Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
CHAPTER 7
Printing to a Press
This chapter could be considered by some to be a continuation of Chapter
6. It is devoted to using ICC color management to produce files optimized
for a CMYK printer, specifically a printing press. I decided to break up
this subject into two chapters for a number of reasons. First, when dis-
cussing CMYK and output to a four-color press it's not uncommon to see
photographers' eyes glaze over just before their brains explode. Those of
us that have been using Photoshop for a long time can even remember
the good old days when no provisions for supporting CMYK documents
existed. We old timers were brought up to believe that CMYK was best
left to prepress experts.
The other reason to devote a chapter to printing on a press is that this
topic can be quite involved and for many users, dealing with CMYK isn't
on their radar. No reason to subject these readers to what some have
called the
devil's color space
. When the time comes to begin handling files
for eventual output to a printing press, CMYK isn't a process that can be
ignored, although many photographers try. I will discuss some of the
advantages to the photographer who decides to tackle this subject. It is
somewhat ironic that those people I've met who handle CMYK in their
daily environments find RGB to be confusing and counterintuitive. Many
photographers and RGB virtuosos find CMYK to be equally confusing.
One of the best quotes I've heard that sums up the differences in the two
color models is this: “God created RGB, man created CMYK ...what
would you rather use?”
Why Photographers Need to Understand Prepress
When I went through photography school in the early1980s, there were
no desktop computers that could handle files for electronic imaging or
prepress. I had only one class in photomechanical preproduction (pre-
historic prepress) early in my studies. Most of the students ditched the
class, spending what we believed was a more important use of our time
in the wet darkroom, printing our B&W class assignments. Ignorance was
bliss. Little did I know that in the future, I'd never step into a conven-
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