Design Guide
It’s about your experience.
THE DIFFERENCE IS CLEAR!
Designing with Clear Dry Ink The clear way to make your print designs shine Bowden Digital Colour Fuji Xerox Color 1000 Digital Press
Table of contents 3
Designing with clear for eye catching effects
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Top four techniques for designing with clear
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What can “clear” do for you?
22 The easy option 24 DIY Setting up your files for clear 27 Printing specifications
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Designing with Clear Dry Ink
Designing with clear for eye catching effects THE DIFFERENCE IS CLEAR! With the recent installation of a Fuji Xerox Color 1000 Digital Press at Bowden Group in Adelaide we can now bring you the ultimate in design flexibility, with vibrant, high-definition image quality, a wide colour gamut – and the digital design freedom to be clear – with clear dry ink. Think frost on a window or the see-through beauty of a crystal and you’ll understand the dramatic, eye catching print design effects you can create with clear. With clear dry ink you can apply a clear effect so you can add an eye catching flare to specific areas of your printed piece or flood the entire sheet enabling you to: • Highlight images for visual variety, making them “pop” off the page • Draw attention to a headline or variable text
The following pages are filled with tips, techniques and examples of how you can achieve stunning results with our new Fuji Xerox Color
1000 Digital Press’ clear dry ink capability. Once you get started, you’ll want to add the depth, dimensionality, subtlety and intrigue clear dry ink can bring to all your printed pieces.
• Highlight photos, logos or variable images • Simulate pearlescent or metallic appearance • Apply digital watermarks to add artistic effects or enhance security • Enhance print quality of textured stocks • Add an extra protective layer to an entire sheet
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Top four techniques for designing with clear Once you understand the basic ways you can use clear dry ink to differentiate your printed pieces, you can experiment to see which technique adds the most impact.
Spot clear dry ink over water.
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Designing with Clear Dry Ink
SP T SP T SP T 30% tint of metallic spot colour (Pantone 8421). Clear dry ink over circles.
30% tint of CMYK colour (C40 M87 Y0 K0). Clear dry ink over circles.
20% tint of metallic spot colour (Pantone 871). Clear dry ink over circles.
Spot treatment You can specify clear dry ink to print only in specifically designated areas of a printed piece. This has the effect of highlighting and drawing attention to that part of the design, such as an area of an illustration or important text. It can also provide additional visual interest of enhancing varied textures on a single printed surface. Not only does this add interest, but it also gives the piece a more high-end, polished look.
Spot over a photograph Add clear dry ink to a photograph to make it jump off the page, or designate certain areas of the photograph to highlight its features. For example, at left, the water has clear dry ink applied, giving it a noticeable sheen. You can also add a texture over a photograph, giving the illusion of dimension.
the addition of the clear dry ink and the coloured circle overall adds an eye focusing interest. Mimic a subtle tinted varnish effect by creating a design with a light tint of a colour and then add spot clear dry ink on top of that. The tinted effect can be used on its own as a design element, or over text and images to give them extra attention getting power. With the clear dry ink capabilities presented by the Fuji Xerox Color 1000 Digital Press and clever use of spot treatment, you have another creative way to direct focus to the important areas of your printed pieces.
The top four techniques for adding a clear difference are: • Spot treatment • Flood coating • Metallic/pearlescent effect • Watermark The following pages demonstrate how you can direct the eye, heighten contrast and make your pieces more memorable.
Clear dry ink over side-bar area.
Spot over a solid colour By adding clear dry ink over a solid colour, you can increase the depth and overall sheen of that colour, giving it extra punch and catching attention. This effect works best when clear dry ink is applied over lighter colours and is a great way to create subtle, interesting patterns and also to show off graphics. Notice how the patterns deepen in the dragonfly’s wings with
Circle: 20% tint of CMYK colour (C40 M87 Y0 K0). Dragonfly: Clear dry ink only.
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Designing with Clear Dry Ink
> Flood coating
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Top row: Pantone metallic colours simulated in CMYK (Pantone 876, 871, 877, 8022, 8006, C40 M87 Y0 K0, 8283, 8421 and 8664), clear dry ink applied to top half. Bottom row: 10% tint of the same colours to simulate a tinted varnish effect.
Flood coating
Watermark
To “flood” your printed piece with clear dry ink is to cover the whole sheet with it. Flooding can have many benefits. It adds a soft finish to your entire piece, giving it an offset like appearance. It provides an even sheen that adds depth to photos and a smooth consistent look across an image. Flooding can also help to protect your applications, almost adding a layer of sealant, especially helpful for direct mail and other pieces that are prone to wear from handling. Flood coating with clear dry ink also enables the Fuji Xerox Color 1000 Digital Press to evenly print on textured papers for better image quality on this type of stock.
