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kcrossley
Inspiring
November 20, 2018
Question

Best Screen Built Neutral Gray for Print?

  • November 20, 2018
  • 2 replies
  • 4895 views

I'm working on an identity system for a client and I'm trying to pick a good neutral gray to go with PMS 301 Blue. The business cards, letterhead, and envelopes will all print in 4-color process. Some of the gray will be used for typography as small as 8 pt..

My initial thought was to use a 60 or 70% screen of black, but screened type is not as rich as a 4-color build. So basically, I need a good, neutral gray that's easily built out of 4-color process. Any suggestions?

Thanks!

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    2 replies

    J
    Jeffrey_Smith
    Community Expert
    November 20, 2018

    My suggested 4C color mix is 20C 15M 15Y 60K. And for print, always create this color using CMYK.

    rob day
    rob day
    Community Expert
    November 21, 2018

    Hi Jeffrey, if the goal is neutrality, why would the built CMYK mix be better than 70%K where there wouldn't be registration worries or unwanted color casts if the press is not holding to the profile's gray balance?

    Here SWOP Coated with the 4-color mix on the left and 72%K on the right—the appearance of the two colors is basically the same:

    Danny Whitehead.
    Danny Whitehead.
    Brainiac
    November 22, 2018

    if the goal is neutrality, why would the built CMYK mix be better than 70%K where there wouldn't be registration worries or unwanted color casts if the press is not holding to the profile's gray balance?

    Rob, the OP is looking for a mix that can remain neutral and is richer than straight black.

    The chances of unwanted color cast using my suggested mix [20C 15M 15Y 60K] (which has a better ratio of UC compared to black) are less likely to occur than a mis-color managed RGB gray, that once converted, is something like the following mix [55C 50M 49Y 15K]


    Jeffrey_Smith  wrote

    if the goal is neutrality, why would the built CMYK mix be better than 70%K where there wouldn't be registration worries or unwanted color casts if the press is not holding to the profile's gray balance?

    Rob, the OP is looking for a mix that can remain neutral and is richer than straight black.

    The chances of unwanted color cast using my suggested mix [20C 15M 15Y 60K] (which has a better ratio of UC compared to black) are less likely to occur than a mis-color managed RGB gray, that once converted, is something like the following mix [55C 50M 49Y 15K]

    There's no 'rich grey'. I'd strongly advise against using that mix for 8pt text. Unless you really need the grey to be cooler or warmer, stick with a tint of black ink only for text. And for print work that can be done with spot inks (letterheads etc), pick the closest Pantone Solid.

    BobLevine
    BobLevine
    Community Expert
    November 20, 2018

    Why not use another spot color and do it as a two color job? A spot will be much easier especially at that size since you won’t have to worry about registration issues.

      Dov Isaacs
      Dov Isaacs
      Brainiac
      November 20, 2018

      Building upon Bob's suggestion …

      When dealing with a corporate identity, you must consider how it will be displayed and printed. Remember that a corporate identity will be used for much more than just envelopes, letterheads, and business cards. In many organizations, the logos are incorporated directly into the source documents (InDesign, Word, whatever). And of course, very few organizations can afford to print everything with spot colors. The fact is that PMS 301 (assuming you mean Pantone 301 Coated) is somewhat outside the gamut of CMYK process printing, yielding a fairly muted blue color when printed either with process CMYK on either offset or digital printers (either toner or inkjet). I suspect the client might not be happy with the results.

      Bob introduced this issue, but in terms of detail – when you are getting into fairly small 8 point type, printing with more than one colorant can yield significant registration issues that will outweigh any benefits of a multi-colorant-based rich black.

      Some thoughts to consider …

                - Dov

      - Dov Isaacs, former Adobe Principal Scientist (April 30, 1990 - May 30, 2021)
      K
      kcrossleyAuthor
      Inspiring
      November 20, 2018

      Thanks guys. I appreciate your advice. Spot color is fine for the identity system, but this client does a lot of 4-color brochures, so eventually the gray will need to be printed as a 4-color build.

      Dov, in terms of determining if a color is within the CMYK gamut, I typically use Pantone's Color Bridge. Is that what you would recommend as well? If so, I probably should be using the uncoated version for this particular project.

      Thanks!

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