You have a lot going on with your start-up business, so it may feel unfair to ask you to learn about design and printing as well.
You have a lot going on with your start-up business, so it may feel unfair to ask you to learn about design and printing as well. The truth is, however, that you’re likely doing a lot of your own designing and/or printing right now to save money. If this sounds like you, you do need to educate yourself on some of the printing basics so you have the best possible final product. Here are some tips related to the sometimes confusing issue of color in printing to get you started.
CMYK vs. RGB
If you’re wondering which college football teams we’re talking about, this is the place for you to start. CMYK and RGB are the designations for the two types of color systems available. CMYK stands for Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black (that’s the K), the four pigment colors that compose all the other colors in traditional and commercial printing. RGB stands for Red, Green, and Blue, the three light channels used to make up all visible light on a digital display (think computer screens and the software in your digital camera).
Where is It Printing?
CMYK is the traditional color range used for printing, and for a long time, it was mandatory for both professional printing and at-home inkjet jobs. Newer inkjet printers have more pigments and are better able to capture the variety of shades produced by RGB. If you’re sending work out to be printed on a press, however, it still needs to be in CMYK or the end result could be muddy and wrong.
Digital Images
If your printing projects include digital images, it might be worth your while to work in RGB. This is because the images are taken, stored, and best rendered in RGB. If you might continue to use part or all of this project on a digital media (like your website or a digital display board), keeping the image in RGB will produce the best result. For anything that is going to go to a professional press, you can always convert the whole file from RGB to CMYK before you send it.
Does Color Actually Matter?
The bottom line is that the final color only matters as much as it matters to you. For a simple flyer that is mostly black and white anyway, it won’t make a difference if you work in CMYK or RGB. However, if the final look requires a very specific shade (like you have a specific color associated with your brand), it is much more important for the final product to look right. In that case, working in CMYK is better so you know the printed product will be right regardless of where it is printed.
Let Time Printers Help With Your Design
Whether you know already how your marketing materials should look or you want further advice, Time Printers is here to help. We service all of Baltimore, Hunt Valley, and Towson. Our team of professionals can tackle all of your questions. Give us a call at 410-566-3005 and be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, and LinkedIn for tips and to see what we have been working on and what we can do for you.
