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Why doesn’t the color on my computer
monitor look like the proof or my printed job?
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Primary Colors |
Light & Color
As we all learned in elementary school, the primary colors are Red, Blue &
Yellow. These colors refer to pigment and paint, rather than the light
spectrum; in fact the primary colors of the light spectrum are Red, Green &
Blue. The reason objects appear as a certain color is because they absorb
some colors and reflect others. Hence, a blue object appears blue because it
is absorbing green and red light and reflecting blue toward the eye. |
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RGB Colors |
Computers (RGB) & Color
Computers generate colors based on RGB (Red, Green &
Blue). These colors are created by adding light to change a black appearing
screen. Screen color is called additive color because light is added to
create color. Four-color process printing uses reflection of certain colors
until a desired color is visible. Process printing is called subtractive
color because inks are used to partially block the reflection of light. |
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CMYK Colors |
Process Printing (CMYK)
& Color
Four-color process printing uses different percentages of
Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, & Black (CMYK) to create or “build” color. This
technique is often times called screened color because screens of each color
are used to create a new color. Because process colors are built from two to
four inks, they may at times look murkier than spot color. Some spot colors
are impossible to render through process color. Hence your computer monitor
can create colors that cannot be reproduced in print. A conversion from RGB
to CMYK is necessary before printing process color. |
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Pantone 116 |
Pantone
021 |
Pantone
185 |
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Pantone
201 |
Pantone
Violet |
Pantone
300 |
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Pantone
354 |
Pantone
470 |
Pantone
Reflex Blue |
Some Pantone Colors |
Pantone Matching System
The most popular color
matching system used by the printing industry to print spot colors is the
Pantone Matching System. Ink is mixed using exact measurements determined by
the Pantone color system to create a specific color. This assures that you
get the right color when the file is printed, even though the color may not
look right when displayed on your monitor. If your job is not printing
four-color process, we will ask you for a Pantone number to guarantee the
look you want. If necessary, ask to look at one of our Pantone Color books
to verify your spot ink color. Most applications that support color printing
(i.e. Quark, InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop) allow you to specify colors
by indicating the Pantone name or number. Be aware that when converting
Pantone colors to CMYK for printing, not all colors reproduce accurately. Also there are many different
conversion tables available for converting Pantone color to CMYK. Consider this when designing
your print job. |
Remember, never judge color based on what it looks like on your
computer monitor. The incompatibility of screen color and printed color is a
major issue and should be resolved prior to putting your job into print
production.
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