Q. "Can you convert the colors in my file?"
A. We always suggest that you convert the colors in your files to match your personal expectations. We truly want you to be thrilled with your printed materials and know it's best if you choose the conversion values matched to your personal taste. If you would like us to convert your colors, please know in advance that many RGB and Pantone PMS colors cannot be printed accurately in the CMYK print process because they are out of the available color gamut. For example, 100% blue in RGB can turn to purple in CMYK.
Feel free to ask us for printed examples of what this look like. We can send a sample pack your way, or you can pop into the store to take a look at samples.
Q. "How do I ensure blues in my file do not print as purple in full color?"
A. Blue colors can run into the purple range in full color printing when the ratio of Cyan and Magenta are not correct. If you build your blue color with the Cyan value 30% greater than Magenta value, you will get blue instead of purple when printing in full color.
Q. "How do I get deep dark black when printing in full color?"
A. For the richest of deep dark blacks in print use 50/40/40/100 as the CMYK value. If printing small black text (or knocked out text) we recommend a K only black (0/0/0/100) to avoid misregistration issues.
Q. "How do I get solid grey color when printing in full color?"
A. CMYK Process colors in the grey range and de-saturated images can shift in color throughout the print run and may cause the greys to appear either cooler or warmer. For a neutral grey, we recommend converting all grey values and de-saturated images to true grey scale consisting of K (black) only values.
However, please note that certain values of greys are a concern on our indigo press. Due to the nature of the Indigo printing process you will likely see a texture to your text/artwork if your file contains a lighter grey. This is due to the coarser halftone screen on the Indigo Press. For better results we recommend increasing the density of the ink in your grey values by making it darker grey.
Q. "Do you convert any Pantone or RGB colors in my print file?"
A. YES! We print in CMYK full color, RGB and Pantone PMS colors cannot be printed accurately in the CMYK print process because they are out of the available color gamut. For example, 100% blue in RGB can turn to purple in CMYK. We ask that all files to be submitted in CMYK color, so be sure to convert your files so you get the colors you expect. If your file contains RGB or Pantone PMS colors, we WILL convert these to CMYK which WILL change the final color output.