Can anyone help me

[tch112]

I'm new to designing and its my first experience with the printing company.
This might be newbie question but i really couldn't find any solution so i decided to post on here.
I've designed the catalogue but didn't touch the base of contrast in the photos. The first sample print came in but the photos weren't sharp enough
Therefore, I changed the contrast and curve of the photos sent it back to printer company.
Problem came when i received the sample of new edited photo.
The new sample printed version had high contrast, making the shadow or dark spot very black. The monitor view and print was totally off.
I know that monitor use RGB and printer uses CMYK color space but the difference was too much.
I decided to stop by other printing company and asked them to print the sample as well. They did and their print actually matchs what i see in the monitor(atleast lot closer).
The print sample that matchs my monitor was printed by digital printer and the sample that i received earlier printing company was done by half tone print.
My quesion is, is there huge difference in the digital printing vs. half tone, in color and contrast ?
Also, is there any solution to the problem?
I asked my printing company for ICC profile, but they are saying that, now days its impossible to match exact color with ICC profile and don't need it.
I feel that i really don't see any solution because i can't understand aspect of how to match the contrast and colors to the printer that this printer company is using. The file format i sent to them were in PDF designed in Indesign. I think the printer company are using lower version of quark and my understanding is they would need to change the format(but this is my guess) and thinking problem might be there. I'm having massive stress because of the printing issue and any help will be great.

Thanks in advance

[tch112]

actually its not half tone but offset print

thanks

[SpugNothuson]

Are the photos in the job that're being printed still in RGB colour space in PhotoShop?

If so this would account for the large difference seen between the two printing methods.

[budafist]

Hey good mention Spug. We had a file sent to us today that was once RGB and then converted to CMYK. While our inkjet printer printed it lovely (almost the saturation it looked like onscreen), the offset printed it very washed out. The inkjet is designed to handle RGB files and make a lovely job of it, but it's quite deceiving because it doesn't print that offset. I almost wish that the inkjet made a rubbish job of it so that clients would sign off the proofs against something that the presses could replicate.

Luckily the client was pressed for time and they accepted the job as is.

So in response to your question tch112, yes there can be a difference between digital and offset and it's more to do with proofer/offset/plates compatibility and calibration. It varies from place to place and we get good days and bad days.

Doesn't help you does it?

[tch112]

Thank you for the reply,
All the photos has been converted to cymk and
files were printed in cmyk color space in photoshop.

[emucru]

"I asked my printing company for ICC profile, but they are saying that, now days its impossible to match exact color with ICC profile and don't need it.
I feel that i really don't see any solution because i can't understand aspect of how to match the contrast and colors to the printer that this printer company is using. The file format i sent to them were in PDF designed in Indesign. I think the printer company are using lower version of quark "

I would use a different printing company in the future. Ask them for PDF presets, and see what specs they use. Is your monitor calibrated, that is a good start.