[thelist] CMYK Crash Course

[Janet F.]

Thank you for this excellent tidbit of information!!  It's been valuable!

Janet

> -----Original Message-----
> From: thelist-admin at lists.evolt.org
> [mailto:thelist-admin at lists.evolt.org]On Behalf Of Liz Lawson
> Sent: Tuesday, September 05, 2000 3:48 AM
> To: thelist at lists.evolt.org
> Subject: Re: [thelist] CMYK Crash Course
>
>
>
>
> >CMYK is an abbreviation for Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black (K). They are
> >the four colors that are used in printing. Typically, when you use a
> >graphics program, you are creating the artwork in RGB color
> (Red, Green and
> >Blue), the colors used by computer monitors.
> >
>
>
> CMYK, like RGB, uses basic colours to create a spectrum. As I'm sure you
> know, this is done by printing lots of little dots of the various colours.
> This means that a colour (other than cyan, magenta, yellow or black!)
> reproduced in CMYK will never be as intense as an actual ink in
> that colour.
> In print, you would only use CMYK (also called process colour) if
> you had a
> full-colour image. If your design only has two or three colours
> (or even if
> it only has four) you'll get better quality using specific inks
> rather than
> process colours (CMYK).
>
>  It's also important to appreciate that CMYK and RGB do NOT cover the same
> area. By this I mean that not all colours which can be displayed
> in RGB can
> be reproduced in CMYK. (Strong blues, clear pinks and reds in
> particular may
> surprise you.).
>
> Your monitor is RGB, even if it's displaying a CMYK document.
> Your graphics
> software will be calculating an RGB display from the CYMK values in the
> document. The accuracy of the display depends greatly on the software, how
> your monitor is set up and so on.
>
> If you're not used to working for print, you'll have to print out colour
> proofs regularly as you go on to see how the colours are looking. But even
> your desktop printer (unless you spent a LOT of money on it!) won't
> necessarily be handling the colours accurately, so when you go to the
> printer, make sure you get a colour proof done. Even if it's just a teeny
> weeny job, if you're not used to working in CMYK, it's worth the
> extra cash.
>
>
> HTH
>
> Liz
>
>
>
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