Sending Prints to Press

[Klavzz]

Hi everyone
Newbie here - I go by the name Klavzz(pronounced CLAYVZ) :)
I am a graphic designer from Jamaica - yes in the Caribbean
I have a question - and if it has been answered before I apologise :)
When sending photoshop jobs to the Press how do you send it - Our press people require that we START all jobs in CMYK - because, as they say when we start in RGB and change mode to CMYK the settings of the RGB still remains (I know there must be a way around this these people here just love to be difficult) Also my "SWOP color" in photoshop only comes coated and I was told to set it to uncoated --- another problem. Can anyone assist me please cause whenever our jobs print dark or misregister our bosses think its the designers fault :rolleyes: (yeah right like we shift the presses and make it misregister)

[Drorain]

sounds like my previous employer...who has a collective of employees down in jamaica...hmm i wonder...

when you go from RGB to CMYK it's going to shift color, you would be better to start in CMYK just so you know the color gamut available to you. This will make photographs switch anyway, but thats just the nature of working from a press

[jimking]

Also, SWOP coated is ok, don't sweat it unless you are striving for a particular spot color on uncoated paper or it's cmyk equivalent. As far as registration, are you creating everything in Photoshop, such as text? Creating text in Photoshop is not as clear and crisp (fuzzy text) as Illustrator or a pagebuilder such as Indesign or Quark. This could be what they are thinking is out of register. If its printing dark are the printers providing color proofs? Are they matching the proofs on press? Also, if the printer prints full color on uncoated paper, dot gain will cause the prints to darken a lot! Full color should be printed on coated paper to hold dot. If this is the case, you or the printer needs to lighten the PS files to minimize dot gain or create a profile.

[Klavzz]

Thanks guys
Ok OK I guess I could start in CMYK

I have some fonts in the PS file and the body copy in the AI file which is the output file
I know that this sometimes causes a problem - also I thought that dot gain could be a problem I was just reading up on it - my dot gain is at 20% maybe I could drop it to 15% Hmmmmmm!!! food for thought

O THE GLEANER (thats our daily newspaper) NEVER send proof to us we are beneath them they rule the world (the world - the world ) - ok enough of the melodramatics - I will just have to do what I can from my side
Thanks again guys

[CamarotaDesign]

Irie Ites! I wish I was a graphic designer in jamaica!

So on to business, You might have already fixed problems, but I thought I would comment on this since it looks like nobody realized you were designing for newspaper.

Dont change your dot gain settings, if anything raise them! having your setting at 20% means that photoshop will adjust your output settings for a 20% dot gain, not add a 20% dot gain. So if anything your settings need to be higher if you are getting dark prints.

Dot gain is 20 - 22% for COATED paper and that is standard for most presses. Since It sounds like you are making designs for the Gleaner newspaper, you need to adjust for newsprint paper. Dot gain for uncoated newsprint is about 30%

Also, if they are printing on newspaper they could be using SNAP inks, not SWOP. that would cause big problems too.

Thanks guys
Ok OK I guess I could start in CMYK

I have some fonts in the PS file and the body copy in the AI file which is the output file
I know that this sometimes causes a problem - also I thought that dot gain could be a problem I was just reading up on it - my dot gain is at 20% maybe I could drop it to 15% Hmmmmmm!!! food for thought

O THE GLEANER (thats our daily newspaper) NEVER send proof to us we are beneath them they rule the world (the world - the world ) - ok enough of the melodramatics - I will just have to do what I can from my side
Thanks again guys

[Klavzz]

Hey thanks for the info Camarota.
However I dropped the dot gain to 15% and one ad came out good but the other pale - I have a main campaign doing now and most of those print ok

- I didnt know thats what dot gain meant (oops) however the newspapers here print on newsprint paper not the white thick one the off white thinner one. So do you think this will still help although I am terrified to run another experiment with clients ads even though it would suit them :confused: .
I was told by another agency that the GLEANER uses SWOP uncoated - but my settings in photoshop only has coated - that might be a problem as well!!!
oops I just realised I said that before - :)

[CamarotaDesign]

Ask them if they are using SNAP inks, Changing your settings to SNAP, and 30% dot gain could solve a lot of your problems.

[urstwile]

Our local paper has color settings that we use in Photoshop and other programs when sending files to them for print. You said the Gleaner rules the world ( :D ), but is it possible they have settings like that they could send to you?

[Klavzz]

I think so - spoke to someone in their dept he enlighten me about some stuff he was to call back so I could speak directly to their designer - but I'm still waiting - so I am going to call again to get it.