New To Quark - Colour Issues - What's Up With Yellow?

[handleodhran]

I'm new to this design game but have managed ok in the last 6 months. I sell ads to local businesses on behalf of local sports clubs and design them myself. You can see the results on

http://www.clubprint.ie.

A friend of mine showed me the basics and put a template together for me. Most people aren't too picky when it comes to colours - they're happy to be supporting the club. When they are picky, I run into problems. I see other threads where Colour Management is mentioned. I create a poster in Quark Xpress 6.1 and then export the whole job to PDF, using the RGB Output Option. My big issue is how the get the colours correct. At the moment I can't for the life of me, replicate yellow. I keep getting green. I've used a CMYK, RGB and HSB version of yellow. The guy who wants the ad, is insistent that the background is yellow. I also notice problems with producing red. If I'm in Edit > Preferences > Display, I'm using 24 bit colour. For each of the boards I produce, I design 29 ads. I'd like to have a template which I can use, which will give me the correct colours each time. Does anyone know how I can achieve this?

 

[jimoblak]

using the RGB Output Option

Why use RGB for print?

In C.M.Y.K., one of those is Yellow. I would guess 100% of yellow will do fine to get true yellow.

If 100% yellow is not presenting itself as yellow then you definitely have color management issues. Check the manual for Quark and your operating system to set-up proper color profiles.

 

[handleodhran]

The reason I use RGB is because it all looks washed out when I use CMYK. The RGB looks really sharp. I'll read up on setting up colour profiles. Thanks.

 

[jmgalvin]

All professional printing is printed in cmyk. If these things are being printed professionaly, use cmyk and don't wory about how it looks on teh computer screen.

If printing on a local inkjet, use rgb.

Using OSX 10.3.9 on a G4

 

[RegistrationMark]

RGB does look nice on screen, that what RGB is for.
As mentioned, CMYK is for print. RGB is a larger colorspace than RGB, that washed out look is from color info being lost on conversion from RGB to CMYK.
All is not lost. If you are importing images into Quark, make sure you first CONVERT them in Photoshop. (Edit--Convert to profile) I use US Web Coated SWOP v2, but you see the conversion results by clicking Preview, so choose one you like.
The crucial component in converting from RGB to CMYK is to be sure to use Perceptual rendering intent, and click on Black Point Compensation!
When all that is complete, just open your Quark doc, and place your photos.
In Preferences, I would turn Quark CMS off.
Hope that solves it
Mark

 

[handleodhran]

I wasn't sure what to look for when you mentioned "Color management issues". Anyway, followed it up. "...the process by which you try to match color conditions in a set of devices (e.g., scanner, monitor and printer). These devices produce color using different methods; therefore, they may display the same color value differently, and may not all display the same range of color values"
The version of yellow, is taken directly from the Values in Photoshop CS2 (I've tried RGB and CMYK), it looks perfect on screen. Does that mean the problem is with the printer? I've got a PC Version of Quark Xpress. If it's of any benefit I can send someone on the file I created (it's only small) and you could take a look at it.

 

[handleodhran]

Thanks for that Mark - I must have sent my reply in at the same time as you. I'm probably making my problem out to be more complex than it is. The ads I put together for the businesses are really, really basic. The one that's causing me problems is simply a box sized ad, 16cm x 5cm. In Quark I've set the background as yellow (as per defined yellow settings taken from Adobe CS2) and have just put some text on it. No matter what I try, the colour prints out as green rather than yellow. I've noticed this problem quite a few times with various colours as I've put ads together. I'm not planning on becoming a designer (I'm putting more emphasis into selling the ads) - I'm just looking for a quick solution to something which is causing me a few headaches. I'm wondering if I've set something up wrong on my side which can be easily rectified? Thanks

 

[RegistrationMark]

Hmm. As Yellow is defined in your document as 100%, that is what should be printing. Yikes I guess maybe the printer is just adding some measure of cyan to it just to mess you up. Wait, you are drawing a Quark picture box for the background and filling it with Quark yellow, correct? I don't think you'd need Photoshop values for yellow.
Mark

 

[apepp]

what printer are you using, inkjet?

andrew

 

[handleodhran]

It's a HP Deskjet 5552. I used the yellow settings, defined in Quark. That was giving me a greenish colour so I've been editing it (based off the various versions of yellow given in Photoshop)

 

[handleodhran]

Sent on the file to a buddy of mine. He printed it off and it came out fine on his side. Any ideas what settings I should check on Quark or on my printers side which could fix this problem. Thanks.

 

[RegistrationMark]

I think your quark file is fine. If your friend could print it ok. I can't figure why your printer won't print 100% yellow. Maybe you should subcontract this to your buddy!
Mark

 

[apepp]

try this link from HP:

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/...roduct=299087&os=228&lang=en&docname=bpd09113

andrew

 

[apepp]

...note desktop printers use RGB, so you will get better results printing in RGB colours...

...check your colour management settings in quark preferences, turn it off and run a test print...

andrew

 

[RegistrationMark]

So he'll need to make yellow an RGB color in Quark (255R 255G 0B). Then it'll give him the solid yellow he so desires?
In quark they use percentages, so Edit--Colors--New, in RGB color model, make a yellow 100% Red, 100% Green, 0% Blue.
I really hope this all works out for you handle.
It seems so queer that the printer wouldn't take CMYK files, since the toners or inks are CMYK. I mean there is no RGB ink.
Good Luck,
Mark

 

[apepp]

...this is true, the inks are probably cmyk, but the printer will render to rgb and then to cmyk o print it, if he had a raster image processor then he would need to raster process his files in a cmyk colour space...

andrew

 

[apepp]

...worth trying this link to see...

http://www.webstir.com/color_management/RGBorCMYKprinter.html

andrew

 

[handleodhran]

This is still causing me a load of heartache. My Colour Management is not active in Preference. I activated it and tried using different versions of RGB. Same result each time with some of the colours printing incorrectly. I made a PDF file of the poster and printed it out on an A4 page. I gave the same file to my friend and got him to do the same. One of the ads has an orange background. It's fine on his printer but comes out in a stone colour on mine. Another ad has a linear blend box in it. It doesn't ever come out on my print but comes out perfectly on his. My red colour looks fine on his print out, but is maroon on mine I'm still having the same problem where yellow is printing out as green. Of the 29 ads on my poster the majority are perfect. I've reinstalled quark and reinstalled my printer. Not making any difference. Seen as I'm exporting to PDF and the print outs are wrong on mine, can I presume that the problem is with the printer? Any other tips, much apprecited.

 

[apepp]

...ok, in your control panels > printers, choose the printer and check what settings you have currently (right click the printer and select properties). From here, see what color management/controls is doing...

...what is the profile? Most desktop printers come with 'canned profiles', these are installed along with the driver. The choice is you either have the printer driver control the colour numbers or you let the application control colour numbers...

...in general, if you have both application and driver colour management active prints will not look too good in most cases...

...have a quick look to see what you have...

andrew

 

[handleodhran]

Thanks Andrew

It's on Automatic at the moment - it chooses from the Profiles - The only one in the box is sRGB Color Space Profile.

If I click on Manual the Default Color Profile is also sRGB Color Space Profile.