Using clear dry ink is a great way to print watermarks on your pieces. These subtle, authenticating marks can provide notice for copyrighted materials or add a graphic element to discourage copying of coupons or tickets. Watermarks can repeat across the entire page and are a nice way to add a soft graphic element to your design to quietly reinforce your message or evoke a mood.
Metallic/pearlescent effect Introducing a sheen of clear dry ink over Pantone metallic colours simulated in CMYK can produce a metallic effect, making your design shine. A metallic effect also adds elegance to text in your printed pieces, as well as creates the appearance of metal on objects. Applying clear dry ink over a light tint or pastel adds a pearlescent effect to text and design elements.
Above: Clear dry ink only text, this “watermark” cannot be scanned or copied.
Clear Dry Ink Left: Flood of clear dry ink over entire page. Above: Spot clear dry ink over gold rings (Text - 15% tint of C40 M87 Y0 K0).
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What can “clear” do for you? Whether you use a touch of clear over designated “spot” areas, simulate metallic effects, add a watermark or flood an entire sheet, clear dry ink can add value and eye appeal to your designs. Bowdens Fuji Xerox Color 1000 Digital Press’ clear dry ink capability enhances images, bringing out their colour, helping them pop off the page and getting messages noticed. You can spot the difference A gleam attracts attention
Subtle, but clear
Nearly any type of business promotion can benefit from the addition of clear dry ink. Take the food industry, for example. The image of donuts becomes even more delectable when clear dry ink glazes the icing on top; it seems to raise off the page, appearing realistic enough and delicious enough to taste. By highlighting specific areas, clear dry ink can make images of food mouth watering perfect for bakeries, restaurants and catering businesses.
Subtle watermarks created with clear dry ink add a layer of security and validation, great for financial and educational documents. Or run a company name or logo across a page for subliminal repetition and recognition. The watermark effect can be used as a design element as well—add soft, clear snowflakes to the sky in a ski resort brochure.
You can truly be creative with your use of spot treatment with clear. Add a three-dimensional effect to windows by adding clear inside the frames, and add sophistication to brochures and flyers for real estate businesses, contractors and home improvement stores. Or add clear over the ice blue water of a swimming pool for a landscaping business piece, or in the curl of a wave for a travel brochure—customers will want to dive right in. Clear adds a tactile dimension that catches the eye, creates an emotion and spurs action.
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Designing with Clear Dry Ink
Simulating metallic or pearlescent effects lends elegance to pieces, giving them a luxurious look, perfect for anyone from jewellers to automotive dealers to bridal stores. You can give images of precious metals the glint of gold, chrome trim the gleam of silver, and gowns a pearly taffeta look. Introduce the metallic effect to text for a high-end flair on invitations and programs.
Solid shine Flooding the page with clear can also add substance to your printed piece, whether through giving it a more of an offset look or by adding a layer of protection. Give a sheen to restaurant menus, retail price lists or educational certificates. And coat pieces that are subjected to frequent handling, such as direct mail postcards or sports team schedules.
The Fuji Xerox Color 1000 Digital Press’ clear dry ink opens up whole new expressive worlds, for designers and taking advantage of this clear capability will truly make printed pieces “shine” for both you and your customers.
Clear as a spot Clear dry ink can be treated as a spot colour in your artwork—meaning you can use tints. Experiment with 80%, 60% or 40% of clear dry ink for differing effects.
Smell
To emphasise the shine of warm, just-out-ofthe-oven icing, clear dry ink was applied to the icing, not the donut. Donuts: Clear dry ink over icing. Far left: Clear dry ink over coloured text (10% tint of C40 M87 Y0 K0).
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Taste
Give your image some punch—add clear dry ink to a select area only. Flood your image with clear dry ink to enhance the flavour of your image and make images of food and drinks more appealing.
Above: Clear dry ink over coloured headline text (18% tint of C20 M0 Y100 K0), toffee on apple and over the fruit icons (15% tint of CMYK). Right: Flood of clear dry ink over entire page.
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100% Clear
60% Clear
40% Clear
0% Clear
0% Clear
0% Clear
100% Clear
Reflect A flood of clear adds depth to images of water or sky; a spot of clear dry ink over silver or gold emphasises the reflective qualities of metal. Left: Spot clear dry ink applied to rings. Note effect of using different percentages of clear dry ink. Right: Spot clear dry ink over jewellery, eyes, lips, nails and over lightly tinted headline text (15% tint of C5 M85 Y0 K0).
