Converting Portrait with rich blues to cmyk for print

Forum|Forum|6 years ago
March 28, 2019
4 replies
1544 views

I have this image and that has very deep blues in high contrast but am having a very hard time converting to cmyk for print. The blues either look cyan or purple and the high contrast gets muddy, can anyone help me ?

This topic has been closed for replies.

Stephen Marsh

Community Expert

I have this image and that has very deep blues in high contrast but am having a very hard time converting to cmyk for print. The blues either look cyan or purple and the high contrast gets muddy, can anyone help me ?

This is common and to be expected. We can all try to help, however we have to work within the limits of the end CMYK colour space.

i dont have a print professional thats why im asking in this forum

Even if you did have one and could ask, many print service providers are clueless and can’t offer decent advice.

Im using color profile SWOP2006_Coated3v2.icc

Why? Are you printing to a web coated magazine type condition? Or is this just your default CMYK because that is what Adobe pre-set?

Not sure if the following helps with a sanity check or not...

evano55088568Author

Participating Frequently

The image will be in a magazine and also on a pole banner

Norman Sanders

Legend

Evan, you mentioned in Post #7 that the image is prepared for a magazine. Please add the following to my Post #5.

If, by magazine, you are referring to newsstand publications, I strongly recommend that either you, the client or its agency check the SRDS (Standard Rate & Data Service) publication which lists production specifications and other requirements for the specific magazine. It may specify max ink density, undercolor removal amount, gray component removal, and several other special items.

Norman Sanders

Legend

Regarding your post, by "...CMYK for print" are you referring to inkjet or offset lithography?

If you are referring to inkjet (and I assume you are feeding in an RGB file) the printer manufacturer, with knowledge of your machine, his software and the color gamut available with his toners (particularly if it runs more than four colors) could provide an informed answer to your question.

If you are referring to reproducing the image by offset lithography, the technicians at the firm you choose could accurately predict whether, with their press profile, your choice of paper (dull coated, gloss coated, or cast coated) and their sets of process inks could predict whether this saturated blue color can be reproduced close enough with four colors to meet your standards.

A prepress proof could confirm that informed prediction. Perhaps she might recommend a cast coated stock and an additional pass on press -- what she may refer to as a “touch plate” or “kicker” with a special ink color and image that carries only the areas outside the available four color gamut. In that case, budget constraints may rear its ugly head. In any event, the lithographer should make the call and conversion from RGB. It is the most prudent approach.

As a former lithographer, I'd put my money on the kicker.