By Marco Kramer on Smashing Magazine
A lot of designers think CMYK is the way to go when designing for print. We will, of course, always use CMYK-based ink, but this does not mean you have to work with CMYK files. You can work with RGB images to perfectly optimize your print colors and save a great deal of time in the process.
1. Use RGB Color Mode For Photoshop Images
For several of the following tips to work, you will have to create and save all of your Photoshop images and artwork in RGB color mode. If you're a veteran designer, you probably think this goes against what you've been taught, which is to use CMYK color mode. Well, technology has come a long way, and nowadays RGB color mode is better because it produces a wider range of colors and allows you to use one image for several media, including print and Web.
Think of it this way: RGB colors (red, green, and blue) are created with light. That's why your computer monitor and TV use RGB colors to produce its fantastic range of colors. CMYK colors (cyan, magenta, yellow and key, or black), on the other hand, are created by putting ink to paper. "Ink-on-paper colors" will never be as bright or saturated as the colors on your computer screen or TV, no matter how much ink you add to the paper. So, to get the widest range of colors possible, you need to save all of your Photoshop files in RGB color mode. Most of the time, you won't even have to think about it, because almost every photographer will supply you with RGB images. All you have to do is keep them in that mode.
2. Specify The Right Color Settings
To successfully use an RGB image in Adobe InDesign, you first need to specify the appropriate color settings. Fortunately, Adobe has made it really easy for you to specify the right settings and quickly apply them across its Creative Suite. This is where Adobe Bridge comes in.
To specify a color setting in Adobe Bridge, choose Edit - Creative Suite Color Settings and then select your region: either "North America Prepress 2," "Europe Prepress 2" or "Japan Prepress 2." If your region isn't displayed in the dialog box, select "Show Expanded List Of Color Settings Files" at the bottom of the dialog box. After clicking "Apply," the setting you have specified will be applied to Adobe InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator and Acrobat.
A lot of designers think CMYK is the way to go when designing for print. We will, of course, always use CMYK-based ink, but this does not mean you have to work with CMYK files. You can work with RGB images to perfectly optimize your print colors and save a great deal of time in the process.
1. Use RGB Color Mode For Photoshop Images
For several of the following tips to work, you will have to create and save all of your Photoshop images and artwork in RGB color mode. If you're a veteran designer, you probably think this goes against what you've been taught, which is to use CMYK color mode. Well, technology has come a long way, and nowadays RGB color mode is better because it produces a wider range of colors and allows you to use one image for several media, including print and Web.
Think of it this way: RGB colors (red, green, and blue) are created with light. That's why your computer monitor and TV use RGB colors to produce its fantastic range of colors. CMYK colors (cyan, magenta, yellow and key, or black), on the other hand, are created by putting ink to paper. "Ink-on-paper colors" will never be as bright or saturated as the colors on your computer screen or TV, no matter how much ink you add to the paper. So, to get the widest range of colors possible, you need to save all of your Photoshop files in RGB color mode. Most of the time, you won't even have to think about it, because almost every photographer will supply you with RGB images. All you have to do is keep them in that mode.
2. Specify The Right Color Settings
To successfully use an RGB image in Adobe InDesign, you first need to specify the appropriate color settings. Fortunately, Adobe has made it really easy for you to specify the right settings and quickly apply them across its Creative Suite. This is where Adobe Bridge comes in.
To specify a color setting in Adobe Bridge, choose Edit - Creative Suite Color Settings and then select your region: either "North America Prepress 2," "Europe Prepress 2" or "Japan Prepress 2." If your region isn't displayed in the dialog box, select "Show Expanded List Of Color Settings Files" at the bottom of the dialog box. After clicking "Apply," the setting you have specified will be applied to Adobe InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator and Acrobat.
3. Ditch Photoshop EPS Files And Use PSD Files Instead
After your images and artwork have been saved in RGB color mode and you've specified the right color settings, it's time to start designing. Do you still keep a copy of your native Photoshop (PSD) files and save TIFF or EPS versions, which you then import into InDesign? If so, you're missing out on some valuable opportunities.
If you've been using InDesign for a while, you probably already know that it honors transparency effects in PSD files, but that's not all. When you import PSD files, InDesign also honors clipping paths, spot colors, alpha channels, duotone colors and vector information (such as Smart Objects). You can even access all the layers in a PSD file by selecting "Show Import Options" when you import an image or choosing Object - Object Layer Options after importing an image. With all of these time-saving opportunities, saving all of your Photoshop images in the PSD file format is a no-brainer.
4. Accurately Simulate CMYK While Working In RGB
Keep in mind that even though you're importing RGB images with bright and saturated colors, InDesign actually shows you what the CMYK equivalent of each image will look like. So, how does InDesign make that color conversion properly? Well, because you've specified the appropriate color settings in Adobe Bridge, InDesign will use those settings to accurately display each RGB image when it's converted to CMYK color mode.
InDesign even goes a step further and shows you exactly how the colors in a layout will appear when printed on a certain type of paper using a specific output device. Simply choose View - Proof Setup - Custom. Then choose an output device from the "Device to Simulate" pop-up menu, and select the "Simulate Paper Color" option. After clicking "Okay," the color of your pages will change, and your images will appear darker and less saturated. So, to get a good idea of how your layout will appear when printed on coated paper using a sheet-fed printer, choose "U.S. Sheetfed Coated v2." This feature is great because it gives you an accurate idea of how your colors will appear when they're printed.
