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Preferred
File Formats
Photographic
images can be saved in different file formats. The format of
choice is one that does not lose color quality, contrast or file
size. TIF or EPS files are examples of lossless file formats. They
are designed to print clear and crisp at a resolution of 300dpi at
their final size in the layout. JPEG/JPG or GIF files are examples
of lossy file formats. They were originally designed for easy file
transmission and internet use, not for printing.
When
a lossy file format is saved over and over again, the jagged edges
are exaggerated. The process creates extra pixel garbage that you
do not want printed. Therefore, if you start with a JPEG file that
then needs edits, save it as an EPS or TIF file. This way,
additional information will not get lost and the quality of the
original JPEG image will be maintained.
Images from your Digital Camera
Before
taking a picture, determine the quality of an image and how it can
be used in a layout. Use the highest quality setting available on
the camera. The pixel dimensions of an image identify the
resolution. Dividing the pixel width and height by 300 determines
the dpi. Divide by 400 for images with text.
For
example:
Digital
Camera Image (with no text) = 1200 pixels x 1600 pixels
1200/300 = 4 inches 1600/300 = 5.33 inches
Layout size for image = 4 inches x 5.33 inches
The image can print at this size or smaller for clear and crisp
printing.
Digital cameras use the RGB color space. When RGB is converted to
CMYK, images tend to darken. Brighten and sharpen your image for
clearer printing. Convert the image to the CMYK color space, if
possible. Professionals frequently use Adobe Photoshop for this
task.
How the original image is acquired will determine its resolution.
Images
from the Internet
Jpeg and Gif
files are Internet images, saved with a compression process
designed to remove color and visual quality to achieve small file
sizes. Internet images are usually saved at a resolution of 72 dpi
for quick screen loads and will not print clear and crisp on a
printing press.
RULES
TO REMEMBER:
How the
original image is acquired will determine its resolution.
Images from the Internet
Jpeg and Gif
files are Internet images, saved with a compression process
designed to remove color and visual quality to achieve small file
sizes. Internet images are usually saved at a resolution of 72 dpi
for quick screen loads and will not print clear and crisp on a
printing press.
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Important
Information About RGB and CMYK
Many
graphics software programs give you the choice to work in either
RGB or CMYK. These are called "color spaces". Scanners
and digital cameras create images using combinations of just three
colors: Red, Green and Blue (called "RGB"). These are
the primary colors of light, which computers use to display images
on your screen. Printing presses print full color pictures using a
different set of colors, the primary colors of pigment: Cyan
(blue), Magenta (red), Yellow and Black (called "CMYK").
This is "4-color process" or "full-color"
printing that comprises the majority of magazines and marketing
materials you see every day. At some stage your RGB file must be
translated to CMYK in order to print it on a printing press.
It's
Best If You do the RGB-to-CMYK Conversion of Your Images
You
will have more control over the appearance of your printed piece
if you convert all of the images from RGB to CMYK before sending
them to us. When we receive RGB images, we do a standard-value
conversion to CMYK, which may not be perfectly to your liking. We
want you to be happy, so please, take the time to prepare your
file properly. We cannot be responsible for sub-par results if you
furnish your images in RGB. Even though monitors always use RGB to
display colors, the colors you see on your monitor will more
closely match the final printed piece if you are viewing them in
the CMYK color space.
Be aware that it is possible to see colors in RGB that you can't
make with CMYK. They are said to be "out of the CMYK color
gamut". What happens is that the RGB-to-CMYK translator just
gets as close as possible to the appearance of the original and
that's as good as it can be. It's something that everyone in the
industry puts up with. So it's best to select any colors you use
for fonts or other design elements in your layout using CMYK
definitions instead of RGB. That way, you will have a better idea
of how they will appear in your printed piece. Here's a common
example: many programs translate the 100% Blue in RGB into a
somewhat purple-looking color in CMYK. We recommend a CMYK value
of 100-65-0-0 to get a nice clean blue. Working in the CMYK color
space allows you to select the CMYK recipe, or "screen build",
that gives you the results you want.
Here
are some examples of how various RGB colors convert to CMYK:
rgb
colors
(what you see on screen)
cmyk colors
(printing inks will do this)
You
most likely won't notice this kind of color shift in a color
photograph. It is more likely to happen if you pick a very rich,
vibrant color for a background or some other element of your
layout. It probably won't look bad, it just won't look exactly the
same. But it may not be noticeable at all either.
To purchase a color guide with over 3,000 process colors with
their CMYK
screen percentages, please visit CreativePro at:
http://www.pantone.com/shop/creativepro/creativepro_ss.asp?
ProductID=23026&affiliate=creativepro
or CDW at
http://www.cdw.com/shop/products/default.asp?EDC=212012
Converting
to CMYK Color Space
Here is a
list of several common programs with instructions on how to make
sure you are working in the CMYK color space. If your program or
version is not listed here, don't worry. Most of these
instructions will apply to all versions of a program. If at any
time you need further help, please call us for assistance. We are
happy to talk you through the steps needed to get your document
into the CMYK color space.
Microsoft
Publisher 2000:
Microsoft
Publisher defaults to RGB. It is easy to convert everything to a
CMYK color space or to start a new document using the CMYK color
space.
Use the following menu options: Tools/Commercial Printing Tools/
Color Printing and select Process colors (CMYK). Please note that
all images incorporated into a layout need to be linked and not
embedded in order to maintain the CMYK color space within the
image. Using the following menu options does this:
Tools/Commercial Printing Tools/Graphics Manager and highlight the
embedded image. Click Link and click Browse to locate the original
file and link to it. You will then need to send both the images
and the layout file to us for printing.
Adobe
Photoshop 6
If the file
already exists select the following menu options: Image/Mode/CMYK
When starting a new file select CMYK for the mode before clicking
OK.
Corel
Draw 9
Select each
object you want to convert. Select the Fill tool and click Fill
Color Dialog. Make sure the Color model is CMYK. For each object
with an outline: Select the Outline tool and click the Outline
Color Dialog. Make sure the Color model is CMYK.
Adobe
Illustrator 9
Use the
following menu options. For an existing file select Edit/Select
All and then Filter/Colors/Convert to CMYK. For a new file, select
File/New and select CMYK color for the Color Mode.
Quark
Express 4.1
Use the
following menu options: Edit/Edit Colors/Show Colors in
Use/Highlight Color and click Edit. Change model to CMYK and
deselect Spot color. Remember to send us your layout and linked
images!
Adobe
InDesign 1.5.2
Use the
following menu options: Window/Swatches and Window/Color. Double
click color in Swatches Change color mode to CMYK and color type
to Process. Any colors created in the document that are not in the
Swatches palette, need to be changed to the CMYK color space.
Select each object you want to convert and make sure the Color
palette reflects the CMYK percentages. Click top right arrow in
the palette to change to CMYK if necessary. Remember to send us
your layout and linked images!
Adobe
Pagemaker 6.5
Use the
following menu options: Window/Show Colors. Double click "colors"
in palette and select Model to be CMYK and Type to be Process.
Please be advised that Pagemaker does not successfully represent
CMYK color on the monitor.
Also
Remember:
Four color
process is a system where a color image is separated into 4
different color values by the use of filters and screens (usually
done digitally). The result is a color separation of 4 images that
when transferred to printing plates and printed on a printing
press with the colored inks cyan (blue), magenta (Red), yellow and
black, reproduces the original color image.
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