Terminology

RGB  vs. CMYK

RGB stands for Red-Green-Blue, which is the name of the color method used on computer displays. CMYK means Cyan-Magenta-Yellow-blacK.

For images to be printed in color, they must be saved as CMYK. Our press uses four color plates to produce full color images. If an RGB image is used in a CMYK document, it will print black and white — not color.

Note: Most color printers will print RGB color. Therefore, it is important to verify that each image in your document is CYMK before submitting your final document file.

Color Printing

Color Registration refers to the accuracy of lining up the four colors (CMYK) during the press run.

Ink Coverage refers to how well the ink adheres to the stock. Problems in this area are described as heavy or light inking.

Resolution

Vector images are created with mathematical formulas and can be enlarged or reduced without affecting print quality. Freehand and Illustrator create vector images.

Raster images are created with pixels. Tiny dots are arranged in patterns to create photos and images. Photoshop can only create raster images, so enlarging or reducing the image can greatly affect quality.

Line Screen

Is the number of dots that are printed from the imagesetter. If you look at printed material under a microscope, you will see that all text and photos are made up of tiny dots. Contact us for the proper line screen for your document.

Gray Scale and Color Resolution

Should always be 1.5 or 2 times the line screen.

Line Art

Should always be scanned at higher resolutions - usually 500 pixels per inch. File sizes remain low even though higher resolution is used because there are no shades of gray or color.

Dot Gain

Images in the final printed piece appear darker than proofs or the image on your screen. The size of the dot enlarges with every step of the printing process.

Printers everywhere are working to eliminate steps in the production process with technology such as computer-to-plate. By eliminating these steps, dot gain is reduced, thereby improving overall quality of the printed piece.

Photocopier Test

If you're not sure if you will encounter a dot gain problem, test your ad on a photocopier. Make a copy of the ad in regular mode, then darken the copy 2 notches (20%) with the brightness control. If the photocopy is too dark, it will print too dark.

Printers' Measurements