Color and Paper CHAPTER 1: CHAPTER 2: What is color? Reflection & Transmission Additive & Subtractive DimensionsSummary What things influence the appearance of color? Influence of the proximity of colors Influence of Texture on perception of color Summary CHAPTER 3: CHAPTER 4: How do printing inks work? Summary Influence of paper whiteness and brightness Charactertics and absorbtivity of the paper surface Summary Relevant Links Specks in Printing Catalog Design Back Printing Ideas Gang Printing
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1. Inks can be either transparent or opaque. 2. Transparent inks work by the subtractive process just as colored glass or film. 3. Process printing utilizes three transparent subtractive secondary colors: cyan.magenta, yellow and black is used for detail. 4. Paper is the reflective light source for transparent inks.
When you think about color, printing and exact matching spot color is the most accurate method to attain an exact match and maintain it in the future. Spot is commonly called upon to print signs, logos or any other color critical operation. CMYK printing boasts the finest reproduction quality, the truth is CMYK color is 4 times more likely to create undesirable variations of a color. The reason for this is illustrated here in colour. In simple terms CMYK printing often use 4 colors to create one. If you look at the principle of spot color it is all about the one color you desire. Pantone colors are mixed on scales to exact numerical formulas and printed this way. The same colors can be attained in 4 color process printing but it is done by overlaying screen values of the 4 primary colors of CMKY- Cyan, magenta, yellow and Black. Then to throw another curve ball at you we design on our computer in RGB. In quality printing and graphic design achieving a harmonic balance between Pantone, RGB and CMYK is constant work a re calibration to keep the relationship as close as possible.