getting images ready for printing?

**Soliloquy** · 09-21-2008, 10:16 PM

I have only very little experience getting images ready for the printer, and would like to understand more. Until now I've simply carefully followed size and format instructions given to me (and on more than one occasion ended up re-doing a layout from the beginning because I was doing something wrong the whole time). What are some things to watch out for to make sure I get the best results from the printer? Specifically I'd like to know how to get the colors right... it always looks completely different then the graphics intended for the web.

**Caddyman** · 09-22-2008, 04:31 AM

you need to be more specific, web design and print design are 2 totally different things and even different jobs. not many web designers could work as print designers, there is a whole lot more to it.

**Soliloquy** · 09-22-2008, 06:04 AM

Well I guess my first question is how do I know which colors to use to get the printed colors I want? They seem much darker on the screen.

**Caddyman** · 09-22-2008, 08:05 AM

well i think you definetly want to stay within the web colors gamut to start. when i was learning a bunch of this stuff i went to graphicdesignforum.com. they have some seriously expert print artists there, some of those guys design like billboards with resolution of 3 dots per inch...lol

devilcat · 09-22-2008, 08:13 AM

as I recall, the problem of the printouts looking different, colorwise, than what you see on the screen, is a matter of two different factors; the fact that your printer ink may be a different shade than the one specified in your digital file, (prof. artists working for huge corporations with well-equipped print shops are able to keep this to a minimum by using the Pantone color system or some thing similar) and the fact that printing colors are the CMYK system while colors displayed on computer screens work according to the RGB system. So choose CMYK colors when you are designing something for print...

**Soliloquy** · 09-22-2008, 08:14 AM

would make it easier to use the same images in print and on the web?

**Caddyman** · 09-22-2008, 11:06 AM

i remmber on the GDF them mentioning to use CMKY on thing that will be printed in the real world, never really got into print work though.

**Soliloquy** · 09-22-2008, 11:35 AM

that's another thing devilcat, the Pantone color system. As I understand it, you're supposed to buy these books with samples of the colors in order to match them.

**Caddyman** · 09-22-2008, 03:19 PM

here is some good info on pantone system

The Pantone Color Matching System is largely a standardized color reproduction system. By standardizing the colors, different manufacturers in different locations can all refer to the Pantone system to make sure colors match without direct contact with one another.

Pantone - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia