Preparing for Print
- Started
- Last post
- 12 Responses
- autonoma
I'm not a graphic designer by trade. I work more in the digital realm of design, typically.
Despite all of that, I've done a favor for my boss and designed for him a menu. The printer he is using is not at all computer literate, and she doesn't know how to do the color seperations.
In order to keep costs down, he's asked her to use two colors only. The photos were taken in Sepia Tone and all of the text is either black or brown. So, obviously, the two colors are black and brown.
The printer needs for me to prepare the files for her, but that's something I've never done.
How do I do the color seperations, and how do I make sure that the shade of brown I choose is one out-of-the-can?
This is what I get for doing a favor for a fucking cheap skate.
- BonSeff0
i would seriously doubt a printer that cannot separate color from a file for print. i mean is she hand printinf these? i mean if you are doing it in quark you can print each color to a post script file and hand those over to her.
never heard of such a thing.
if you do go two color, make sure you chose pantone colors.
- mikeim0
if your design has no gradients or shades you can provide and "paper plate". If you're using quark go into your print settings and just check the colors you want printed. It will output 2 sheets of paper for each color. you can give her those and they can shot them to make the plates.
- autonoma0
I'm actually using Freehand 10.
- Gorbie0
Your sepia image needs to be either a mono or duotone eps.
Select which PMS color you'd like to use in the duotone options in PS. Make sure all images and text use the color you select.
- Bio0
word gorbie.
this is done in PS like so:
image > adjust > mode > greyscale
then
image > adjust > mode > duotone
then pick your PMS colors and *singing* thats tha way ya do it.
then you can dry hump that baby til mornin comes and you still got a nice duotone instead of a false duotone (which looks just as good onscreen, but not in print) which is actually just a full color version of a duotone. RAH!
- autonoma0
Thanks a lot guys. This makes my life so much easier.
- autonoma0
Wow. When viewing the image in it's natural state it's pretty nice and bright. But when I convert it to Grayscale and then to Duotone and choose a nice brown color, it gets so dark. Even when I choose a pretty light brown.
I can't choose too light a brown because the text has to be this color, and the menu's being printed on kraft paper.
Wow. The trials of working for print. I hope you guys get paid well.
- BonSeff0
when you are in the duotone dialog box, next to the color is a box with a diagonal line through it.
click on that box and you can adjust the levels. play around and you can lighten it up.
- autonoma0
Ha. In my search for the perfect shade of brown, I found this little article on one of my favorite websites:
- autonoma0
When saving as an EPS, do I need to check any of the following:
1. Include Halftone Screen
2. Include Transfer Function
3. Postscript Color Management
4. Image Interpolation
- Bio0
interesting link autonoma. leads to the guys business: http://domineydesign.com/ pretty cool.
not sure what color to answer for the guy.
- autonoma0
Damn do I wish he would pay for a full color print. Duotone really looses the richness of the image.
Age old complaint, I'm sure.