1) Don't use jpegs in print. The colour is flakey.

2) You could try calibrating your monitor. There are a lot of solutions available for this.

3) Don't trust what you see on screen, anyway. With experience, you should have a reasonable idea of what CMYK values will print as. If you don't have that experience, or you need a more accurate idea of the colour, well, that's what Pantone books and the like are for.

like hewligan said, i would recommend using a tiff file for this instance. also, make sure your color spaces in both programs are the same, they should be.

cmyk- US Web Coated SWAP v2
rgb - Adobe RGB 1998

I agree that I need to calibrate the monitor, I've used Huey in the past, but don't have that available here at the moment. I am pretty proficient at checking CMYK values for print & have a Pantone Process book on order.

In the meantime, I will double check my color spaces & provide a TIFF instead of the JPEG.

As far as my monitor color profile, is there a specific one anyone would recommend for designing print work? The one I am currently using is VX1935wm-3 (default one that came with the ViewSonic monitor I am using).

I'm not really a newb to the design business so this is embarrasing. I am used to working on Macs, though. Is this a common issue or is it just coincidence that I am only stumbling on this now that I am using a PC?

Like they said, use tiffs, not jpegs.
The computer platform shouldn't be an issue. Whatever the CMYK values are in your file should be the same no matter what computer you open the file on. It may look different due to different monitors, but the info doesn't change. Check the CMYK values in the graphic. If there are similar percentages of cyan and magenta, then you are going to get purple.

Also, what is the printer printing it on? Is the proof purple? Is their proofer calibrated to print press-match proofs. What CMYK values do they see in the graphic?

If the colors look good on your end, my first thought is that there is a file conversion somewhere that is changing the file to RGB. If you are submitting a PDF exported out of Illy, check the PDF settings and even open and check the PDF to see if there is any color conversion happening.

could be a profile thing. Did you let Illy embed a profile on saving? If so, the right one?

With the money they are "saving" getting you a PC, ask them to spring for a monitor calibrator (eyeone or huey) and a decent monitor
Macs have onboard color calibration utility, not so with PCs.

Seriously though, I have worked in both PC and Mac design environments. Currently on a mac now, worked on PC in my last position and macs before that. I have never had any problems outputting correct colors when working between platforms (I have had plenty of font related problems but that's a whole other conversation). Though I did have a monitor spyder for calibrating my CRT monitor on the PC.

I'm sure you have done this already, but the obvious culprits maybe...
Check file>color mode, make sure it is CMYK
I would also check your edit>color settings (SWOP is a standard formulation of inks; it usually works)

It sounds more like a monitor issue than anything to me.

Get a proof, ask your service provider for advice - If your printer gives you a custom output profile, you may need to make specific choices in the color settings menu.

These links maybe helpful
Obtaining custom profiles for desktop printers
http://help.adobe.com/en_US/Illustra...A57B00130.html

Install a color profile
http://help.adobe.com/en_US/Illustra...A57B00130.html

I've checked my color settings and color profiles and all are in order. So, with the TIFF, most of my issues are cleared up. I went ahead & put everything in layers in PS, with a transparency on the left. The printer is saying all is okay now, EXCEPT the portion with the transparency is printing out purple. My Pantone process book should arrive tomorrow, but the CMYK values are 57 26 8 0. This shouldn't be purple, no?

Any known issues with transparency and discolorations?

BTW - this forum ROCKS!

"Accidently" spill some water on the PC, then get a Mac.

Ya I work with a PC as well. Havent noticed any real color issues

Trevor

On the one hand, colour display is more accurate on a Mac - at least in general, though there's a lot you can do to improve Windows' colour.

On the other hand, you just can't trust the colours you see on your monitor, anyway.

(And if you then send a job to one of those laser printing places, you might as well just accept that colour accuracy is something that happens to other people - he says from bitter experience.)