logo colours for print?

[Carl Ploughman]

Hi all

I'm creating a 4 colour logo for a restaraunt in Illustrator - is it advisable to use a colour that is 50% transparent (it' a white on a red - so looks pink) or should I just convert it to a process colour? Just trying to avoid any probs at the printing end.
Many thanks all.

Carl

[PrintDriver]

If you are designing a logo, transparency is bad. You need to define all of the colors in a logo. That 'pink' should be a spot color, not a transparency blend of white over red. Some printers (ie ALL large format printers and some specialties) cannot match to 4-color process numbers. And we won't go into the pitfalls of attempting to overprint white...:rolleyes:

Percentage tints (screens) are bad enough but transparency is over the line.

You also need to come up with a standards manual, even if it is only a page or two, on the usage of color in the logo and the various ways it can be used. ie if the paper is not white, if it is black and white, etc.

Case in point, ever look at the Ebay logo? What started as an online logo with overlapping transparency is now a 7 color spot logo. Expensive. AT&T spiral globe, same deal.

[DesignVHL]

Are you using 4 spot colors, or are you printing in CMYK, but want to use one spot color - the red? If you are printing CMYK, converting to process (your pink) is fine. However, if you prefer to use this specific color, I would suggest that you not go with a 50% transparency. When you have your spot color selected, go to your COLOR PALLETE in illy, and use the SLIDER to choose your 50%. THIS will give you the proper use for your color.

Transparency would work, but it depends on WHAT the logo is being used for. Transparency isn't advised for any SCREENPRINTING, so w/ that being said, you will get your best result using the color slider and reducing the COLOR PERCENTAGE as opposed to the transparency. :)

[PrintDriver]

He's creating the logo. No transparency please.

[DesignVHL]

To add on...as PD said, Spot %'s don't always look that great...its kind of an old school way of thinking. If you need a 50% red (or your pink) maybe try to use 100% of a 5th color - a pink pantone color chosen. :)

[PrintDriver]

It's one thing to take a pink spot color and define it as CMYK for 4-color printing. It's quite something else to be using a white transparent overlay when creating a logo from scratch.