Spot Color v. CMYK

by lweber | Oct 27, 2014 | Print Buying Tips

When printing a job on an offset press, two color systems can be used: Spot color and CMYK.

In spot color printing,  you select a colored ink for the job at hand. We call these unique colors by their PMS number.  PMS stands for Pantone Matching System, and it is the standard by which all print providers refer to ink colors.  Spot color is commonly used for business logos, business cards, and letterheads where one to three solid colors are used.  Spot colors cannot be used to print photographs or multicolored images.  The design must use solid colors because the printing press will be filled with the each unique ink chosen for the job. Each spot color is mixed using a palette of 14 basic colors; resulting in smooth, bright, and consistent hues.  The Pantone system provides a formula to create each spot color.  By using this exact formula, printers can recreate your spot colors the next time you order.  The image to the left shows an open PMS book with its range of colors.

When printing a color photograph or a range of colors, we use the CMYK color system.  CMYK, also known as ‘process color’ or ‘four color’, refers to using only the colors cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow  (Y), and black (K) in layers of tiny dots to produce the desired colors in the design.  The combination of CMYK can produce almost any color imaginable.  In this process the content in your design is broken down into these four colors.  As your paper travels through the press, each color is printed in a layer of dots in a specific order.  After all four colors have been layered on, your full color image appears.  The image to the left shows how layers of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black create a full-color photograph.

Files designed with PMS spot colors can be converted to CMYK.  This change would be necessary if you decide to use digital instead of offset printing.  Digital printing presses use CMYK as their sole color system.  If you see a file designed with RBG (Red, Blue Green), it has been designed for viewing digitally and not printing.  RGB is the color system used on computer monitors.  These files need to be converted to CMYK before being printed.

We can help you determine the best color system to use for your printing job.  We are always happy to educate our customers about printing!  Our graphic designer can work with you to plan your project, or we can work with your outside designer.  Please contact us with any questions.

Photos from Pantone.com and Pantone.co.uk 

Image Resolution

by lweber | Sep 30, 2014 | Print Buying Tips

When you provide images and photos for your printed piece, it’s important to pay attention to image resolution.  The resolution of an image in your design could mean the difference between looking professional or looking you don’t pay attention to details.  Blurry, pixelated images can drastically bring down the appearance of your design, leading fewer people to read your message.   In many cases, a brochure or postcard makes your first impression with a new client.  How do you want people to perceive your business?

A universal rule for all photographs and Photoshop files is to use a resolution of 300 PPI.  PPI is an acronym for pixels per inch. So, if you set your image to have a resolution of 300 PPI, each square inch of the image will be 300 pixels wide by 300 pixels tall, containing 90,000 pixels total.  The commonly used 72 PPI only contains 5,184 pixels.

300 PPI is ideal for all circumstances because it allows the image to be viewed very small and also scaled up very large while retaining smooth, pixel-free edges. If an image has a resolution of 72 PPI, it will only be a clear image when printed at a very small scale.  Any larger, and that 72 PPI image becomes pixelated and unattractive.  The difference between a photograph set at 72 PPI and 300PPI is shown below.

 Which would you choose for your design?

Vector images, such as Adobe Illustrator files, are unlike Photoshop files and JPEG’s because they do not need to be given a resolution. A vector design can be scaled up 500 times without losing any quality because vector programs run based on shapes rather than pixels. However, if you find yourself exporting a vector file as a jpeg, you will need again to set the image resolution in the dialogue box to 300 PPI.

Overview

All PHOTOGRAPHS, PSD’s, TIFF’s, and JPEG’s should be saved with a resolution of 300 PPI

Vector files can be sent as vector files with no need to worry about resolution.

If you have any questions about image settings or choosing the right image, we are glad to help!  From brochures to banners, please contact us and we will work with you to ensure a professional printed piece.