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COLORS

	Understanding 4 Color Printing		Spot Colors		The Pantone Ink System
	Images from the Internet		Color Matchprints		Enriched Blacks
	Colored Text		Tints and Screens of Color

1. Understanding 4 Color Printing

The 4 color process system of printing uses 4 different primary inks to simulate a near full spectrum of colors by using various dot sizes when printed. These 4 colors (often referred to as process colors) are Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black. Originally created for printing color photography, it didn’t take long to incorporate it into the printed graphics you see today.

When you submit a color design to be printed in 4 color, here is what happens:

	The color design is separated into 4 different digital Black and White images, each representing 1 of the process colors and how much of that color exists in each part of your design.
	Each of these digital B & W images is then exposed onto B & W film using a laser beam in a machine called an Imagesetter.
	Once developed, these 4 different pieces of film are used to burn 4 separate plates, each one of 1 of the process colors as it is found in your design.
	These plates are then put on the press where they sequentially lay down the inks for each of the 4 process colors.

2. Spot Colors

Whatever application you're working in, and whatever application you used to create placed graphics, *always work and save in CMYK for print jobs. RGB images will not look right when film is made and printed. At FairPrint Graphic Solutions we always check the files to find any RGB files and convert them to CMYK, but the time we take to convert these images will add extra cost to your job.

Working in CMYK from the start when designing print jobs also lets you see colors on your screen that will be closer to the final printed piece. If you convert to CMYK at the last minute, and don't check how images look, you may be unpleasantly surprised at how the proof or final piece turns out.

* The one exception is when sending images for Wide Format poster or banner printing. Please send RGB Photoshop files that have been flattened.

3. The Pantone Ink System

The PANTONE® Matching System (PMS) is the dominant spot color printing system in the United States. Printers use a special mix of ink to achieve the color needed. Each spot color in the Pantone system is assigned a name or a number. There are over a thousand Pantone spot colors available.

Pantone swatch books — printed samples of ink - come in coated, uncoated, and matte finishes. You use these swatch books or color guides to find the desired spot color for the type of paper used in your project. Software programs such as Photoshop and QuarkXPress contain color palettes for various printing systems, including PANTONE colors.

If you have access to a Pantone swatch booklet and want to use spot colors for your print job please call us:1-515-246-9901

4. Your Monitor's Color Accuracy

At FairPrint Graphic Solutions we use the Internet as the standard method for sending your proof to you. This is a great way to get your job faster, handle changes faster, and decrease printing costs. However not everyone’s monitor is calibrated in the same way.

What this means is that if you need to be very particular about exact color on a print job, you may opt for a hard copy proof mailed to you. Color match prints are the most accurate hard copy proof we can send, and what we recommend for jobs needing exact color matching.

5. Color Matchprints

Color match prints are made from the actual film that will get used to print your job. They show you almost exactly how your design will look when it comes off the press, however they are costly and more time consuming. If you think you may need a color match print, or have questions on pricing please call us: 1-515-246-9901.

6. Enriched Blacks

If your design has areas that contain large areas of black or if one element of your design needs to look truly pitch black, you may consider using what is called an enriched black. Enriched black contains 100% of all 4 process colors cyan, magenta, yellow and black, rather than just black. This tends to produce a deeper black especially in large solid areas of black which might otherwise look a bit grayish.

To create an enriched black simply make sure the color you are using in your design application has 100% of Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black.

7. Colored Text

If you are using colored text in your design please consider making it at least 10pt in size or make it out of only one of the process colors: Cyan, Magenta, Yellow or Black. This will help ensure your text comes out completely crisp and sharp from the press..

8. Tints and Screens of Color

To be safe always try and make sure screens of any color in the design are at least 10%. Sometimes extremely faint screens will not show up when the plates are burned for the press. This is true for tints of process or spot colors and for photographs that contain extremely faint screens.