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kareen295351475xj0
Participant
June 10, 2023
Question

Using PNG images in cmyk printing

  • June 10, 2023
  • 2 replies
  • 1747 views

Hello I created a business card in adobe Illustrator, but I'm not sure if I used the correct colors or correct type of images. 

I included the business card images.

 

So I used cmyk colors to pick the colors and I used this website below:

https://mixam.co.uk/support/cmykchart

 

Then for the white background image I downloaded it from freepick website, it's a JPG file, size 434 kb and it's in RGB color. Will include the image as well.

What I am most worrying about is the logo. The logo is in a PNG file, it's the only format available for me to use. So the logo was on a white background and I just cut the white background in Photoshop and then put the logo back in illustrator on the business card. The logo is 400×400 px. I will include the logo as well.

 

So I'm worried about the logo, how it is going to look when printed? Will it look pixelated and blurry or the colors of it change drastically? obviously because it's in RGB and I'm printing CMYK.

And should I need to do anything to the background image? Because it's in PNG format and RGB as well and I'm printing again using CMYK.

 

I'm not very familiar with designing for print so I hope you answer my question. Thank you very much.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This topic has been closed for replies.

2 replies

T
Test Screen Name
Legend
June 10, 2023

No, you didn't use CMYK colours, in fact. PNG is a purely RGB graphic, even if started out as a CMYK design it got converted.  But... all "CMYK to RGB charts" on the internet are junk, made up lies by people who don't understand colour at all. You may find it hard to believe, but they really are.

 

But let's look at how you can get accurate colours. How exactly will you be printing? If it's on a printer in your house or business, what is the printer? If it's printed by a print shop, do you know how they will print it?

    Monika Gause
    Community Expert
    Monika GauseCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    June 10, 2023

    Those colors might look differently on the printed card. Nobody knows if your screen is calibrated (probably not), so we can't tell how you see colors. 

    For best results pixel artworks should be in 300 ppi efficient resolution (at least) when sending to print. You can select the image in Illustrator and then check in the control panel. But that is a simple logo, you could take shape tools and just draw it and then use the shapebuilder tool.

     

    The background is very small. For best printing results I would convert it to greyscale. But it might be pixelated.

     

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