Colors and Printing - 075

Colors are very important in business printing. Colors draw attention, can make text more readable, and are essential to photographic reproduction. In the printing process, there are 4 basic colors that are used: Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Key/black. In the trade this is referred to as CMYK. From combinations of these colors, other colors are created graphically. Some printing companies use black ink with those three colors to minimize the amount of ink required. Printing services are experts at using color. Multiple color jobs are more expensive than single color jobs. One way to save money with a job like booklet printing is to use just black ink for the interior pages, but have a full color cover. Print booklets are useful for many purposes, and they are one of the first jobs companies want created when they order their business printing. Some colors really stand out, which is why they are selected for business printing. Red and yellow, combined with black are often selected. Online printing companies have complete layout instructions, and a toll free service telephone number to call if you have questions about which colors or papers to use for a particular job. In general, remember that paper costs increase with weight/thickness, print costs increase by number of color inks used, and overall costs are affected by size and number of pages required. Use white space to help format your text blocks, rather than overall use of color for backgrounds. Backgrounds should be kept lighter so darker text is more readable. Black text on white is the most readable; printing the reverse can be more difficult to read. The same applies to colors; simple is better than complex. For printed images, use the highest resolution possible for best results. When considering a booklet printing job, decide what size will be most effective and hold the amount of information required. If you are mailing small print booklets, order them to have a finished size that will fit inside a standard mailing envelope. Larger booklets can go into larger envelopes, or be handed out by your sales representatives. Use spot color to highlight an item on the printed page. This is the use of one or more colors printed on just one “spot” to draw attention immediately to that item. When spot color is used sparingly, it is very effective. Halftones are another economical way to utilize color ink while keeping prices lower. In this process, a few inks can create the look of many colors. When you use online printing companies, you will find complete online instructions that are easy to understand, and your job will be completed and delivered promptly to your door.