It has been pointed out on the list that yellow contains white and therefor
should be laid down first in four colour printing.
The order surely arises from the reflectivity of the various colours. It is this
factor that leads large run printers, millions of copies, to lay down the
colours in the order yellow, magenta, cyan, black, i e in decreasing order of
reflectivity. Thus working from light to dark in the manner of the
water-colorist using transparent colours. I have always used this order for my
screen prints and gum prints and it works.
One should also remember that there are very many variables which affect the
success of a four colour print made from separations. It is not only the colour
which is used but the gamma and relative curves of the separations, and the
absorbtion of the paper and the masking of the separations in relation to
subject and so and so on. If one is searching for true colour reproduction from
gum prints using colour separations we are into the land of the anorak cubed.
One accepts the limitations and makes use of them for creative effect.
The colours I use for four colour gum are chrome yellow, alizarin crimson,
Winsor blue and neutral tint. For screen printing I use the standard transparent
process colours which in fact lent themselves particularly well to my favourite
technique of relating colour to tone in the image.
Terry King