Signs of the Times - April 2012 - (Page 42)

SOFTWARE UPDATE By Theresa Jackson Theresa Jackson operates Orchard View Color (Escondido, CA) and has more than 20 years’ experience in prepress, graphic design, color management and photography. Email her at Theresa@orchardviewcolor.com Spot-Color Practices More design with spot colors using Adobe Photoshop Spot-colorthe digital-print world. ink technology is common in And, in UV-cure ink systems, white spot-color technology is a frequent option that, combined with the UV-ink characteristics, allows printers to creatively image on almost any substrate. The channels palette (Window> Channels) manages Adobe Photoshop spot colors and, differently, Adobe Illustrator manages spot colors in the swatches palette. In Photoshop, you can add a spot color to RGB or CMYK designs. A Photoshop RGB file has four default channels: composite RGB color, red channel, green channel and blue channel. A CMYK file has five default channels: composite CMYK color, cyan, magenta, yellow and black. The channel palette numbers (listed on the right) show the quick-key command to view that channel. For example, command 3 (PC: control 3) displays the RGB-file red channel. Define a new spot-color channel Two Photoshop methods create a new spot channel: In the channel palette’s upper-right corner, click on the fly-out menu and choose the optional New Spot Channel. Or, command click (PC: control click) on the page icon at the bottom of the channel palette (third icon from the left). Give the new spot channel a name and set the ink characteristics. The spot-channel name is critical because some RIPs won’t otherwise recognize the color name and, therefore, won’t accept the channel as a special ink color. If you can’t predict the RIP action, give the channel a descriptive name (Fig. 1). This also helps the machine operator understand your intent. The Ink Characteristics tag has no bearing on prints. Its preview simply simulates the file color and ink density, and usually does a poor job. Alpha versus spot channels Determining the difference between an alpha and spot channel is difficult – both are eight-bit data with 256 gray levels (white to black). The only real difference is the intended purpose of the channel. To ascertain if a channel is an alpha or a spot, double click on the channel – or go to the panel’s fly-out menu. The spot-channel information – added color data for printing – is in the File Preview. Channel options Channel Options allows you to convert the alpha channel to a spot channel. Simply select the third button, “Spot Color.” You can’t convert a spot channel to an alpha channel. Create a spot-color design Channels don’t permit layers and editable text, so create the spot-color channel after you finalize the color design. The spot channel can include vignettes and feathered edges, plus soft and crisp-edged graphics. Creating white-ink images requires you to think in reverse – 100% black in the spot channel represents 100% white ink. Preview your spot-color design Ink Characteristics simulates how the design will print with all chan- nels integrated. The Ink Characteristics Solidity view simulates ink density; Color simulates ink color. Unfortunately, Photoshop previews the spot color on top of the CMYK colors, which gives an inaccurate soft proof, especially for white-ink printing. Use Photoshop layers to softproof spot-ink designs: 1. Create a new layer at the bottom of the layer stack (lowest priority). Fill it with the print substrate color. 2. Create a second layer immediately above the substrate layer. Make a selection from the Spot Channel – command-click on the channel (PC: Control-Click). Fill the new layer with the spot-ink color. 3. If the design includes multiple layers, create a duplicate, flattened layer by selecting all layers in the layer’s palette (don’t include the two created in Steps 1 and 2) and click Command Option E. 4. Move this merged layer to the third priority, just above the spot-ink layer created in Step 2. To see an approximation of how the design will print, set the Layer Blend Mode to “Multiply” and switch off the original design layers. Caution: Turn off or delete the three new layers before sending the file to print. Printing and file formats Native .PSD files can retain Spot Color channels, but RIPs won’t recognize them. Instead, keep a design copy in the native-layered .PSD format and save a flattened file for print output. TIFF, Photoshop DCS and Photoshop PDF can retain spot-color information, and most RIPs recognize them. If you’re uncertain of the RIP requirements, save the design as a TIFF file. Make sure you select the “Spot Color” radial box in the Save Dialog box. n Fig.1: To create a new spot-color channel, click on New Spot Channel in the swatch panel’s upper-right icon; then name the new spot color. 42 SIGNS OF THE TIMES / APRIL 2012 / www.signweb.com http://www.signweb.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Signs of the Times - April 2012

Signs of the Times - April 2012
Contents
ST Update
Technology Update
Vinyl Apps
Strictly Electric
LED Update
Technology Review
Software Update
Sign Museum News
New Products
Times Square Update
That Sign is Fine (Art?)
Victory at Yorktown
Temporary, with Permanent Appeal
The Value of Signs
Anatomy of an M&A Failure
Industry News
Advertising Index
Editorially Speaking

Signs of the Times - April 2012