when talking about the numbers

[CamarotaDesign]

When I refer to the actual numbers for the amount of each color of ink in a photograph what is the correct term? I've been saying "Ink levels"

Today while talking to a prepress tech about my concerns that a photograph that would be printed (a file sent to us by another agency) I was told that "Ink Levels" refers to the total coverage of ink on a page, not the numbers when using the eye dropper to take a color sample of a photograph.

I always thought that ink levels refers to ink level you get with the eye dropper tool. and "Total Ink Coverage" refers to the actual amount of ink that is laid out on the page. (300% total coverage being the absolute max that most papers can handle)

Can I get some technical terms from you guys?

[Virgo Nightingale]

I call that the CMYK breakdown, but that's just me. I don't know if that's the official technical term, that's just what I call it.

[CamarotaDesign]

yeah, that would work for me as well. pretty much anything in reference to the photograph.

ink density, ink levels, cmyk breakdown, etc. etc.

[protone]

Yep....six of this and half dozen of the other. Call it what you wish but the eye dropper tool which provides for the CMYK, RGB or HSB values to me means what you said. From a pre-press standpoint often the terminology I hear is ink levels in reference to the value of ink required to achieve the designed and expected colour in a digital file (I am with you on that one). However, for the print production standpoint - press operator to ink maker etc... we always, always, always talk of ink density, not ink film, not ink level but density. The equipment used to read the ink density is either called a densitometer or spectrophotodensitometer.:cool: