Getting the Best Results From Full Color Printing

It is highly recommended to employ color printing instead of black and white when getting direct mail  printed. Ask your printing company if they use CMYK inks printed on an offset printing press. If you don’t ask you may be shocked when you take delivery of your printed mailers. Commercial printing using true 4 color printing inks will always yield the finest appearance and feel. Especially if you finish with a nice protective coating such as Aqueous Coating.

CMYK For Company Digital Photos.

You should use CMYK as opposed to RGB when you are designing your own artwork. If you work in RGB mode when your file goes to print, colors may fluctuate. Be forewarned!

Tip:

  • Use CMYK for your presentation cover with a protective coating such as varnish aqueous coating or UV laminate coating.

A Brief on Four-Color Process Printing

4 colour process is the most common color printing system for commercial printing. This Process of printing is the most common method used today for low to high volume, high quality printing. Look at the diagram below to see how simple CMYK is.

These are the 4 colors as Shown in the Pantone Matching System

This is a the color bar you will see at the tail edge of any professionally printed press sheet. It is used to keep an eye on color density an line up of colors (registration)

CMYK color bar

Additionally Six-color process printing is another method of color printing that is often used by artists when lithographing numbered prints of their art. Four-color-print prices work best for your dollar when you think in terms of larger quantities ==> lower your cost. CMYK is also used in some ink jet or laser printers.  If the output supports post script level 2 or better is a reasonably good simulation can be generated for your printed piece. This is close to what a  commercial printer would produce for you (make sure the paper you print on is white). A CMYK postscript level 2 or better printing machine has toner mixtures which can simulate a close representation of lithography. This method of printing is also highly influenced by the type of paper you use. To get mailers  printed use the correct thickest for your direct mail distribution method.

What About Aqueous Coating?

In my opinion this method of print finish coatings is the best value for your dollar especially if you want high quality FAST! This print coat dries instantly, sealing the virgin image before in lands in the delivery tray of the printing press. During production it is best used in conjunction with ink that is free of waxes, but it is not mandatory. Aqueous coating (AQ) is produced in one pass through the printing press, saving you the cost of extra press time. AQ can be applied in Matte or Satin. Satin is used to diffuse refection for better readability. This print coating allows you to apply a flood aqueous coating (overall). It can be applied to on Both Sides. It seems to be an attractive alternative to any other coating and is very popular used as a “Spot” coating as well.

Preparing your own Digital File For Offset Printing

You can save money by creating your own digital file for your mail piece. Often Photoshop is a preferred method to prepare files that are go to be reproduced, but you really should use other vector programs such as Illustrator, Corel Draw, Quark Express and In Design. Once you have learned what the commercial printing company of your choice will prefer, your file for professional printing can be used to print four-color process custom printed mailers in almost unlimited colors. When you are getting your mail piece printed there are no limits with the amount of colors that get printed. This is how it works.

Illustrator Works Best for us

I prefer it as the basic tools and techniques that are easy to learn. Illustrator allows us to really Focus in on color, and color is a great way to catch everyone’s eye, especially with business cards printed. We can add extra colors to special printing jobs easily. Maybe we will make use of the fifth unit on one of the presses in combination with the other CMYK elements. When you want to exact spot color for exact reproduction in color onscreen to press this program makes it really easy with color profiles and expert filter options. I enjoy Illustrator for the ‘Place’ command, it makes assembly very quick and easy. Getting ideas from Stock Layouts, Graphic Design, Templates, Brochure Templates, Newsletter Templates and More come with this program. Very comprehensive tips and explanations to increase your productivity to design are also outstanding tutorials. Some of the common, various export filters include…

  • Special effects for artists
  • Layer And Masking
  • Lighting Effects
  • Applying Filters
  • Open And Closed Paths
  • Extrude and Bevel
  • Advanced Layer Techniques
  • Dust And Scratches

It’s worth your time and effort to become well versed in desktop publishing if you are going to be active in the print marketing channel. This will help keep your imagery consistent with your website and brand. Not to mention it will save you time and money.

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