trifold, 2/1 with pms color + black

[Meg24]

I have been asked to create a brochure with 2/1 pms color and one black. I have only used full color processing in the past and want to make sure I get this right. Does this mean 2 spot colors on the front and just black on the back? I will be doing this in Quark....

My client also asked if I could import pictures into the brochure. How do I do that and still meet the above requirements? Would I make it grayscale and then adjust the picture? Won't that make it more than 2 colors?

Thanks.

 

[signal49]

2/1 just means 2 colors on one side and 1 color on the other. They probably mean 1 PMS + Black / Black if they're only doing a 2-color job. 2 PMS / Black would make it 3-color. But you should check with the customer to make sure.

As for the graphics, yes, save them as greyscale tifs and then colorize them with the spot colors in Quark. When you choose your colors in Quark, make sure you use spot colors, not CMYK mixes. Also, before you send the file to the printer, print out separations on your own printer to make sure you don't have any extra plates.

 

[brieric]

Yes. 2 spot colors on the outside, 1 color inside. The color does not need to be black. You are better off using a dark color like 287 but you shouldn't feel limited to black. Also, I'm sure your printer would appreciate it if you used a color from the front as the spot color on the inside.
As for the images, you will need to stick with grayscale Tiffs colorized in Quark or Duotones.
Hope that helps.

 

[Meg24]

Thanks for the feedback.

I am BRAND new to Quark. Could you possibly give me suggestions on colorizing the grayscale tiffs?

Signal 49, I'm not sure what you mean when you say to "print out separations on your own printer to make sure you don't have any extra plates." Not sure what the extra plates mean?

Thanks!

 

[jimoblak]

Meg24, you may want to pick up a book about desktop publishing that introduces you to the printing process. Something seems awry when you say that you are new to Quark, do not understand 'extra plates', and most importantly say 'my client' (I would not recommend taking on clients without understanding the software at its basic level). While this forum is very helpful and there may be someone that steps forward to offer a complete printing primer in this thread, I see major problems if you proceed without seeking a fundamental understanding of the printing process.

You colorize a true grayscale TIFF using the color palette.

- - picklefish - -
Why is everyone in this forum responding to me as picklefish?

 

[Meg24]

Jimoblak,

Yes, it is true that I don't know a whole lot about production. I have a full-time job (not graphic related)and have been teaching myself new programs in my spare time (new as in Quark and Illustrator, I'm pretty comfortable in Photoshop.) I don't however, think it is a problem that I used the word "client." I have had this client (and several others)for the past year and they have been extremely pleased with my work. I have done everything for them in Photoshop (except banners, which I do in Illustrator) They have always wanted full color, so up until now I haven't had a project where I had to worry about spot colors. I have a friend in the printing industry that is going to work with me so I can get a basic understanding, so I really don't think I'm giong to have "major problems" if I proceed.

 

[jimoblak]

No offense to your experience was intended. Good luck.

- - picklefish - -
Why is everyone in this forum responding to me as picklefish?

 

[GeorgeMack]

I generally will use a dark color with a strong middle value color for this kind of situation, but if you choose NOT to use a dark color as your second color, you can get some interesting atmospheric effects as well. Try playing with lime green and pink, for example. These colors are not great for type, however, so that needs to be factored into your color choices.

You have several choices in colorizing the photos. Assuming you have picked your spot colors (Let's say black, purple, blue or other darkish color plus some PMS Red):

1) Create duotone in Photoshop, using the curves to control color saturations

2) Create a DCS 2 file in Photoshop, using "edited" color plates for each color (so you could punch up a certain area with more color, for example)

3) In Quark, select the grayscale tiff, and assign it a PMS Red tone, leaivng background to white or none. You get a tinted picture.

4) In Quark, select the grayscale tiff, and assign image your dark color, and background of the image box as PMS red. You get a picture where the foreground is your dark color, but background is inverse, in color. A little like a solarization, depending on colors and image.

5) In Quark, select grayscale tiff, set image to Red and background to your dark color. You get a stranger image, like a negative on color, which might work, depending on your colors and how you're using the image (content-bearing or atmospheric).

In addition, you can play with the contrast controls (the line graphs) to achieve solarization effects, etc. Any of the Quark effects can also be done in Photoshop, if you prefer the software controls there.

Hope this helps.

 

[Meg24]

Thanks, GeorgeMack, I appreciate it!

 

[brieric]

All good tips from GeorgeMack, especially using DCS files to create isolated color effects using spot colors. I would, however, be wary of the suggestions to use colorized background fills using Quark's picture boxes.
Many printers I have worked with have experienced problems getting appropriate trapping using this method. I would suggest any colorizing be done with multiple overlapping boxes. If you want the image to appear knocked out of darker color, for example, try turning the image into a halftone in Photoshop and save it as a Bitmap Tiff at 1200 dpi or higher. Bitmap Tiffs are transparent by nature therefore you can colorize the Bitmap on one layer and use another colored box underneath it for another color. The end result is something similar to GeorgeMack's suggestions.
Good luck

 

[GeorgeMack]

Quark is very quick for dummying in these color effects, and I'll usually use it at least as far as client approval. I haven't yet had problems with the printers I use losing registration with these, but there may be some background trapping issues I haven't run into. Most of the larger print shops around here, and quite a few service bureaus, use Trapwise or a similar program to generate the plates.

As I said, all of the Quark color effects can be duplicated in Photoshop. If you have trapping issues, try making a duotone in Photoshop. To simulate the Quark colored background effect, set plate 1 of your duotone to what would be the foreground color in Quark, then set plate 2 to the color you want as background. The curves in the dialog box should each be straight lines. Plate One's line should "rise" to the right, and Plate Two's line should "drop" to the right, so that in effect Plate Two is a negative of Plate One.

 

[GeorgeMack]

I forgot to mention that Quark can colorize either foreground or background with tints of your spot colors (e.g., 30% Red, 70% PMS 325, etc). It's quick and easy to try out different combinations in Quark until you find something you like.

To simulate those effects with a Photoshop duotone, the straight lines are anchored at the percentage you want, so that a 50% tint on the positive plate would rise from zero on the left to halfway up the right hand side of your transfer curve, and a 30% tint on the negative or background plate would start at 30% and drop to zero at the right. (And those are just the jumping off points. In Photoshop, you could start at 20% and rise to 70%, for example, to tone a photo as a duotone effect, or use a level line on your background plate to get a straight overprint on a tint.)

Hope this helps.

G

 

[signal49]

Meg,

I hope you're finding all this helpful. If you need any more information about 2-color printing and setting up your job, feel free to email me. I'm the prepress department for a quick print shop and we do mostly the type of work you're asking about... I always love it when my customers bring in properly created files, so I'm happy to help a "newbie!"

sgpmacfiles@snet.net

-Charlotte

 

[Meg24]

Hi Signal49,

Just sent you an e-mail.

Thanks!