INTRODUCTION The world of commercial print is one which is filled with endless opportunities for graphic designers to apply an array of print processes and finishing techniques to work to produce eye-catching and effective publications and products. Printing in its simplest form is the process by which ink is applied to a substrate, but the method of printing a designer chooses to use to do this depends on practical factors such as the quality, cost, volume and time, while also taking into account the required aesthetic factors such as the quality of the visual result. Most printed products can be enhanced in some way by applying one of the countless finishing techniques once the ink is on the paper, such as folding, die cutting, foil blocking or binding. Print production involves a range of processes that allow an idea for a design to take a physical form, and without a simple grasp of these concepts, it is unlikely that a designer will use up the full potential of what is available to them in the printing world. The aim of this book is to provide an introduction to this world of commercial print, and to establish a foundation from which graphic designers can start to use the resources at their disposal. COLOUR FOR PRINT Intro: Colour is the visual perceptual property corresponding in humans to the categories called red, green, blue, and others. The colours we see are derived from the spectrum of light and the way it interacts in the eye with the spectral sensitivities of our light receptors. Colour categories and the physical specifications of colour are also associated with things such as objects, materials and light sources based on their physical properties such as light absorption, reflection, and how they are emitted. Other names for the science of colour are chromatics, chromatography, colourimetry, or simply colour science. In general, the science of colour includes the perception of colour by the human eye and brain, the origin of colour in materials, colour theory in art, and the physics of electromagnetic radiation in the visible range, or more simply, light. RGB vs CMYK Additive: Additive colour is the term used to describe the situation where colour is created by mixing the visible light emitted from differently colored light sources. In additive colour models such as RGB, white is the “additive� combination of all primary coloured lights, while black is the absence of light. Computer monitors and televisions are the most common form of additive light, and the additive reproduction process usually uses red, green and blue light to produce the other colours. The combination of an equal amount of two of these additive primary colours will produce the additive secondary colours cyan, magenta, and yellow.
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.