Preparing Files

How do I match the foreground and background colors on my design?

To achieve a matching background color to that of your logo, e.g. a logo that is a square and has a black background color that needs to be placed on 2″ x 3.5″ business card template, please do the following:

Open your logo in your design program (likely Adobe Illustrator or Photoshop). With the Eyedrop tool, click on the background color of your logo – in this case it will be black per the example above. Write down the CMYK percentages of the black that you just sampled.

One example would be C=0, M=0, Y=0, K=100. (Standard 100% Black) Another example would be C=40, M=30, Y=30, K=100. (Four-Color Rich Black)

Once you’re in the Advanced Designer software, and prior to placing your logo, fill in the background color using the percentages you wrote down which are those of your background logo. This will ensure that there won’t be two different shades of black when your cards are printed.

This method is the same for other colors as well.

Color options for pre-press printing are divided into three categories:

Full Color Front/Full Color Back, or Four over Four (4/4): Four-color print job with color on both sides of the paper.

Full Color Front/Grayscale Back, or Four over One (4/1): Full-color print job on the front, and black and white (grayscale) on the back.

Full Color Front/Blank Back, or Four over Zero (4/0): Four-color print job on the front, and no printing on the back.

We require that you provide us with print-ready digital files in CMYK or RGB color mode depending on the product type. Provide all black and white artwork in grayscale color mode. We do not accept any other color mode.

CMYK indicates Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Keyline (Black). These 4 colors of ink are used for offset printing. Cyan is a shade of blue found in the 4 primary color printing process. Magenta is a shade of hot pink found in the basic 4 color printing process.

Four color process is a method of printing that uses dots of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black to recreate the continuous tones and to produce a printed image that matches the coloring of the original image.

RGB color mode combines three colors, Red, Green, and Blue. Your computer monitor, scanner, and digital camera all use a combination of these three colors to produce the final colors. Presses, however, require four different colors, CMYK, to produce the final printed material. Thus, RGB must be converted to CMYK for print.

You can convert a file from RGB to CMYK, but cannot convert a file from CMYK to RGB. If you attempt to do so, some of the image data in that file may be lost and become unrecoverable.

Keep in mind that your image may be created in RGB, but it will print in CMYK.
RGB color mode may look sharp on your computer screen, however, it will not print as it appears.
Convert RGB files into CMYK in Photoshop by simply clicking on Image > Mode > CMYK.

It is imperative that you convert your files to CMYK, since this is the only color mode that we accept for printing. Any other color mode will not produce optimal printing results. Most commercial printers accept RGB images, however, using images that are in RGB color mode may ruin the appearance of the final printed material.

Continuous tone imagery contains an infinite range of shadows and mixed colors.
Duotone: Halftone reproduction of an image using 2 colors.
Halftone: Continuous tone imagery through the use of dots.
Middle tone: Tone in an image conveyed by highlights and shadows.
Highlight: Lightest part in the image.

Grayscale color mode, also known as black and white color mode, is composed of two colors: black and white. It is used to reproduce an image with different shades of gray.

A computer monitor represents only one form of black. In print, there are several ways to represent black, including “rich black”. Rich black is a darker, deeper black that combines a percentage of all the four CMYK inks. The values to create rich black for coated stocks are: C = 60, M = 40, Y = 40, K = 100, and/or C = 30, M = 30, Y = 30, and K = 100. The values to create rich black for uncoated stocks are: C = 20, M = 20, Y = 20, and K = 100 For gray densities, we recommend that the file have the following color values: C=10, M=10, Y=10. For the K value, anything under 100 would be considered a gray.

You should select the GRACol2006_Coated1v2.icc color profile to ensure your final printed product matches your design.

RGB indicates Red, Green, and Blue and is primarily used for electronic and photography purposes. These 3 colors combined in various percentages create any color in the visible spectrum. Various products use RGB because it offers the widest range of colors.

Both CMYK and RGB color scales render colors differently due to the process of mixing colors and how much mixing is needed. Colors need to be converted correctly in order to meet the correct color profile, depending on the medium. Since RGB has a larger scale of available colors, this scale may work better to produce specific colors that are vibrant, depending on the product. In print mediums, RGB colors will not be as vibrant as they appear on-screen. CMYK colors are more accurate on screen and in print because it has a more limited range of possible colors. Both color modes must be properly converted using various design softwares in order to produce true colors. Colors viewed both on screen and in print mediums will vary.