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Important information regarding RGB and CMYK! Applicable
when printing in full colour(CMYK).
When supplying digital files for full colour printing,
it is important you supply images and graphics in the correct mode or colour space.
Many software programs give you the choice to work in either the RGB or CMYK mode..
RGB stands for Red, Green and Blue which are the primary
colours of light. Scanners and digital cameras generally create images using
combinations of the three RGB colours. When you save a scanned picture, or
image taken with your digital camera, it normally will be saved in RGB mode
unless otherwise specified. In addition, computers display images on the computer
screen as RGB colours.
Printing presses print full color pictures using a different
set of colors than RGB. Generally, full colour images are created using the
primary colors of pigment: Cyan (blue), Magenta (red), Yellow and Black -
otherwise known as "CMYK printing" or "4 colour process".
By combining different percentages of the 4 CMYK inks, the illusion of continuous
tone in images is created.
At some stage in the design process, your images must
be converted from RGB to CMYK in order to print them on a printing press.
Unfortunately not all colours in the RGB spectrum can be replicated in CMYK.
Such colours are said to be "out of the CMYK color gamut". When
converting from RGB mode to CMYK mode, software programs get as close to original
colour as possible. Some colours convert very well whereas others do not.
Below is an example of colours that do not convert well from RGB to CMYK.
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| RGB Image |
CMYK Image |
Do not be alarmed by the example above, as most photographic images usually
convert quite well. Below is an example of converting a photograph. You can
hardly see a change in colour. Generally, it is in extremely rich and vibrant
colours where you may see the most colour shift.
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| RGB Image |
CMYK Image |
It is best if you do your own RGB to CMYK conversion!
Please convert all images and graphics to CMYK prior to sending your files
to us. You will have more control over the appearance of your printed piece as
you will see how the images look once they are converted. If need be, you can
always adjust the image slightly after conversion to more closely achieve the
desired colour. If we receive RGB images from you, we will do a standard conversion
to CMYK, however our results may vary from yours.
For best results, we recommend working in CMYK mode whenever possible. Some
applications like Photoshop and Illustrator actually allow you to work in
different modes so be sure to choose the correct one!
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