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Achieving consistent colour when printing > tips & tutorials?
I know this is a massive subject, but I am wondering if anyone can point me in the direction or give me some advice on how to get a consistency of colour to bear some resemblane to what is actually printed out when you get it back from the professional printers.
I currently work using a mix of Photoshop and Illustrator CS. I appreciate that one must work in CMYK and I produce PDF/X compliant files using the Enfocus PitStop plugin in Acrobat 7. I recently got some business cards back from the printer (offset litho) and they were a way darker blue than I intended. So is it all about pantone? (What are the major issues I need to be aware of? I also appreciate that monitor calibration is an issue too and I have addressed that). I have read about supplying proofs to the printers. Is there a 10 point plan perhaps?
Its most frustrating being unable to realise the beauty of what you see on the screen in print and I’d love to get it a little closer than I am at the moment.
Many thanks,
G5 DP 2.5; 4Gig Ram; Blackmagic Decklink Extreme; 23″ Cinema HD Display; Sony HR Trinitron PAL monitor with SD card; 500 Gig Lacie Big Disk Triple Interface; FCP HD; DVDSP3; After Effects 6.5; Photoshop CS; Illustrator CS; plus many others
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1 Reply
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One issue that may help you is to talk to your printers about dot gain. Dot gain will vary from press to press, will be dependant on different papers, metal plate or paper plate. Many factors.
See if your printer is setting the dot gain for you, or have them give you a range to set it yourself.
Jeff Cochran
https://www.jeffcochrandigitalartist.com/
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