The best color separation software for screen printing depends on what you print. For photographic shirt art on dark garments, the Photoshop plugins T-Seps and UltraSeps, and Freehand Graphics' Sep Studio NXT, automate simulated process and index separations. For flat logos and spot-color graphics, Illustrator, CorelDRAW or a dedicated spot separator like Texloom's Separation Studio is faster and cheaper.
Below are eight tools compared on the separation types they handle, where they run, what they cost and whether you can try them free. Prices are the makers' or resellers' listed prices at the time of writing.
Start with the separation type, not the brand
Every separation package is built around one or more of four methods, and most buying mistakes come from picking a tool that is strong at the wrong one.
- Spot color: one solid ink per screen. Logos, type, clip art and flat illustration. The screen count equals the ink count.
- CMYK process: cyan, magenta, yellow and black halftones that mix optically. Best on white and light shirts; weak on dark ones without extra screens.
- Simulated process: opaque spot inks printed as halftones, usually over a white underbase. The standard for photo-real prints on dark garments.
- Index: same-size square dots in a dithered pattern, printed side by side rather than on top of each other. Forgiving on press, but it usually needs more colors.
If you want the full background on each method, our color separation guide walks through halftones, screen angles and naming each ink. If most of your work is spot color, you can skip the expensive plugins entirely.
Eight color separation tools compared
| Tool | Runs in | Separation types | Platforms | Listed price | Try first |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T-Seps 4.0 | Photoshop plugin | Spot, CMYK, simulated process, index, monochrome | Windows, Mac | $345 one-time (regular $395) | 20-day full trial |
| UltraSeps v3 | Photoshop plugin (CS3 or later, not Elements) | Simulated process, index | Windows, Mac | $399 (limited-time price) | Trial via v2 |
| Sep Studio NXT | Plugin for Adobe and Corel apps | Spot, CMYK, index, simulated process | Windows 8+, macOS High Sierra+ | $229 per year | Ask the maker |
| SimpleSeps (Raster, SmartRIP) | CorelDRAW Graphics Suite plugins | Simulated process, bitmap, RIP output | Windows only | Raster $111.99 to $209.99 by licenses | Not listed |
| Adobe Photoshop | Standalone | Any, built by hand with spot channels | Windows, Mac | $22.99/mo, annual plan | 7-day trial |
| Adobe Illustrator | Standalone | Spot (vector), host-based separations | Windows, Mac | $22.99/mo, annual plan | 7-day trial |
| CorelDRAW Graphics Suite | Standalone | Spot (vector), print separations | Windows, Mac, web | Subscription or one-time purchase | 15-day trial |
| Texloom Separation Studio | Online, in the Texloom Studio | Spot only (auto or 2 to 12 screens) | Online, no install | See pricing | Free Screen Print Studio, no signup |
None of these is "the best" in the abstract. A shop printing 6-color simulated process on black hoodies and a studio sending 3-color logo art to a contract printer need very different tools.
The Photoshop plugins for photo-real shirt art
T-Seps
T-Seps comes from Scott Fresener of the T-Biz Network and has been around, under different names, since 1999. Version 4.0 runs inside Photoshop and produces spot, CMYK, simulated process, index and black-and-white separations. The T-Seps product page also lists a built-in RIP, job proofs, mesh count suggestions and dot gain adjustment, and allows installs on up to four computers per license. It is the most complete single purchase here if you print photographic work on both light and dark garments.
UltraSeps
UltraSeps is another Photoshop plugin aimed at T-shirt printers. Its FAQ is clear that it needs full Photoshop, version CS3 or later, and does not work with Photoshop Elements. The maker lets you install one license on all your own computers, and the trial is the earlier version, which it describes as functionally the same. It suits a shop already living in Photoshop that wants simulated process and index separations in a few clicks.
