Print Buying Direct

For those of you who are looking to design their leaflets, brochures, flyers, or appointment cards in Microsoft Word ready for printing, please read on. We have compiled a few items for you to consider before you start the design process.

IMAGES
Microsoft Office applications will send RGB data to the printer, unlike page layout applications that send CMYK data. Images can be in TIFF, EPS or JPEG file formats ( JPEG compression is not recommended). CMYK images, however, will be converted to RGB unless they are in the EPS file format.

BLACK TEXT AND GRAPHICS
Microsoft uses an RGB color model (unlike other graphics applications that use CMYK) and creates black text using equal amounts of red, green and blue. This can be problematic as the saturation of dry ink in a small area can produce a halo. One option is to export the file to PDF and all instances of black will be converted to gray. Make sure the Adobe PDF PostScript printer driver is properly confi gured to use PostScript Gray for text and vector graphics for R=G=B. Consult with us to ensure the best black text and graphics
rendering.

APPROXIMATING PANTONE AND CMYK COLORS
To create a close match to a PANTONE color within Microsoft Office applications:

• go to www.PANTONE.com and select [Support: Color Library Updates] for a close approximation. Download the PDF Color Chart and Value List for your system to obtain the latest 1,089 PANTONE equivalent values.
• Using Photoshop, create a new color with the corresponding CMYK PANTONE values to determine the RGB equivalents. Make sure the Color Setting in Photoshop is set to [sRGB] for the RGB working space and [SWOP CMYK] for the CMYK working space, unless otherwise directed by your print provider.
• Use RGB values from Photoshop to create new color equivalents in MS Office.

GRADIENTS
When printing a Microsoft Office file that contains a gradient fill within non- EPS graphics or vector objects, banding may occur in the printed output. Office does not render gradient fills into PostScript gradients. Instead, Office uses the Microsoft Windows Graphical Device Interface (GDI) to generate halftone steps
that are then sent to the press.

The banding effect may appear more obvious with larger gradients and depend on the percentage of colors used. For the smoothest gradients, you may want to create them in Illustrator CS2 and in the [File] menu select [Save for Microsoft Office]. This gradient.png file can then be placed into the Microsoft Office
document. Also, processing an Office file into a PDF with [Convert Gradients to Smooth Shades] selected in Acrobat Distiller may improve smoothness or reduce banding. Experimentation is recommended.

We hope you find this blog of some use – The Printing House Ltd – (Print Buying Direct)

Call us for more information on 0870 950 8444.