| Tips & Tricks |

It is very important in order to avoid any reflow in the text that you do not add any style to the fonts from "Type Styles" option in Mac and Windows formats (don't use BOLD or ITALIC from the font style). Instead use fonts from the original font family (i.e Helvetica Bold or Helvetica Italic).

Will my printed piece look exactly like it does on my computer monitor?
There are some small differences. Scanners and digital cameras use combinations of three colors, Red, Green and Blue (called "RGB"), which are also the colors computers use to display images.

Printing presses however, use a different process and set of colors: called "CMYK". CMYK refers to the primary colors of pigment Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black, which are the inks used on the press, also known as full color printing.

The combination of RGB light creates white, while the combination of CMYK inks create black. It is therefore, physically impossible for the printing press to exactly reproduce colors as we see them on the monitor.

This means that your RGB file must be translated to CMYK in order to print it on a printing press. This is easily done using photo a editing program.

Many image-editing programs such as Photoshop, have the capacity to convert the images from the RGB color space to the CMYK color space. We request that you convert your colors from RGB to CMYK if your tools allow this possibility. When you do this conversion yourself, you have maximum control over the results. You may notice a shift in color when converting from RGB top CMYK.

If you don't like the appearance in CMYK, we recommend that you make adjustments while working in CMYK (usually lightening). You should specify CMYK color builds that look lighter than you want, since the dots of ink "fatten up " on press, giving you more pigment on paper than you see on your monitor. It helps too, to be especially careful to keep backgrounds light if there is black or dark colored text in order that it can be read.

Why should I do the RGB to CMYK conversion before sending your images?

Why? You will have more control over the appearance of your printed piece. If we do the conversion it is a standard-value conversion, which means the results may not be perfectly to your liking. Please take the time to prepare your file properly, and be sure not to furnish low-res or RBG images because we cannot be responsible for sub-par results if you do.

Be aware too, that it is possible to create colors in RGB that you can't print in CMYK, (said to be "out of the CMYK color gamut"). What happens is the translator gets as close as possible to the appearance of the original and that's as good as it can be. Therefore, it's best to select any colors you use for fonts or other design elements in your layout by using CMYK definitions instead of RGB.

Thankfully, color photos don't suffer much from CMYK translation.

Can I use colored text?

We don't recommend it in small (less than 12- point size) because the words appear hard to read and it tends to look unprofessional. Also don't use knocked out type (white on dark background in small size and thin fonts). When you colorize small text, the variance in the color consistency, that is the cyan, magenta, yellow and black portions of the characters don't line up exactly. This is called misregistration which result in little colored halos around the characters.

Can I put text over an image?

Yes, you can use a text with a light color in the dark areas of the image, or dark text in the light colors of the image. Keep in mind though, that text of any color, especially on top of a photo can be very hard to read. The secret is to lighten the photo much more than you may think necessary when you use Photoshop or other photo-editing program.

What are bleeds and do I need them?

"Bleeds" refers to the saturation of color that goes to the very edge of the paper in your printed piece.

How to achieve this affect:

In the image editing program (i.e. Photoshop), make sure that the image size is larger by .25 inches in the width and height. That is, it should be larger than the final (trim size) of your printed piece.
In the page layout program (i.e. Quark, Pagemaker) make sure that the document size is your final trim size and extend the photo background to 1/8" outside the edge of the page where it will be trimmed after printing.

Please note that there is no extra charge for bleeds at CMYKnet.com.

Will you match the colors from a sample I print out from my printer, or a previously printed sample?

Due to the widely varying results from the different output devices (i.e. inkjet, laser printers, continuous tone proofing devices and different than true offset printing), there is no guarantee that your finished piece will mirror your printed sample. There can be significant differences in results, even from one commercial printing firm to another.

We will send you a color proof before we begin printing your job (Iris, C Print, ...)
If you require precise color match, please contact us to arrange for a film-based Press-Match proof. This service starts at $120 per page. Once you approve the additional fees, we will produce and send you a hard proof via overnight delivery. Once you approve and return the proof we will match the color of the proof (as close as technically possible) when printing your final piece. Also, be aware that if you request color correction or other changes (after you've seen your proof), there will be a minimum of an additional $75 hourly rate charge and the cost of a new proof set.

CMYKnet Creative Services
ART DIRECTION • PHOTOGRAPHY • GRAPHIC DESIGN • DIGITAL RETOUCHING • PRINTING
20 West 22nd Street, Suite 808, New York, NY 10010
TEL: 212-463-8880 • 800-214-8812 • FAX: 212-463-8838

For more information, please contact admin@cmyknet.com