CMYK / RGB

[quickstamp]

Hi All,

So please can anyone help this poor supplier of flyers, business cards etc. I am sure you've heard this question so many times - when I am designing using colour in Xara page and layout I understand that I am working in RGB or HSV colour mode, then when I am exporting to PDF for commercial printing it changes it to CMYK. 90% of the time it is fine but today I am working with a particular shade of yellow that my customer wants in his logo and the pdf looks very different to the Xara file? I think I need to be able to work with CMYK when I am designing in Xara but I don't know how to do that? Can anyone help please?

Tim

[mwenz]

Hi Tim,

Are you using P&GD as your profile indicates? I use XDP, but does P&GD also have CMYK design capabilities, I don't think it does but cannot remember for sure.

A couple things. One, will whomever is printing this accept RGB files? If so, try exporting to PDF using the highest Acrobat setting in your Xara application with the color mode set to RGB. Depending upon whom is printing it, and what they allow, the color will likely be closer to correct. It likely will be pretty close on most consumer-grade printers.

Second, can you either let us know what the color value is suppose to be or upload a sample file with a simple rectangle filled with that color?

Thanks, Mike

[handrawn]

Mike

P&GD cannot export cmyk in either PSD or PDF/X format according to xara website features page, so I reckon the answer to that part of your question is no...

[edit -but it might do it in TIFF, but I wouldn't want to bet on it]

[mwenz]

Thanks for the info.

I also failed to mention something. If this is being printed to non-offset printing, likely the printers are using a Xerox or Canon color engine in their printers (think FedEx Office, Staples, and other establishments printing digitally). If so, they usually have better color conversion algorithms built-in specifically for their equipment than many export/publish to PDF profiles in software. But it is up to them to allow RGB.

I do some Realtor fliers and always export to RGB PDFs. the color is more vibrant than using the print establishment's supplied CMYK profile.

[gwpriester]

I moved this to the Xara Graphics Forum

I have Page & Layout Designer 11 installed and it does export CMYK PDF/X

[handrawn]

it's to be hoped a page and layout designer would export to CMYX Gary

[gwpriester]

it's to be hoped a page and layout designer would export to CMYX Gary

Or if Page & Layout Designer is the Xara application quickstamp is using.

[handrawn]

c'est vrais

[gwpriester]

Actually, now that I take the time to read quickstamps question the answer might be to change to Show Print Colors (see attached).

This changes the display to approximate printed color vs screen color which is always brighter and more vivid.

Show Print Colors provides a better idea of how a color will look when printed in CMYK.

If your customer is concerned about a specific shade of yellow, it might be best to use a Pantone swatch book to match the color then to specify that color in Page & Layout Designer.

But bear in mind that even if the color looks perfect on your monitor, it may not print this way because monitors can vary widely.

[mwenz]

Looking at the compare chart on Xara's website, as the application stated in the user's profile doesn't support PDF/X, how likely will it support the flaky and pretty inaccurate Show Print Colors? Same applies with Pantone...it doesn't have it.

Without the OP coming back and answering some questions it's all a shot in the dark with an unloaded weapon.