Sep Studio NXT
Sep Studio NXT is from Freehand Graphics, the company behind the AccuRIP film output software. It plugs into Adobe and Corel apps rather than tying you to Photoshop, covers spot, CMYK, index and simulated process, and adds a one-click underbase builder plus choke and spread controls. It is sold as an annual subscription, and resellers bundle it with AccuRIP if you also need a RIP to print films.
CorelDRAW shops: SimpleSeps
A lot of screen printers do their layout in CorelDRAW, and SimpleSeps is built for them. SimpleSeps Raster makes simulated process and bitmap separations inside CorelDRAW and PHOTO-PAINT, SmartRIP is a halftone RIP with separation built in, and OverPrint automates overprinting. The plugins need the full CorelDRAW Graphics Suite (versions X6 to 2026) on a Windows PC, so they are not an option on a Mac. A bundle of all three lists at $219.99 to $409.99 depending on how many computers you license.
CorelDRAW on its own can print spot-color separations from vector art, which is enough for many logo jobs.
Doing separations by hand in Photoshop or Illustrator
You do not need a plugin to separate artwork. Illustrator handles spot-color vector art well: assign spot swatches, set overprints, check the Separations Preview and print host-based separations to film. Photoshop can build any separation type with spot channels, Color Range selections and Bitmap halftones, but every channel is your judgment call, which takes time on photographic art.
The trade-off is skill and hours. Manual separation teaches you exactly what each screen is doing, and many experienced separators still finish plugin output by hand. If you are learning, read our color separation guide for screen printing before you buy anything.
Free color separation software
People search for "screen printing color separation software free download" a lot, and the honest answer is that there is no free equivalent of T-Seps or UltraSeps. What you can get for free:
- Texloom Screen Print Studio: a free online separator with no download or signup. It reduces a design to 2 to 8 spot colors, adds 0 to 4 px of trapping and registration marks, and exports each screen as a black film positive PNG or the whole set as a ZIP. Try it at the Screen Print Studio.
- GIMP: its Colors > Components > Decompose command splits an RGB image into CMYK (or LAB, HSV and other) channels as separate grayscale layers or images. That is a raw CMYK split, not a screen-ready simulated process separation, but it costs nothing. See the GIMP Decompose documentation.
- Trials: T-Seps offers a 20-day full trial with no card, CorelDRAW a 15-day trial and Illustrator a 7-day trial. Separate a real job during the trial rather than a demo file.
Where Texloom fits
Texloom's tools are built for spot-color work, and they are honest about it: neither makes CMYK, simulated process or index separations. For flat textile prints, logos and illustration, that is most of what you need.
The Separation Studio in the Texloom Studio takes a JPG, PNG or other raster image, or a PSD file, and separates it automatically, or into exactly 2 to 12 screens if you set the count yourself. It adds trapping of 0 to 4 px so inks overlap and hide small misregistration, stamps registration marks on every plate, can add a white underbase for dark garments, and names each plate after its nearest color in the Texloom Color Library. You export a ZIP of PNG plates, a multi-page TIFF or a layered PSD at the DPI you choose. Plates export as solid spot color, so your RIP applies the halftone screening.
The screen count is the setting that costs real money, because every color is a screen to coat, burn and register. Before you separate, read how many screens a design really needs.
Which tool suits your shop
- Mostly spot-color logos and flat art: Illustrator or CorelDRAW if you work in vector, Texloom's Separation Studio if you start from raster artwork.
- Photo-real prints on dark shirts, Photoshop shop: T-Seps or UltraSeps. Compare them on a trial with your own artwork.
- Mixed Adobe and Corel workflow, need film output too: Sep Studio NXT, optionally bundled with AccuRIP.
- CorelDRAW on Windows: SimpleSeps.
- No budget, simple job today: the free Screen Print Studio, then a trial of a paid tool when the work grows.
Next step: take one job you printed recently, count its inks, and separate it in the free Screen Print Studio. If the plates look right, you may not need a plugin at all. If the art is photographic, download the T-Seps or UltraSeps trial and run the same file.
