Secondary Research - Colour Selections

Colour

Printed CMYK colour can look very different than the RGB colour on your monitor. Use these tips and techniques to ensure your printed colours are as close as they can be to what you expect.
• Setting Correct Colour Modes
• Calibrating Monitor Colour
• Choosing the Right Black Settings
• Converting Spot Colour to CMYK Colour

Setting Correct Colour Modes 

Always convert your images to CMYK colour mode before printing. CMYK printing cannot always match colours in RGB. After conversion, an image colour may shift. Refer to the Setting Brightness & Contrast or Getting the Best Colour sections for post-conversion tips.

 

 

What is the difference between RGB and CMYK colour?

RGB is additive colour constructed from Red, Green and Blue lightwaves. 
CMYK is subtractive colour made up of Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and black inks.

RGB

CMYK

How do I make sure my images are in CMYK colour mode?

We recommend the Adobe Photoshop Mode control in the Image menu. 

Use the Image menu to adjust colour mode

I don't have Adobe Photoshop?

Design Support can convert your image colour mode for preview before printing.

How come it looks different on different monitors?

Every monitor renders color slightly differently depending on its calibration.

How do I calibrate my monitor?

For Mac users, use the Colour Calibration tool in the Displays System Preferences category. For PC users, refer to your graphics card manual for specific calibration instructions.

Choosing the Right Black Settings 

The four-colour printing process offers a variety of choices for printing black, which should be chosen with your file type in mind.

What is the difference between Flat and Rich Black?

Flat Black uses black ink only. Rich Black uses cyan, yellow and magenta inks in addition to black ink. Rich Black prints more vibrantly, but Flat Black prints more precisely. 

Flat Black (C=0 M=0 Y=0 K=100)

Rich Black (C=60 M=40 Y=40 K=100)

 

When should I use Flat Black?

Use Flat Black for typography and thin lines or rules to ensure crisp, precise edges.

When should I use Rich Black?

Use Rich Black for photography and larger vector shapes to ensure rich, vibrant colour.

What is overprinting and when should I use it?

Overprinting tells the printer to print one ink on top of another, rather than next it. Select overprinting for Flat Black type or rules to eliminate white halo effects due to small printer shifts. 

Select overprinting for your blacks in the attributes panel of Adobe InDesign or Illustrator

Small shifts can happen in printing, leaving white halo effects around black type or rules. 

Overprinting your blacks ensures no white halo effects around your type or rules. 

Converting Spot Color to CMYK Colour

Always convert spot colour logos, type or images to CMYK colour before
submitting your file as we print with four-colour process inks.

What is the difference between spot color and CMYK colour printing?

Spot colour is printed using matched inks to print specific colours, whereas CMYK colour is printed using Cyan, Yellow, Magenta, and black inks overlaid upon each other to create all colours in the spectrum. Because process inks aren't specifically matched, some colours may shift in appearance once you have converted them from spot colour to CMYK. 

Logo before process colour conversion 

Logo after process colour conversion 

How do I select the right process colour?

Select the CMYK color mix specific to your spot colour from the PANTONE Colour Bridge Guide to guarantee the most accurate process colour. If you're having trouble converting your spot colours, please contact Design Support for assistance. 

Pantone Colour Bridge swatch books demonstrate the difference between spot and process colour.