Printing methods and image colours

CMYK:

All designs are done in CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow and black).  CMYK is the universal method of colour printing used with the majority of printers out there, including the larger known printing companies.  It works by combining certain percentages of the 4 colours together to replicate your image colours and has a wide colour spectrum.  It is the preferred method for printers out there as it is great for photographers and printed graphics.  CMYK when combined together, produces Black as it's core colour.

RGB:

RGB (red, green, blue) is mainly reserved for online images as it can produce more vivid colours to make that all important website image pop.  It has it's limitations with regards to it's colour spectrum and will not replicate colours as accurately hence why CMYK is the preferred method for printing, with very few printers out there able to print in true RGB.  RGB when combined together produces white, however due to the none opacitiy of inkjet printing, the white will not show when printed and will appear as a transparent area within the image.  So if it's done on white card, then the white card will appear in place of the ink.  If it's done on black card, you will only see the black due to the ink's lack of opacity.  I am therefore unable to print in white currently.

What happens if I have an RGB image?

If you have an image that has been designed for online use in RGB format, it can still be used however it would need to be converted to CMYK by myself during the proofing method.  This means that the colours within your image may change slightly to those in your original image you see on screen.  The converted image is shared back with you as part of your proof so you will be able to see what it will look like after it's converted.

Printing methods used:

I print using the Inkjet printing method using the following printers; Canon Pro100s (for card orders and A3 vellum), Epson ET 2750 (mostly stickers) and Canon ix6850 for A4/A3 Vellum and stickers.  For transparent stickers, a laser printer is used, which is a toner printer process to ensure the print adheres to the transparent material.  This process is also used as part of my foiling processes as well.

What is Inkjet printing?

Inkjet printing uses none opaque inks, either in cartridges or in tanks and uses a combination of the CMYK inks to produce the wonderful colours within your graphics.  As the ink is not opaque, this method is not suitable for dark card as the card colour will show through the ink colour and therefore the ink print will not be visible.  Inkjet printing is suitable for short runs and is cost effective as there is no need for plates to be made (which is used for letter pressing methods and hot foil stamping), keeping the costs low.

What is Digital Printing?

Digital printing is another method of printing using either laser or inkjet methods, however the equipment used is on a larger scale and is the preferred method for the larger print companies out there.  The process uses other processes to fuse the ink to the paper and can also incorporate other methods such as white ink printing, metallic ink and transparent spot print.  At the moment I am unable to offer this method of printing.