Setting monitor up to match CMYK Printing 6

[somethingforkaty]

Hi everyone

I am doing some freelance graphic design work designing business cards. The cards are set up in CMYK.

I have always had problems matching the colours on the screen, to what prints out on the printer, to what comes out on the printing press. I was just starting to get used to my old monitor but am having a lot of troubles now I have upgraded to a laptop. It seems to show up colours and gradients really brightly which is great to look at on the screen but makes it hard when everything prints out too dull.

Anyway, my dad suggested that I should be able to get my screen calibrated so that it matches true CMYK colour. He is totally computer illiterate so I don't know if it's true, but if it is how do I do it.

Any other help, suggestions on this topic are most welcome.

Thanks

Something for Kate

http://www.sfkforthenovice.com

 

[Eggles]

It is simply not possible to ever get a perfect match between an onscreen display and a printed sample. The way a computer produces colour on a monitor screen and the way a printing press produces colour on a page are fundamentally different. The monitor shows colour in the RGB gamut, and printing is in the CMYK gamut. They overlap but RGB colours extend well beyond what can possibly printed.

RGB are additive colours (start with black - the absence of light - and add various proportions of R, G and B to produce all other colours; 100% of R, G and B produces white). CMYK are subtractive colours (the printer uses the subtractive primaries to reproduce colour; 100% of C, M and Y produces black - theoretically - but inks are not perfectly pure, which is why a fourth ink - black - is usually necessary to get the 'richness').

Add to that the fact that a laptop uses an LCD display, not the CRT of a desktop monitor, and even further limitations are imposed.

>>Anyway, my dad suggested that I should be able to get my screen calibrated so that it matches true CMYK colour.<<

Sorry Dad, but it is simply not possible.

The best you can do to get the expected colour in a printed piece is to use a colour swatch book (like Pantone)

 

[mscallisto]

Working in &quot;Lab Color&quot; mode in lieu of &quot;RGB&quot; mode may help.

Lab color offers a much wider range of colors to work with and there isn't too much tonal change when converting to CMYK.

Give it a try.

 

[kiddpete]

I must disagree slightly with Eggles. While I am sure that what he says is true for the '99.9% pure' test, you can get substantial improvement by using a color profiling system to set up your monitor, printer, scanner, etc. That's why photoshop supports ICC profiles (see

http://www.color.org/profile.html

for a discussion of ICC). Unfortunately, ICC software and hardware is not inexpensive. Check Monaco

http://www.monacosys.com

for prices. The November/December issue of Digital PhotoPro has an article on calibration and profiling. Also, note that printers like the Epson 2200 come with color profiles for the different types of Epson paper.

 

[viol8ion]

A few inexpensive things you can do are to run Adobe Gamma and to use a colorspace (edit>color settings).. for RGB sRGB is usually a good bet.

Also the link kiddpete gave about ICC profiles is a good read.

When in doubt, deny all terms and defnitions.

http://www.wuli.com

 

[kiddpete]

An addition to what viol8ion suggested. Kodak makes a &quot;Color Seperation Guide and Grey Scale (Small)&quot; which I cost me $20 (cat 152 7654). You could scan both the color strip and the greyscale, and print it without change. This will tell you how coordinated your scanner and printer are. You can also view the scan on your monitor, and attempt adjustments to get the monitor and strips to agree.

 

[zavsays]

Adjusting the monitor itself (contrast, brightness) to more closely match your &quot;printed&quot; piece may help too. The Adobe Gamma program would walk you through this. Whatever method/combination you choose to calibrate your system, be prepared for your monitor to appear less vivid with other tasks, like surfing the internet.

 

[tviman]

I've been in the computer industry since 1984 and this past weekend I learned something new - PC monitors can't emulate CMYK! Monitors use the RGB to produce color - hence the need for color profiles and calibration. There are some CMYK colors that just can't be replicated on a monitor.

I've recently become involved with the physical print processes and have found using the Pantone color charts with CMYK images is by far, the best way to get the printed color you want. The other thing to take into account is the fact that different papers make a world of difference in your end product. Print an image on two different brands of premium photo paper and you'll see what I mean.

There's always a better way. The fun is trying to find it!

 

[mscallisto]

Tviman says &quot;There are some CMYK colors that just can't be replicated on a monitor&quot; and he is quite correct.

As a suggest above, you can try using lab color mode since it offers a much wider range of colors to work with and there isn't too much tonal change when converting the end product to CMYK.


Also on the print media I can add thet the very best paper to use usually has the same brand name as your printer.

Third party paper that's been certified by your printer manufacturer usually works almost as good.

All good paper usually comes with printer setup instructions for the best print quality and may include dpi setting, tone, effect, color management, sharpness and print speed.
Taking the time to make the correct settings for your paper can make a world of difference not to mention a $ savings in waster sheets.