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Page Spread: Spot clear dry ink applied to tinted birds, water (minus the text and logo), dragonfly and cows.
The difference is clear!
Shine
Watermarks are a simple and elegant way to add impact to your layout and an essential way to add security to any document. Clear dry ink will not only make your mark sparkle, but when assigned to type or graphics, cannot be duplicated on scanners and copiers since there is no actual pigment. Your watermark can easily be seen but not copied.
Left: 50% clear dry ink (halftone) over models face with solid Clear dry ink on eye and lips. This page: Spot clear dry ink applied to create a watermark effect. To enhance the reflective qualities of simulated metallic inks, headline has a spot clear dry ink applied over a tint of simulated metallic ink (26% tint of Pantone 871).
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Grow Above: Spot clear dry ink over tinted grapevine pattern, butterflies, sapling and headline text (50% tint of C15 M0 Y60 K0). Right: Spot clear dry ink over tinted grapevine pattern, butterflies, wine glass and frame.
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Designing with Clear Dry Ink
Clear over tints of colour add a bit of glamour for a unique design touch.
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Discover Paper choice plays a critical role when designing with clear dry ink. To achieve the highest sheen possible, it is important to chose a paper with a matt or satin finish. Your paper choice will also influence the effect flood coating has across the page. A flood treatment of clear applied over a photo will show off your image with a consistent, even sheen for an eye pleasing finish on a variety of substrates.
Flower graphic printed in clear dry ink over textured colour. Spot clear dry ink over image area, headline text, and flower graphic.
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Designing with Clear Dry Ink
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The easy option Leave the clear setup to Bowdens As the following pages will show, you don’t need to be a whizz with InDesign and Photoshop to add clear dry ink to your design projects. However if you would prefer to leave the setup to us then we’ll be happy to assist.* Standard Clear Effects Choose any or all of these options for your project and we can add them across the entire job: • Add clear to all photos on a page • Flood an entire page with clear
Sample text
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Etiam vitae ante id ipsum pretium mollis et ut mauris. Proin vestibulum faucibus placerat. Etiam eget interdum orci. Nullam vitae massa lacus. Vestibulum molestie tempor faucibus. Cras euismod mauris nibh, eu facilisis lorem.
• Add clear to all text Clear dry ink added to all text
Clear dry ink added to entire photo
*Standard pre-press rates apply.
Watermarks
Custom Clear Effects We can also apply more complex and specific effects to your project, like:
Halftone effects
• Watermarks (clear dry ink only) • Clear dry ink halftone effects • Spot clear dry ink over specific areas of an image
Clear Dry Ink this side
No Clear Dry Ink this side
Spot clear dry ink - 100% on car only
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DIY. Setting up your files for clear Simply applying a spot or flood of clear dry ink over your image or page can have a dramatic effect on your design. Achieve the effects shown in this guide using Adobe InDesign, Illustrator and Photoshop applications. A
B
C
Setting up InDesign for printing with clear dry ink
Creating masks for spot or flood effects in InDesign
Tinted effects
1. In InDesign, add a new layer in the layers
3. Draw a shape or select text that will receive clear
objects on top of each other. The objects on the top
pallette. (See “A” above.)
a. N ame the new layer. We named it clear layer.
b. T he clear layer should be the very first layer at
2. Add a new colour in the swatches pallette and name it. We used the name Clear. (See “Image B” above.)
Important: The swatch name could be anything you want it to be as long as you are consistent
dry ink. Make sure all elements to print with
layer will print with clear dry ink allowing the colour
clear are situated on the clear layer.
from the object below to show through. To start,
a. F ill your shape with the new Clear colour swatch.
the top.
A tinted effect is created by layering two identical
b. S elect Window > Output > Attributes >
follow the basic set-up for the layer and clear dry ink swatch. 1. Paste or create a vector graphic.
Overprint Fill and/or Stroke. This must be
2. Apply a colour or tint to it.
checked for every element to print with clear
3. Copy your graphic and Paste in Place on the
dry ink. (See “Image C” above.)
clear layer. It is important that the graphic to print in clear dry ink be located on your clear
files you might bring into your InDesign file. The
Bringing in graphics from Adobe Illustrator
4. Apply the colour Clear from the colour pallette.
swatch name is case sensitive. We suggest using
Vector graphics that are created in Adobe
5. Select Window > Output > Attributes >
and use the same name throughout all other
the name Clear as it is the default in some print servers (and it simply makes sense).
