Here are the notes I made in the software workshop on 27/09/2011.
Using Illustrator for print.
How we work with colour
- fill a shape
- use boxes on left
- swatches down right
- colour pallet on right
Disadvantage of 1 and 3 is if you want to mix a colour you have to keep going back and enter the same colour values.
Best thing to use is the swatches pallet - it's like a library of colours - easier.
The default pallet of colours is just default - standard colours and gradients - don't want to be restricted to just these so can remove all the colours in it and have a blank pallet.
- click one of the colours and trash it or select multiple and bin or each pallet has a menu on the right - gives options for using the pallet - click select all unused colours and bin them
- have 4 swatches left
- no fill
- black
- white
- registration - to do with commercial print
When printing you have marks on the outside - printers marks
Colour mode for print is CMYK - the 4 process colours
- the colours used are made up of these 4 colours.
The cross hair marks in the printers marks are used to make sure colour registration lines up
Printers marks must go on every single print out
Only use registration colour if you want it to appear on every single print.
- you shouldn't use this for your art work
- there if you want to add your own printers marks when it comes to print
If choose/find a colour on the colour pallet you can then click menu and create new swatch - confirm its CMYK and colour type is processed and can rename colour if you want. This then adds the colour to the colour swatch.
Can go on swatch menu and click create new swatch in menu and do the same as above.
Change how the swatch menu looks using the menu
- using list option gives more informaton
If you double click on a swatch in the swatch pallet you can edit the colour % if wanted.
If you want to add a colour you already used to the swatch pallet then you click the menu and choose 'add used colours' this then adds the colours used on the artwork to the pallet.
By doing above, it has global checked in the pallet, then if you change this colour after it automatically changes this colour on the artwork.
If select a global colour in the swatch, if you then use the colour pallet it then just allows you to create tints.
You can't specify a tint unless it is a 'global' colour in the swatch pallet.
If you update the colour of something you made tints of then when it is edited it changed all of these at once.
As well as process colour there is also a thing called 'spot colour'.
- a colour that can't be printed with CMYK
- a colour that is printed with a ready mixed ink
- requires its own printing plate
Why are they useful?
- it is possible to print colours that aren't possible with CMYK
- florescent colours, metallic,
- price, cost - every printing plate costs money
- production costs is cheaper.
Can also put price up, if you have 1 along with CMYK it adds an extra printing plate.
Another reason you use a spot colour is branding
- used to achieve consistency
- can still slightly vary if using CMYK so more reliable
Pantone - each colour has a unique reference number
- specify number to guarantee to be right colour
To add spot colour in swatch pallet
- click menu - open swatch library
- gives a large list of different pallets
- all CMYK except 'colour books'
- this shows all available spot colour books
- we use pantone
- the option depends on the stock printing on
- uncoated for matt, coated for gloss
Choosing one of these then opens the swatch pallet for that collection
- work with unique numbers 'reference numbers'
- change swatch to list view and can now see the list of numbers as well as colour
- click menu at top and can click show find field and can type in the code to find easier
- to add to the swatch pallet then just click on it
- must be in the pallet for the printing process
To create more variation from using 1 spot colour you can create tints of it.
Don't change the name of a swatch because knowing the number is vital.
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