Why don’t they look just like what I saw on screen? Most people assume when they create artwork for print, or check a proof from their designer, that the colours they see on screen will reproduce pretty much as they see them when they’re printed. Wrong! It’s frustrating. There’s so much technical jargon around printing, and a lack of technical knowledge can risk a result that’s a long way from what you expected. Whether you’re creating your own artwork to send to your print supplier, or getting help from a graphic designer, it’s important to understand how to produce a print ready file that is right for the print process, so that you get a predictable outcome. CMYK, RGB, PMS …… what do all those letters mean? 1. CMYK is a four colour printing process consisting of Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black. It’s often known as full colour printing. Most newspapers, magazines, books and printed marketing materials use this colour process. C,M,Y and K are primary colours that can be combined as a dot pattern to create the majority of visible ink colours. If you look at a magazine image under a magnifying glass, you’ll see how it works. CMYK colour is used on both offset and digital presses, and is the dominant method for colour printing. 2. RGB is used for on-screen images, and consists of only 3 colours – Red, Green and Blue. It is the colour model on computers monitors, tablets and smart phones. These screens add light a black background to create colour, so produce a very different result to printing ink or toner on white paper. RGB but is not used for print production. 3. PMS (Pantone Matching System) is a structured and very accurate colour matching system. The ink colour is blended to a numbered formula to provide a consistent and perfect match to the colours specified in the Pantone colour swatch. PMS inks are used in offset printing. Each colour is assigned a number and is created using a specific formula. When a printer uses Pantone colours, the specific ink colour is purchased or mixed from the PMS formula and loaded into the offset press. 4. Close match to PMS. It is possible to get a fairly good approximation of a PMS colour when using the CMYK process, and for many small businesses, the cost advantage makes this a better choice. So ……you need to create your file in CMYK or PMS, even though monitors always use RGB to display colours. That way, the colours you see on your monitor will more closely match the final printed piece if you are viewing them in the CMYK colour space. But they will still only be an approximation of the final printed result, and for some colours, will vary considerably. If colour accuracy is really important, the only way to ensure the result is to ask for a test print. Whether you choose to print using the PMS or CMYK colour system will be determined by several factors
- Printing processes offered by your chosen supplier
- Colour accuracy require
- Price
- Lead time
- Quantity
Always ask your supplier about this before you or your designer start creating files. That way you’ll be on the right track from the jump. If you’d like to know more about the ins and outs of effective print buying, download our ebook 11 Secrets To Buying Print Stress Free (inside information that will save you money – and headaches)