If you use Photoshop, you may be wondering, "Wouldn't it be nice if Photoshop could do the same trick, so that I can see what happens to my RGB images when they're converted to CMYK?" Well, of course it can. Just choose View - Proof Colors, and make sure that "Working CMYK" is specified by choosing View - Proof Setup- Working CMYK. When you proof colors, you're not actually changing the color mode of the image, so you can continue working in RGB color mode while simulating CMYK. This is yet another reason not to convert your Photoshop files to CMYK.
5. Selecting the Right CMYK Output Profile For The Job
There are many different kinds of paper, such as recycled and brownish paper for newspapers, glossy paper for magazines, uncoated paper for stationary and bright-white coated paper for high-quality brochures. As you can imagine, each type has different characteristics when it comes to printing. The recycled paper sucks up more ink, and if you don't take this into account, your beautiful full-color photos will become too dark, and the ink will blur over the paper, creating an ugly brownish effect.
So, how do you optimize artwork for all of these different kinds of papers? Well, that's the easy part. Standard CMYK inks have been tested on every type of paper to the extreme. The way cyan, magenta, yellow and black are printed on a specific type of paper is documented in an ICC profile. All you need to do is download these free "Color Profiles" and select the right one when you export a PDF using InDesign (Export - Output - Color Conversion & Destination). If you're not sure what kind of paper your printer will use, simply ask them. Most printers would rather answer a simple question than clean up colors afterward.
The information provided by the color setting that you specified in Adobe Bridge is used by InDesign to determine how to convert RGB images to the CMYK color space when you output a document. By using InDesign instead of Photoshop to make that conversion, you gain the benefits outlined in the following point.
Read the full article on Smashing Magazine
After your images and artwork have been saved in RGB color mode and you've specified the right color settings, it's time to start designing. Do you still keep a copy of your native Photoshop (PSD) files and save TIFF or EPS versions, which you then import into InDesign? If so, you're missing out on some valuable opportunities.
If you've been using InDesign for a while, you probably already know that it honors transparency effects in PSD files, but that's not all. When you import PSD files, InDesign also honors clipping paths, spot colors, alpha channels, duotone colors and vector information (such as Smart Objects). You can even access all the layers in a PSD file by selecting "Show Import Options" when you import an image or choosing Object - Object Layer Options after importing an image. With all of these time-saving opportunities, saving all of your Photoshop images in the PSD file format is a no-brainer.
4. Accurately Simulate CMYK While Working In RGB
Keep in mind that even though you're importing RGB images with bright and saturated colors, InDesign actually shows you what the CMYK equivalent of each image will look like. So, how does InDesign make that color conversion properly? Well, because you've specified the appropriate color settings in Adobe Bridge, InDesign will use those settings to accurately display each RGB image when it's converted to CMYK color mode.
InDesign even goes a step further and shows you exactly how the colors in a layout will appear when printed on a certain type of paper using a specific output device. Simply choose View - Proof Setup - Custom. Then choose an output device from the "Device to Simulate" pop-up menu, and select the "Simulate Paper Color" option. After clicking "Okay," the color of your pages will change, and your images will appear darker and less saturated. So, to get a good idea of how your layout will appear when printed on coated paper using a sheet-fed printer, choose "U.S. Sheetfed Coated v2." This feature is great because it gives you an accurate idea of how your colors will appear when they're printed.
If you use Photoshop, you may be wondering, "Wouldn't it be nice if Photoshop could do the same trick, so that I can see what happens to my RGB images when they're converted to CMYK?" Well, of course it can. Just choose View - Proof Colors, and make sure that "Working CMYK" is specified by choosing View - Proof Setup- Working CMYK. When you proof colors, you're not actually changing the color mode of the image, so you can continue working in RGB color mode while simulating CMYK. This is yet another reason not to convert your Photoshop files to CMYK.
5. Selecting the Right CMYK Output Profile For The Job
There are many different kinds of paper, such as recycled and brownish paper for newspapers, glossy paper for magazines, uncoated paper for stationary and bright-white coated paper for high-quality brochures. As you can imagine, each type has different characteristics when it comes to printing. The recycled paper sucks up more ink, and if you don't take this into account, your beautiful full-color photos will become too dark, and the ink will blur over the paper, creating an ugly brownish effect.
So, how do you optimize artwork for all of these different kinds of papers? Well, that's the easy part. Standard CMYK inks have been tested on every type of paper to the extreme. The way cyan, magenta, yellow and black are printed on a specific type of paper is documented in an ICC profile. All you need to do is download these free "Color Profiles" and select the right one when you export a PDF using InDesign (Export - Output - Color Conversion & Destination). If you're not sure what kind of paper your printer will use, simply ask them. Most printers would rather answer a simple question than clean up colors afterward.
The information provided by the color setting that you specified in Adobe Bridge is used by InDesign to determine how to convert RGB images to the CMYK color space when you output a document. By using InDesign instead of Photoshop to make that conversion, you gain the benefits outlined in the following point.
Read the full article on Smashing Magazine
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