| go when I was a student at Cuyahoga Falls High | | | | printing services. If you're doing a few copies like under |
| School my dad, a printing broker, took me to watch | | | | 50 it may behoove you to use your own desktop |
| four color printing being produced. At that time four | | | | printer and can it be designed in RGB (using word |
| color printing was very expensive. Typesetting was | | | | processor or low end desktop publishing programs. |
| done with pasteboards, and photos and images had to | | | | Desktop ink jet printer output can look cheap |
| be scanned in by a drum scanner. Drum scanners | | | | depending on the printer. The high-end inks and papers |
| were very expensive costing upwards of $500,000. | | | | are expensive. Laser color printer out can look better. |
| These scanners could also be the size of a small | | | | With both the ink jet and laser options the cost per |
| bedroom. Many printers were not able to afford these | | | | piece can be quite high. |
| machines and often purchased the four color printing | | | | If you are printing at least 250 pieces you should |
| plates or film from a service provider. It was not | | | | definitely consider using a commercial four color printer. |
| uncommon to be charged at least $50 to scan in each | | | | Here your art must be submitted in CMYK format. |
| color photo or illustration, which both increased printing | | | | Sending RGB artwork can yield unpredictable results. |
| costs and turnaround time. | | | | Four color printing, also known as CMYK or four color |
| Computers and software have come a very long | | | | process printing, looks best on a glossy paper stock |
| way in since I got into the printing industry in 1989. In | | | | except for letterhead. We recommend a white 14 |
| those days you had to go to typesetter to get both | | | | point glossy card stock (sometimes called cover) for |
| camera ready art and black and white halftones. | | | | your business cards, postcards, rack cards, tent cards, |
| Halftones is the process of turning photos and images | | | | and etc. For such items as color brochures, fliers, and |
| into dots so they can be printed. | | | | catalogs, we recommend using white 100 pound |
| Today with the growth of technology and computers | | | | premium glossy text stock. These two stocks will give |
| people have the ability to print color right from your | | | | you great results. |
| desktop. Now with professional desktop publishing | | | | If you desire to reduce your overall color printing cost. |
| programs like Adobe Indesign®, Adobe Illustrator®, | | | | We recommend that you look for an online printer that |
| and Adobe Photoshop® has made typesetters and | | | | specializes in four color process printing only. These |
| the service bureaus obsolete. Scanners have come | | | | printers should buy their paper in bulk and ink by the |
| way down in price and size. There are fantastic | | | | barrel. They should automated order input and be able |
| scanners for under $1000 that are faster and will do | | | | to transfer the electronic art directly to the press. Being |
| more than the old drum scanners. Desktop color | | | | able to gang jobs will allow them to save on setup |
| printers have come way down in price. There are | | | | costs. Lastly if they charge up front for your job they |
| many color desktop inkjet printers that are under $100. | | | | will not have to hire accounts receivable personnel. |
| To understand color printing you must know a little bit | | | | These five steps will dramatically save costs, and the |
| about color theory and the RGB (Red, Green, Blue) | | | | printer should pass those savings direct to you. |
| and CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, blacK) color | | | | In conclusion today most commercial printers want you |
| spaces. RGB uses red, green, and blue light to create | | | | to send your artwork through the Internet for them to |
| images on a black monitor. It is also mostly used for | | | | print. If you want to save money on your next color |
| digital photography. CMYK uses cyan, magenta, yellow, | | | | printing job you should look for an online printer that |
| black ink on paper to create color images. | | | | would be your source for high quality, low cost, four |
| There's a trade-off between using a desktop color | | | | color printing, fast! |
| printer, short run quick copy shops, or using commercial | | | | |
