Printable View
I need to send a document from work to a printers in CMYK format, TIFF pref.
What is the easiest way to do this whilst gauranteeing a good quality print?
Is the CMYK plugin for XARAX good enough for the job, within reason.
Please help, my head is scattered with all the CMYK info I've been reading up on in desperation.
Thanks peeps.
supertoast
I need to send a document from work to a printers in CMYK format, TIFF pref.
What is the easiest way to do this whilst gauranteeing a good quality print?
Is the CMYK plugin for XARAX good enough for the job, within reason.
Please help, my head is scattered with all the CMYK info I've been reading up on in desperation.
Thanks peeps.
supertoast
I hope Jens and klaus don't read this or we will have another cmyk bashing going on http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/smile.gif
OK, just kidding...
There's a cmyk-export plug-in at xaraxone shareware section. I myself usually export as RGB and do the convertion in Photoshop so I can't say how good the quality is when using the plugin.
I would say that you try opening the cmyk export (using the plugin) in Photoshop or Corel Photopaint to see how good the export is. On the other hand it might be better to use either photoshop or photopaint if you can use ICC-profiles.
-Paul
first scale your drawing 1:1, then export it as RGB TIFF, then convert it to CMYK with the utility RGB2CMYK which you can download from the XaraZone.
The result will be an excellent quality.
That's all you need!
jens g.r. benthien
designer
http://www.sacalobra.de
----------//--
If you don't know how to dream you'll never be a designer.
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Will I get absolutely top quality though?
And also, can it really be that easy - I thought I'd have to start fiddling around with advanced CMYK preferances in photoshop/psp?
I sincerely hope it is that easy though!
Thanks Jens.
'toast
supertoast, I fear that that procedure will only make you . . . more toast! I pity you.
K
www.klausnordby.com/xara (big how-to article)
www.xaraxone.com/FeaturedArt/kn/ (I was the first-ever featured artist in the Xone)
www.graphics.com (columnist, "The I of The Perceiver")
Ok I get the drift that you two have battled over this matter in the past.
Klaus, please could you give me your explaination as to how you might do it - and the pros and cons please for and against the rgb2cmyk util...
Thanks (still *very* desperate)
Superdesperatetoast.
you've said -- CMYK TIFF prefered --, so I guess it's not mandatory to deliver a CMYK TIFF.
My suggestion: call your printing company and **ask**. Usually any printer will accept a RGB TIFF, because he does have 'his favorite' software to convert it from RGB to CMYK - either with a Windows, LINUX or Mac system (how do you think they convert their RGB files???).
And if they don't convert it with a software, their RIP (Raster Image Processor, the device that's generating the printing plates) will handle the conversion. I don't know of any RIP that doesn't have this feature.
When I have to send a file for printing to another place where I don't have a direct access to the printing company, I send a RGB TIFF - I've done this for more than a decade now, and the result was just great.
Keep in mind that the people at printing companies are not dumb - they are savvy professionals who's job is to assist you with their know how and professional equipment you - the average guy - can't afford. Or is anybody here in this or another talkgaphics forum who runs his/her own RIP?
Let's face it: most printers run Illustrator or photoshop, and they have much more experience with all the needed tricks to produce the best result for you.
The discussion about Xara X output for printing is somewhat academic and of no importance if you have the right guy at the other end of the chain!
jens g.r. benthien
designer
http://www.sacalobra.de
----------//--
If you don't know how to dream you'll never be a designer.
----------//--
...I must send CMYK, it's mandatory company policy for these guys (though I will ask anyway).
But still I would like to hear your view on the CMYK converter as you laughed it off as a bad idea, but then followed it up with "send rgb" - what's the problem, I want to know - I thought you were going to give me some wisdom but instead avoided the CMYK totally? I look forward to some more help.
BTW Jens, I've used that converter and in PSP the CMYK Tiff looks good to me, infact very good. Should I trust what I see though? Or should I be checking the CMYK'ness of the document in some way? Another util? Will I get roughly what I see?
Sorry to come across all picky, but I need to set my perfectionist mind at rest before I send off my masters to the printers.
Looking forward to some more feedback,
Supertoast.
http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/confused.gif
Supertoast,
I don't want to try a blind guess about the reason for the weird company policy, so all I can say is that the converters work.
Of course you can't control the gamut range unless you have Corel Photopaint v 7 - 11 or Photoshop, but the printing company can do right this - they **must** have the tools.
But rest assured: every TIFF I have converted to CMYK with RGB2CMYK showed not out of gamut colors when opened with a bitmap editor like PhotoPaint or Photoshop!
BTW, the colors appear to be a bit darker after the conversion, especially the blue and red blue or violet (the most critical ones for out of gamut ranges).
So have fun and roast 'em - FIESTA ! ! !
jens
jens g.r. benthien
designer
http://www.sacalobra.de
----------//--
If you don't know how to dream you'll never be a designer.
----------//--
here you go with a RGB (left) and the converted CMYK (right). You will notice the color shift in the blue.
jens g.r. benthien
designer
http://www.sacalobra.de
----------//--
If you don't know how to dream you'll never be a designer.
----------//--
My mind is set, my decision made.
I'm using that converter and that is that.
The results for my leaflet and business card designs were almost identicle to their RGB counterparts, and actually that converter did a better job than PSP's conversion. The results were bandy on the shade variations / graduated fill areas.
I'm a happy man, especially as that util cuts out lots of messing around with settings, options and curves.
Fantastic util. http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/smile.gif
Thanks Jens, like the design btw.