Hello fellow Developers,
I trust everyone's having a productive coding day. I wanted to bring to light a topic that's incredibly relevant in the realm of Professional Print Production – the importance of Overprint Simulation and Color Separation, and why we need to integrate these features into the next version of Affinity Publisher and Designer.
The world of print production is complex, blending an intricate mix of color science, material properties, and digital-to-physical rendering. Overprint Simulation and color separation are two pivotal elements in this process, largely overlooked in many design software, including ours.
Overprint Simulation is the digital process of replicating the effect of printing one color on top of another. It's used to anticipate and prevent gaps or 'white halos' from appearing between colors due to misalignment - a common issue in print production. Overprint Simulation ensures clean, precise printing, particularly around intricate graphics and texts. It also facilitates unique color blending options that can be indispensable for graphic designers.
Color Separation, on the other hand, is the process of decomposing a graphic or image into the primary print colors – Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Key (Black), collectively known as CMYK. This is fundamental in transforming digital designs into tangible print products. The precision and accuracy of color separation directly influence the quality of the final printed piece, making this an essential tool for professional designers and publishers.
Affinity Publisher and Designer, while powerfully equipped with many other advanced features, lack built-in overprint simulation and color separation functionalities. The absence of these features complicates the print production process and can negatively affect the print output. Our users currently have to depend on other software for these functions, which is far from ideal considering our goal to provide a complete and intuitive solution for professional design and publishing needs.
Implementing these features would significantly enhance the efficacy of Affinity Publisher and Designer for print production. Overprint Simulation controls would offer more control over how colors interact, reducing potential print issues and broadening the creative palette for designers. Robust color separation tools would ensure that designs are print-ready straight from our software, saving time, and reducing the risk of color discrepancies in the final product.
Not only would these features better serve our current user base, but they would also make Affinity Publisher and Designer more competitive in the professional design software market, potentially attracting new customers who primarily work in print.
In conclusion, I urge everyone to consider the significance of overprint simulation and color separation features in our future updates. These are not just bells and whistles – they're fundamental tools for print production. Let's help our users to transform their digital art into printed masterpieces with the accuracy and color fidelity they deserve.
Examples: https://helpx.adobe.com/indesign/using/inks-separations-screen-frequency.html https://helpx.adobe.com/indesign/using/overprinting.html
Best Regards
Hello,
one wanted to ask whether real vector brushes are planned for Affinity Designer 2.x. Still looking for a way to use real vector brushes for a project. I know the function of Illustrator, but I miss the function in Affinity Designer.
If you are a new arrival to this thread and have found that it is locked but still want to show your support for Affinity on Linux, simply like this post