Illustrator can be copied and pasted into InDesign and designated to print with clear dry ink as a
a. D esignate the Colour Type as Spot.
watermark or to print over colours or photographs.
b. S et the Colour Mode to CMYK: 0/100/0/0
1. Copy and paste a graphic from Illustrator into
Note: It does not matter which process colour
layer.
Overprint Fill and/or Stroke. (See “Image C” above.)
your InDesign document.
you choose as long as the one you choose is set
2. Designate the fill and/or line to be Clear.
to 100%.
3. Move all elements to be printed in clear dry ink to the clear layer. 4. With the graphic selected, select Window > Output > Attributes > Overprint Fill and/or Stroke. (See “Image C” above.)
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Designing with Clear Dry Ink
The imported graphic will print (overprint) with clear dry ink.
Spot clear over 30% tint of Bowden Group logo.
D
E
Creating raster effects with Adobe Photoshop
F
Creating a spot or alpha channel
There are several ways of creating masks with
Creating masks with soft or faded edges using the pen tool (Monotone option)
gradient fills, patterns or soft faded edges in Adobe
1. Open your image in Photoshop.
3. W ith your shape selected add a New Spot
Photoshop.
Using an existing image to highlight detailed areas 1. Open the photo you would like to enhance with clear dry ink. 2. Select Convert to grayscale > Image/Mode/ Grayscale, and discard colour information. 3. Select Convert to duotone > Image/Mode/ Duotone) (See “Image D” above.)
1. O pen the image to receive clear in Photoshop. 2. Create a new path or select a shape. Channel. (See “Image F” above.)
2. Using the pen tool trace the image or draw a shape.
the same name as your clear ink swatch in
3. S elect your path, feather the edge, use the eraser
InDesign.
or gradient fill tool, etc. 4. Create a new layer and fill your shape with black. 5. C onvert your file to a Monotone, making sure to
a. Name the new spot channel Clear or use
b. S elect Colour > M 100% or the same colour chosen in InDesign.
name Ink 1 the same as your clear ink swatch in
InDesign (for example, Clear).
4. S ave as PSD or TIFF with Spot Colors included.
4. D elete your background image. 5. Save your Monotone file as an EPS or PSD.
c. Set Solidity to 100% or other value as desired.
5. P lace into InDesign on the clear layer. No more steps are required in InDesign.
a. S elect “Monotone”.
Note: This option may present a layering issue in
b. C lick on Ink 1 and change the colour to:
InDesign since your base image and clear area are
CMYK: 0/100/0/0. (See “Image E” above.)
Note: It is important to use the same colour you chose in your InDesign file for your Clear swatch.
part of the same image file. If you have overlapping shapes or text assigned to print with clear on the same page we recommend using the “Monotone” option.
c. N ame Ink 1 as Clear. Note: It is important to use the same name as the colour swatch in InDesign.
6. Save as a new file and name it. For example, filename_Clear.psd. 7. Mask out any area you do not want to receive clear dry ink.
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G
H
Pulling it all together in Adobe InDesign
3. Select Compression: Colour Images > Do Not Downsample. Compression > JPEG.
I
Troubleshooting • I f the Clear swatch colour has knocked out the
Now that you have created your raster mask for
Images Quality > Maximum.
image below, make sure that you have specified
clear you are ready to put it together.
Choose the same for Greyscale Images.
overprint, or if brought in from Photoshop,
1. Follow the set-up instructions for InDesign on the previous page. 2. Place your colour image on a layer below your clear layer. 3. Copy the image. 4. Paste in Place on the clear layer. 5. Relink the file to your raster file, for example filename_Clear.psd. 6. With your graphic still selected go to Window > Effects and choose Multiply with 100%. This prevents the image below the clear layer from knocking out.
Creating a high-res PDF It is important to choose the correct settings when saving a PDF for printing with clear dry ink. Follow the steps below to create a PDF preset for saving high-res PDFs right out of InDesign. 1. From the main menu select: File > Adobe PDF Presets > Press Quality, and click save. 2. Select General: Compatibility > and choose
Monochrome Images > CCITT Group 4. (See “Image H” above.) 4. Set up Marks and Bleeds if desired. 5. Select Output: Colour Conversion > No Colour Conversion. Profile Inclusion Policy > Include all RGB and
to the colour in the Monotone menu. Names must match between all files. • I f some areas print correctly but other parts have knocked out, make sure the Clear layer sits at the
Click on Ink Manager and make sure the box for
top of all other layers and nothing sits above it
All Spots to Process is left unchecked.
on the Clear layer. If your file seems to be set up
(See “Image I” above.)
correctly see your print provider.
