CONVERTING RGB COLORS TO CMYK COLORS

IMPORTANT:  If you will be using Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator/EPS format, CorelDraw or Microsoft Publisher, you MUST use the free design templates we have available for download FOR THESE SOFTWARE PROGRAMS/FORMATS in the appropriate "Download Templates" section of our Design Guidelines page. This will ensure the least hassle possible when preparing your designs for plating, which will virtually guarantee quicker turnaround and accurate, sharp print results. These templates are already set in CMYK mode, at the correct bleed design size, margins and resolution. All you need to do is open the template and start desiging. Please make sure you save the template with the same settings originally embedded, but feel free to RENAME each file to your liking. Renaming won't change any settings unless you allow that to happen.

If we will receive a file in RGB mode, we will automatically convert the files to CMYK mode for printing. We cannot print from files that are saved in RGB mode. If you do not want us to change modes for you, then you should convert your RGB file to CMYK mode yourself, before submitting same file. Not every RGB color has a CMYK equivalent with the result that there could be more than subtle color shifts. If you have not yet designed your project and are reading this for the first time, please do not even attempt to design in RGB mode, but start designing from scratch in CMYK mode (that is the way professionals design cards). This way, you will not be surprised at the end of your project, when you will have done all your detailed work and finally decided to convert your painstaking project to CMYK mode for submission to us.

If you were not satisfied with the look of your file after converting from RGB to CMYK mode, then it will be necessary for you to modify your design to suit your taste. In the future, if you will design a card for printing, the card should be originally designed from scratch in CMYK mode and the colors that will appear on the monitor should duplicate well in the final printing process.

CMYK vs. RGB MODE
Graphic files saved in RGB mode are designed to be viewed utilizing your monitor which is luminous. This is not the same format that is used for printing. Therefore, the properties of RGB and CMYK will show up differently on your monitor for each of these modes. This becomes extremely evident if one tries to print an RGB file on high end four color process presses. RGB images will not reproduce at all. Just because your RGB file prints on your $200 ink jet printer does not necessarily mean that it is compatible with $1,000,000 5 color Heidelberg presses plus inline coaters.

The CMYK format is designed to give clarity and brilliance to the printed product, but the luminosity of a CMYK file, unfortunately, will never duplicate the luminosity one sees on the monitor. That is the reason for the difference in the quality of the images on the monitor.

In order to enhance colors when you will print with us, we additionally process your cards with clear liquid high gloss UV coating on both sides. Not only does our free UV coating increase brilliance of printed colors but it also extends the life and protects your cards from soiling.

Also graphics viewed on a monitor cannot be viewed at resolutions more than 72 dots per inch, whereas we typically print your graphics at resolutions of 300 dpi (from graphic files submitted at this resoltion). This quality of reproduction somewhat will make up for the loss in luminosity.

Note: Matching of final printed colors to video monitors and other output devices is not accurate and should not be relied upon for accurate color matching, as different output devices yield colors in varying degrees of accuracy. CMYK process color printing that we use is reproduced in pleasing color quality.