How paper can critically affect the colour of your printed product
Have you ever had a client ask you why their marketing material hasn’t printed the colour they requested?
Their first reaction is normally to point the finger in the direction of the designer, and here I explain how printing can go wrong.
In one instance they’re absolutely correct to place blame upon the designer, because chance are they haven’t been educated how different paper stocks produce different tones from exactly the same colour of ink. Graphic designers, amongst many other professions, take on the role of teacher to give their client an understanding of critical factors such as this one.
Colour control is important even when colour ink isn’t used. A black ink can appear to contain colour when printed on a colour substrate.
Remember, the grade, grain and colour of paper used affects the colour of the ink.
Also, the light source under which you’re looking at the printed product can dramatically affect the colour tone. It reminds me of how supermarkets distort the colour of their meat displays with different lighting, giving it a fresher appearance.
If you select a colour from a colour swatch book and ask 100 printers to print it, you could well get 100 different tones. If you don’t have a swatch book and are thinking of picking one up, here are some useful pointers for before you buy PANTONE colour guides.
Always, always ask your printer for a proof before signing-off on your print job. Make it a hard copy (or digital proof) too, which should usually be included in the price of the project. A PDF proof will not show you the results of how your colour prints.
Have you always been happy with the colour of your print material?
Related posts
14 appreciated comments on “How paper can critically affect the colour of your printed product”
Anything to add?
All comments are moderated so you may experience a short delay before yours appears. Comments should be respectful of other voices in the discussion, and I reserve the right to edit or delete comments at my discretion.
Please use your real name. Keywords will be removed.
Blimey, i diddnt know that paper could effect the way the final product turns out.
You learn something new every day!
– Andy –
allsortgroup.com
Well said. Our teachers said that before choosing which print shop to have out stuff printed at we should have them print out samples so we can see how certain inks will be printed on different kinds of paper. Every printer will print differently, so it sucks when the designer gets crap about something the client knows nothing about.
I work in corporate communications / marketing so I do a fair bit of this. Generally I leave managing the print to the designers and only once have I been unsatisfied. And that was my fault really as it was a new designer and I didn’t specify exactly what kind of stock I expected.
I used another designer in Brighton recently who even sent me a book of paper examples with the same design printed on them, so I could see how the stock affected the colours and choose accordingly.
That’s fascinating.. I had no idea.
I think the key is to see if you like the design on different mediums, period, not to see if the design looks the absolute same from one medium to another, because it won’t, as you point out here.
My flatmate is a photography student and has one of the fancy-schmancy printers and has calibrated his screens to work with photo colours. Even so, no printed photo is exactly like its screen version.
Andy, Dinner, Aaron, Mat, Lelia,
I’m not too late to say thanks, am I? Sorry for the delayed reply. Clearly not as quick on the draw back in 2007.
Hi David,
I’m studying at Keyline digital media training here in South Africa to become a desktop publisher/web designer. Our lecturer mentioned about this topic (how paper type affects colour) the other day, so it’s great to learn more.
We’ve also had to do some logo designs, and you’re site has been invaluable for that.
Keep up the great work!
Hi Ross,
Thanks for stopping by to let me know. I hope your studies are going well.
Nice article. I just recently became aware of the print fluctuations myself. This article helps verify the fact. David, i’ve read some of your articles on pantone and print. I’ve still got a couple of questions regarding the subject. For instance, does anyone know how much to add for the proof, or how much they cost roughly? Also, is it best to just give the client the option of paying for a proof? And how many designers reading this, actually take care of the printing themselves?
Lets say i live in Nasvhille Tn and i’m doing a logo design for someone in New York City. Is it best to tell them I only do the design, or is it wise to offer and take care of the actual printing as well? If I do handle the printing, then that holds me liable for the print results. The client may think the print looks horrid, and I may think it looks great.
Sorry for all the questions. I try to help others where i can, but I figure this is a website where a lot of talented people read these responses. Maybe someone can help. Thanks to anyone who can.
dk,
A commercial printer should include a proof in the cost of a print job. It may be that on receiving the proof, you want to change one or two things, and if that’s the case, there’s likely to be an additional charge for a further proof.
When a client of mine needs stationery designed / printed, I normally tell them it’s best that they deal with a printer in their locality. The reason is twofold: I’m very unlikely to know of a good printer close to them (saving on shipping), and I advise anyone to build a relationship with a print team. The knowledge they can pass on will easily save you money on the print run.
I hope that helps.
David, i wonder if i can translate this post for my blog? with an attribution to you of course.
Feel free, Haryanto.
Thank you David, here’s the from the translated article in Bahasa Indonesia http://mediawarna.com/pra-cetak/64-bagaimana-kertas-mempengaruhi-warna-cetak.html
I also added your cmyk image, but i don’t know to whom i should give the attribution to?
Unfortunately I don’t know either. Wrongly, back in 2007, my naive self didn’t give attribution. All the best.