6. Click on Save Preset and name it. We suggest Fuji Xerox Digital Press with Clear. The next time you create a PDF from InDesign, simply select the PDF preset you created rather than Press Quality. In this example it would be Fuji Xerox Digital Press with Clear.
Checking your PDF 1. Open your PDF in Acrobat Professional. 2. From the main menu select: Advanced > Print Production > Output Preview. Select Simulate Overprinting. If your file is set up correctly all areas designated in Clear should be visible and on a separate layer. If you move
On the lower right side check Create Acrobat
your cursor over clear areas you should see
Layers. (See “Image G” above.)
changes in percentage. Alternatively, if you set File > Preferences > Page Display: Use Overprint Preview to Always, the clear
Designing with Clear Dry Ink
make sure the correct name, has been assigned
Tagged source CMYK Profiles.
Acrobat 6 (PDF 1.5).
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multiply has been assigned. • For raster images brought in from Photoshop,
areas will be visible every time you open a file.
Printing specifications Stock types and weights
Support for such a broad range of stocks opens
The Fuji Xerox Color 1000 Digital Press will run the
of jobs, from lightweight mailers, catalogues and
With any print job, it is important to understand
broadest range of stocks of any cut-sheet digital
magazines, through to business cards, postcards,
that paper quality has a direct relationship to print
colour press today, including coated, uncoated,
and packaging that make use of heavyweight stocks.
quality: the better the stock, the better the final
up the opportunity to print a much wider variety
textured, recycled, artboard, tabs, synthetics,
printed result. Paper represents a significant
specialty stocks and transparencies. The supported paper weight range is from 55gsm to 350gsm for all stock types. The press will auto-perfect (print on both sides of the sheet automatically) the full range of stock weights.
Stock sizes and image area
proportion of the cost of a job and can account for
The Fuji Xerox Color 1000 Digital Press will run
the printed work. You should therefore carefully
standard sheet sizes such as A4, A3, and SRA3.
select the paper that will give you the best results in
Custom sheet sizes can also be used with a
terms of quality and cost-effectiveness.
minimum sheet size of 182 x 182mm and a maximum of 330
Sheet size
x 488mm.
Image area
Maximum image printable
2 mm
area is up to 326 x 484mm (on Sheet width: 182 to 330 mm*
a sheet size of 330 x 488mm). The press can print to within 2mm of the top, bottom and
2 mm
trail edged of a sheet, and to within 2 to 4mm of the lead edge (depending on the coating
2 mm
Stock selection
Lead edge: 2 to 4 mm**
and weight of the sheet).
• Use brighter papers to produce images with higher contrast. • True white papers print with the most natural looking skin tones. • Smooth or coated papers produce sharp images and increase the appearance of glossiness. • The best image quality is achieved with premium (non-recycled) papers. • Design folds so that they run in the same direction as the paper grain. Use minimal ink heavy ink coverage.
Total ink weight
Ink weights
A few quick guidelines on paper selection:
coverage at the fold as cracking may occur with
Sheet length: 182 to 488 mm* Note: * With postcard kit fitted, minimum sheet size is 102 x 152mm ** Lead edge non-printable area is 2 mm for uncoated stock and 121 to 350gsm coated stock, 3mm for 74 to 120gsm coated stock, and 4 mm for 55 to 73gsm coated stock.
between one third and one half of the final cost of
CMYK+Clear CMYK
260% 240%
Where offset has a total ink limit of around 350%, digital printing has a lower limit. For four colour (CMYK) work, the Fuji Xerox Color 1000 Digital Press
100%
has a total ink weight limit of 240%. With clear dry ink, the total ink weight limit is 260%. The maximum ink coverage of clear dry ink can range from 100% to 20% depending on the ink coverage of CMYK (refer to chart at right). Ink weight management is taken care of automatically in the print server controlling the Fuji Xerox Color 1000 Digital Press .
Clear 0% C0 M0 Y0 K0
160%
240%
C100 M100 Y100 K100
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THE DIFFERENCE IS CLEAR! Printed on 150gsm Titan Satin
For samples, pricing or to arrange a demonstration, call Bowdens on 1800 818 233 or visit bowdengroup.com.au Bowden Digital Colour Fuji Xerox Color 1000 Digital Press
A. 26 Hindmarsh Avenue, Welland SA 5007 T. 1800 818 233
F. 08 8340 3533
W. bowdengroup.com.au