advice/help on print works in general

[MEB]

Hello http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/smile.gif All of my work was made only for web/screen but now i need to develop an illustration that should be printed in a big format (poster). I never did this before and have some questions about what and how should i do to avoid problems later. Maybe some are dumb questions but they will help me to get things right.
The illustration will be created in Xara X.
Should i work directly in CMYK or should i devellop in RGB and then convert to CMYK?
If after conversion the colors does´t appear exactly like the original how/where should i correct them?
Wich format should i deliver to the office bureau?
My ideia is to create the illustration in Xara in RGB as i usually do, then export to PNG or TIFF in high res at 300dpi and convert to CMYK in Photoshop. The final file will be delivered in PSD format for print. My only problem is how can i get the colors correctly in the final printed work.

Thanks for your time http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/smile.gif
Miguel

[amoore]

The first question to ask is how is it going to be printed? Find out from the printer whether they need it in RGB or CMYK. There's no point in going to all that trouble if you don't have to.

[gwpriester]

Hello Miguel

You ask some very good questions.

A new and important feature in Xara X1 is support for CMYK TIFF export. So you can export your image directly from Xara X1 and give the CMYK TIFF to your printing person.

You can preview your CMYK printed image by switching Window > Show Printer Colors. This changes the view workspace from RGB (bright colors) to simulated CMYK (colors not so bright).

Export your TIFF image in RGB mode.

One problem with Xara X1 is that is cannot properly display a CMYK TIFF image. So the CMYK TIFF image looks very bad if you import it back into Xara X1. (Xara X cannot open a CMYK bitmap). So if your printer can print an accurate color proof of your CMYK TIFF image, this is the best way to see what the final color will be.

If this is not an option, then export an RGB TIFF and convert the mode to CMYK in Photoshop.

Certain colors do not translate well from RGB to CMYK. These are green, purple, and blue. In RGB the colors are bright and look great. In CMYK they look muted and dull.

The Show Printer Colors option will give a good idea of how these colors will look when they are printed.

Does this help?

Printed color is one of the biggest mysteries.

Gary