbase is a one-time purchase in the Microsoft Store with a free trial. Try it on a job you have already printed and compare the suggested order with how you ran it. More detail is on the Underbase product page.
Go from customer art to film and a ticket with the print order already on it.
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Last updated 21 October 2026. Published by Automata Labs, a software company in Canada.