Page 8 - QP_QuickTips

Colors: Spot or CMYK?What is the difference between process color and spot color?Spot or solid colors are individual specific colors.A solid color is identified by name, such as Red “Pantone 185.”Process colors are a combination of colors that when mixed make a unique or several unique colors for full color printing.Like a watercolor painting.A process color is printed using a combination of the fourstandard process inks: cyan, magenta, yellow, and black (CMYK). Spot ColorWhen to Use Spot Colors (Such as PMS Colors)• The publication has no full-color photographs and uses only one or two colors (including one spot color plus black).• The publication needs a color that cannot be accurately reproduced with CMYK to match a corporate typeface or logo color.• You're printing a specific color over multiple pages that require page-to-page consistency. • You're printing a large area, such as a poster (spot color provide more even coverage).When to Use Process Colors (CMYK)• The publication uses full-color photographs.• The publication includes multi-color graphics that would require many colors of ink toreproduce with spot colors.• You need more than two spot colors. It’s less expensive than using three or more spot colors.6