Print Design - Print options: four colour process, spot colour or B&W

When
planning your next Print Project it’s always a good idea to consult
with your designer and/or printer in advance as to how the job will
be printed. Four colour process, spot colour and B&W are not all
created equal, and with proper planning money can be saved!

  Four
colour process printing, mixing four colours (CMYK) to create all the
colours you need, is usually the most expensive but, if coordinated
with a printer that does “gang printing”, the process of printing
multiple orders at the same time, a significant savings can be made.
A simple rack card, for example, can go from around $1000 down to just
over $300! For business cards or rack cards a process called a “work
and turn”, printing two sides of a single piece at the same time,
turning it over and continuing to print, can save money in film, plates
and even the printing itself. If you have a print job where say only
the text changes every time you go to press, printing a larger quantity
without the text in place, then rerunning a one colour “surprint”
of the text on only the quantity you need now will save money in the
long run! You get a better pricing on the large run of “shells”
and the cost of a one colour run for the text, especially if it’s
black, would be very small.

  Spot
colour printing is printing one or more solid colours, black and blue
for example. When used properly a spot colour print job can be less
expensive than a four colour process and some times more impressive.
Printing a photograph as a duotone (2 colours) can be much more appealing
than a straight B&W photo, and if you add metallic inks to such
a design... well, don't get me started!! I’ve designed many spot
colour jobs of up to seven colours and the printed piece has turned
out not only better, but less expensive than if it had been printed
in four colour. Using solid colours as opposed to a process mix, makes
the finished piece brighter and more vibrant.

  Straight
B&W printing can even be spiced up with the right combination of
grayscale tints (the human eye can detect 256 variations of black),
paper colour and paper texture. But, just like “nail broth”
or “stone soup”, the more ingredients you add the more “fitting
for royalty” the final dish is!

  Be
sure to call Dedicated Desktop before you
start your next print project, as we can assist with brainstorming,
concept, the final design and printing options!

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