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What software are you using?
*oh you're using Photoshop - well make sure you design it at 300 ppi at the correct poster dimension size.
If you're using photoshop you won't have to worry about a spot colour, just make sure the document is set to CMYK.
Where in the world are you? What printing process are you using?
Full colour is usually CMYK.
So any image can be broken down into these colours when printing.
The only rule is don't use any spot colours. A spot colour will separate out onto a different plate.
So basically CMYK, is a separation process, and all the colours you use are broken down into these basic colours. But let's not get too technical.
When the images are broken down into their different basics, they are transferred onto PLATES.
Each plate is made out of metal. It has a soft coating on it that allows the necessary areas to be washed away when imaged. The raised part of the plate will hold ink, i.e., the part of the plate that has the image on it will attract only that ink colour on the printing machine.
Each colour is overlayed on each other and the combined separated colours recombine on paper to give a high quality finish.
Right back to your desing.
Each plate costs money. The more plates you use the more money you spend. So in this case you only want CMYK (CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK).
DOn't use any SPOT colours. These are colours which are in a different gamut (range) to CMYK and cannot (in basic terms) be reproduced using CMYK colours.
Therefore, SPOT colours are specially premixed inks purchased by the printing shop. These are very specific colours which are usually prepicked from a PANTONE book (it's a colour matching system).
Because each spot colour is different and not reproduced by CMYK then it cannot go on CMY or K plates. It has to have it's own plate.
That means you spend more money. You can make sure that you haven't chosen SPOT from the Swatch options, set it to CMYK, in the application you're using.
SPOT colours also mean that instead of the print job going a printing machine that has 4 drums (CMYK) it has to go on another machine with more than 4 drums. So it can put the Spot colour on the paper, the SPOT Plate will need it's own drum.
This can also affect your price because they may charge slightly more for the 5th drum machine. OR they may not have a 5 colour machine and that means they would have to print 4 colours, move the print job to smaller machine and add the 5th colour later on.
Remember the 5th colour is just a specially prepicked colour that separates onto different plates.
So basically make sure you use CMYK images, and make sure you don't use an SPOT colours
When the time comes, talk to the printer about what way they want you to deliever the files.
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If getting it printed - always get a proof that's gone through the printers RIP and check it carefully.
"May your hats fly as high as your dreams"
Michael Scott
Last edited by eugenetyson; 11-22-2009 at 02:06 PM..
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