The underbase, or flash white plate, is essential to screen print art. I have yet to meet a graphic artist that can produce a quality underbase without any training. This is not something you learn in school. It has to be handed down from artist to artist or printer to artist. Each screen printer is different. Here is a basic pathfider tutorial that is essential for making clean screen print vectors.
Adobe Illustrator’s powerful Pathfinder Tool can change the way shapes interact and make it possible to create many stunning effects.
The Pathfinder Tool is a great tool to familiarize yourself with. It is used for manipulating paths within Adobe Illustrator. I will explain the different options associated with the Pathfinder Tool, namely: Unite, Minus Front, Intersect, Exclude, Divide, Trim, Merge, Crop, Outline, and Minus Back. And to begin, I will show you how to use the Unite option of the Pathfinder Tool with two square shapes. You will see that with both of my shapes selected, I can unite them into one shape using the Unite option.