Colour Guide

Understanding Color in Print The world of print revolves around colours and the specific stocks they are printed on. Whether it’s a simple black ink on a white uncoated paper business card or a vibrant advertising board on foamex, colours play a crucial role in print. Let’s delve into different colour modes and explore what is needed for optimal printing results, along with some tips on converting colours for accurate output.

CMYK

CMYK, which stands for Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black, is the most widely used printing method. At Eazy Print, we employ CMYK printing on our Offset Litho and Digital presses. This four-colour process involves combining these colours in various mixes to reproduce the full colour spectrum required for print jobs. While CMYK printing excels in most colours, there are instances where strict brand guidelines may require the use of Pantone colours.

Pantone Colours

The Pantone Matching System (PMS) assigns specific numbers to identify colours. It utilises a precise mixture of pigments to create spot colours for single-colour inks. The Pantone system offers various categories, including metallics, fluorescents (neons), and pastels. With our five-colour press, we can run a CMYK job with a fifth Pantone colour simultaneously. Additional colours can be run separately, with up to five Pantone colours independently.

RGB

RGB, or Red, Green, and Blue, is an additive colour mode used for screen displays like televisions, projectors, and computer screens. However, we cannot directly print in RGB. It requires conversion to CMYK, which historically posed challenges as the results could be unpredictable. Colours that appear vibrant on a screen due to light interaction might look dull and washed out on paper. Thankfully, modern Raster Image Processors (RIPs) have improved colour mode conversions, particularly for photographic images.

Colour Conversions

To achieve the best results, ensure that your artwork is saved in CMYK colour mode, including all photos and graphics. Any items saved in RGB mode, which is suitable for digital displays and web images, may exhibit colour discrepancies once printed on our CMYK printers.

To avoid unpleasant surprises, it’s recommended to convert any RGB artwork to CMYK. In Illustrator, select File > Document Color Mode > CMYK, and in Photoshop, choose Image > Mode > CMYK Color, then save your file. If saving as a PDF, review the Save Adobe PDF dialog box and ensure that Color Conversion in the Output tab is set to No Conversion.

If you’re working in InDesign, you can convert any RGB images within your design by saving as a PDF and selecting the Press Quality PDF preset in the Save Adobe PDf dialog – then in the Output tab, select Convert to Destination (Preserve Numbers) and select a CMYK profile.

If you're unsure about colour or have any questions, feel free to call us at 023 8087 8037 or send us an email.

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Colour Guide

CMYK

Pantone Colours

RGB

Colour Conversions

If you're unsure about colour or have any questions, feel free to call us at 023 8087 8037 or send us an email.

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