Printing Colorized Text
It¡¯s best not to colorize small text. All printing presses have a little bit of variance in the consistency of the position of the different color plates. This is called misregistration.
In misregistration, cyan, magenta, yellow and black portions of the text characters don¡¯t line up exactly. As a result, little colored halos appear around the characters.
It¡¯s ok to use colored text on large, headline type, or smaller sizes down to about 12 point size, but much smaller than that will be too noticeabl. The same thing holds true for white (knock-out) text on a dark or colored background. You can do it but don¡¯t use point sizes smaller than about 12 point. Otherwise the words may be hard to read and it will look unprofessional.
Printing Images From Your Digital Camera
Before taking a picture, determine the quality of an image and how it can be used in a layout. Use the highest quality setting available on the camera.
The pixel dimensions of an image identify the resolution. Dividing the pixel width and height by 300 determines the dpi. Divide by 400 for images with text. For example, if your digital camera image (with no text) equals 1200 pixels x 1600 pixels, 1200/300 equals 4 inches, 1600/300 equals 5.33 inches. So, the layout size for your image equals 4 inches x 5.33 inches. The image can print at this size or smaller for clear and crisp printing.
Digital cameras use the RGB color space. When RGB is converted to CMYK, images tend to darken. Brighten and sharpen your image for clearer printing. Convert the image to the CMYK color space, if possible. Professionals frequently use Adobe Photoshop for this task.
Resolution Required for Printing Scanned Images
The human eye cannot detect the squares of color if there are 300 or more in an inch. For clear and crisp printing, images at their final size in the layout should be at 300dpi (dots per inch = squares of color in an inch) or 400dpi if the images include text.
You should scan your images using a resolution of 300dpi at the final dimensions you intend to use them so that your colors will look smooth, and hard objects will look sharp. In other words don¡¯t scan at 300dpi and then enlarge the picture by 200% in your layout program! This is another reason why you should not use images that are lifted from websites; they are probably only 72dpi in resolution and will look very blurry if printed on a printing press.
How To Scan Images for Print
Know the image size required for your layout before you scan¡ªguess larger if uncertain. If the photo is larger than the layout size, simply scan at 300dpi. If the photo is smaller than the layout size, adjust your scanner settings (resolution and scan percentage size).
To calculate the resolution you must scan a photo at, increase the scanning resolution above 300dpi by the same percentage you will be enlarging the original photo. For example, if the photo measures 2 x 3 inches and the image layout size is 5 x 7 inches, 5/2 = 2.5 (you will be enlarging the photo 2.5 times, or 250%). Scan the photo at 2.5x 300dpi, or 750dpi.
*If you need to enlarge anything larger than 300% it is best to contact your local service provider for a professional scan.
Printing Images From Stock Photography Companies
Know the image size required for your layout before you purchase stock photography online. Read their information prior to purchase as it will determine, price, color, file size, copyrights, resolution and quality.
Each image should be at a resolution of 300dpi for the final size in your layout. Reminder: get the image in CMYK color mode (rather than RGB) if possible. Here are some guidelines for you to follow:
? 2 inches x 2 inches @ 300dpi = 600 pixels x 600 pixels = 1.38 MB
? 4 inches x 4 inches @ 300dpi = 1200 pixels x 1200 pixels = 5.5 MB
? 8.5 inches x 11 inches @ 300dpi = 2550 pixels x 3300 pixels = 32.2 MB
Printing Images from the Internet
Jpeg and Gif files are Internet images, saved with a compression process designed to remove color and visual quality to achieve small file sizes. Internet images are usually saved at a resolution of 72 dpi for quick screen loads and will not print clear and crisp on a printing press.
Since the physical dimensions of an image and resolution are in direct proportion to each other, shrinking the physical dimensions of an Internet image by 4x will achieve decent printing results (72dpi x 4 = 288dpi). Here¡¯s how to calculate the size you must reduce (shrink) an Internet image to get it to print well: reduce the size to 24% of its original size (because 72dpi is 24% of the 300dpi resolution you want). For example, if an Internet image is 3 inches x 3 inches, at 72dpi you want to shrink it enough to get it to 300dpi for crisp printing
Zoom into your images to see the quality. Be aware of your design, purpose of your printing, and the needs of your customers before using images from the Internet.
Preferred File Formats for Printing
Photographic images can be saved in different file formats. The format of choice is one that does not lose color quality, contrast, or file size.
TIF or EPS files are examples of lossless file formats. They are designed to print clear and crisp at a resolution of 300dpi at their final size in the layout.
JPEG/JPG or GIF files are examples of lossy file formats. They were originally designed for easy file transmission and Internet use, not for printing. When a lossy file format is saved over and over again, the jagged edges are exaggerated. The process creates extra pixel garbage that you do not want printed. Therefore, if you start with a JPEG file that then needs edits, save it as an EPS or TIF file. This way, additional information will not get lost and the quality of the original JPEG image will be maintained.