What's happened to the Support Tickets?

[peachesQT]

Hi everyone,
I have been trying to get some answers regarding Printer colours and on-screen colours for sometime now, by using the Support Ticket option.
But for some reason, I now am not getting a response, when they do give one it doesn't answer all the points I ask and now no-one seems to be answering at all.
Are they having a meltdown over there?

Is there anyone in the Forum who can help?

I've read the help files (vague), I scrolled through the tutorials (vague but some help) and have also gone to the user tutorials (which helped but still did not give the greater clarity I needed).

So, here's the question.
When I design in Xtreme 2.0f in On-screen colour and it is printed out in-house, the colour changes to much darker.
If I design with Simulated Printer colour on, it's okay when the item to be printed goes to a Printing house, but for in-House printing the colour is too dark.
For web design the On-screen colour is fine but for Printing, if I use the Simulated Printer colour for designing then revert back to On-screen colout to save the file so that it prints in the correct (Simulated Printer) colour, the colour is slightly changed and is lighter.
How can I get the design I see On-screen for Web designed object to correlate with the In-house printed version (probably printed on an Inkjet printer)?
I am finding this a very frustrating concept to understand by just reading the help files and the videos are not explicit enough.

I would really like to talk to an expert Xara person but cannot get any response from the Support Tickets, as they don't answer what I need and when I asked for Skype contact, never received any reply, and Xara have no Phone number that will answer when I ring it.

Probably the answer, when I get it, will be very simple but at the moment my mind cannot sort out the tangle.
So, can any of the Forum experts help me get this straight in my mind?

Many thanks,

[steve.ledger]

If you want exact colours you cannot use what you see on the monitor as a guide.
You must use precise CMYK values or PANTONE colour numbers (PMS = Pantone Matching System) so that your printer can use the exact same values and/or PMS number. Using PANTONE colour numbers enables a more reliable way of reproducing known colors.
(Look up PANTONE in the Xara Xtreme help file for more on this)

Simulated Print Colours is just that, a simulation and nothing more.
What you see on-screen is RGB, which are the colours of 'light' and not ink, so the 'light' on your screen can only 'simulate' what you could get when you print.

The variables between your monitor setup, your inks in your home or office bubble/ink jet, the paper you are using and the humidity at the time you are printing can guarantee that you will never get a match using what you see on-screen as your guide.
These low cost printers are manufactured for convenience and ease of use, not colour accuracy.

Printer profiling and monitor calibration is an important step in removing some of these variables, however some variations will still occurr.
Stick to industry standard colour values and you will have more success.

A little extra reading
CMYK
PANTONE

[masque]

http://www.talkgraphics.com/showthread.php?t=33469
Similar question with similar answer.
I sit with some people when working on various designs and I have a great deal of trouble explaining that the colour they have choosen will simply be different when proofed on an inkjet and the difference will vary from 'a little' to 'can't believe its suposed to be the same colour', I then waste much ink in trying to get an appoximation of the colour they want for a proof only to have to explain it will be different again once commercialy printed.
One thing I would say is that printing to a high quality photo paper will give more predictable results with the proviso that you monitor is calibrated to give the best print colour simulation etc., as previous answer.
If I’m proof printing a leaflet or menu for instance I do so on a glossy photo paper to get the best output for a customer to look at while explaining that without specified pantone there will be colour variations in certain areas. Usually exact colour matching isn't always the most important consideration for many of the people I deal with however.
Derek

[peachesQT]

Thank you Sledger for a quick reply.

I think I am understanding you right.
Using CMYK colours for external Print Jobs will give the best colour match.
What I am trying to understand is; if I view the Simulated printer colours but save as the On-screen colour, there is a slight variation when printed in-house.
Is there a way to ensure that saving as the On-screen colour will exactly match the Simulated Printer colour, whne both items are printed.

Because saving as Simulated printer colour, when printed out In-house, makes the colour so dark.
If we are supposed to calibrate our machines to our Printers, that's fine, but if we are designing for someone else, how can we be sure that the design we give them is going to be the same when printed out in both formats (external Print House & In-house print run).

Is there any formula you know of that will help?

Thanks....

[steve.ledger]

Is there any formula you know of that will help?

CMYK or PANTONE

[peachesQT]

sledger,

I'm sorry, I don't like cryptic replies.

Are you telling me save as Simulated printer colour (CMYK) file?

If I do that, then the colours when printed on an inkjet come out very dark.

more confused.....

[ss-kalm]

Is there a way to ensure that saving as the On-screen colour will exactly match the Simulated Printer colour, whne both items are printed.

No.

As I understand it, what Sledger is trying to say is:

Your monitor will NOT show you the final colour whatever you do.

You must get a hard palette of Pantone or CMYK colours and regardless of what you see on the screen, specify a colour off the palette for your objects.

That way when they are commercially printed they will match the hard colour.

Monitor colours are very very unlikely to be correct no matter what you do.

Save the file with the colours that you specify - Not simulated colours or what you think looks right - Just specific colour values.

[peachesQT]

Hi Keith,
Thank you for the info.

Where do I get this hard palette of colours, be it Pantone or CMYK?
And will the work as an add-in to Xtreme?

Thanks....

[Soquili]

I believe the hard palette that Keith is referring to is probably a Pantone Color Book. http://www.pantone.com/pages/pantone/pantone.aspx?ca=2

Pantone is one of several companies that produce inks for commercial printing establishments. Using the Pantone Color Book you can select a color and reference the Pantone number and the Printer will know exactly what color to use when printing.

Xara Xtreme Pro has Pantone palettes included in the program.

[ss-kalm]

Thanks Bill, that was exactly what I was referring too.