Should I use Color Format CMYK/8 for artwork destined to go to print?

[Sludgefest]

I'm creating artwork that will be going to Print. Should I select for my Document Properties - Color Format the CMYK/8 profile and do my work within that profile? thanks! ☺️

[walt.farrell]

What do you mean by "going to Print"?

Printing on a home printer? Sending out to a professional print shop?

For the former, almost certainly RGB.

For the latter, it may depend on the kind of art and the printing facility you plan to use. But if you have a printing facility in mind they should be able to advise you.

[lacerto]

(...)

[walt.farrell]

3 minutes ago, Lagarto said:

EDIT: Did not see the question by @walt.farrell but I was assuming commercial printer.

Even for commercial printing, if the art is photography, and it's a commercial photo printer, I think it's common to send RGB.

[lacerto]

(...)

[walt.farrell]

43 minutes ago, Lagarto said:

English is not my native tongue, but I have understood "commercial printing" to mean CMYK based printing whether digital press or traditional offset printing.

I have no idea how the various commercial printing companies specializing in printing photography use whatever technology they use.

But I presume if they are using CMYK they're well-skilled in the conversion techniques

[Sludgefest]

1 hour ago, Lagarto said:

Yes, and preferrably right from the start, when creating the document, and also choosing the correct color profile at the same time. If you do it later, you might have inadvertent color changes (e.g. black text becoming four-color black).

EDIT: Did not see the question by @walt.farrell but I was assuming commercial printer.

Yes, my project would be going to a commercial printer. My monitor, although not professionally calibrated is a quality one that came with a custom driver that I adjusted using the Windows 10 Color Calibration utility. My concern is I'd like to view my work as closely as possible to the final commercial print output. 

[Sludgefest]

1 hour ago, walt.farrell said:

Even for commercial printing, if the art is photography, and it's a commercial photo printer, I think it's common to send RGB.

My project is vector art going to a commercial printer.  I'm not finding any reference to my question in the Help file, on line teaching videos and in this forum.

[Sludgefest]

1 hour ago, walt.farrell said:

What do you mean by "going to Print"?

Printing on a home printer? Sending out to a professional print shop?

For the former, almost certainly RGB.

For the latter, it may depend on the kind of art and the printing facility you plan to use. But if you have a printing facility in mind they should be able to advise you.

 

1 hour ago, walt.farrell said:

Even for commercial printing, if the art is photography, and it's a commercial photo printer, I think it's common to send RGB.

When commercially printing photography, I never gave the Color Format box a second thought, until you just raisted the question. 

[Sludgefest]

Now that I think of it, the commercial printer will be using a Digital Printer!!! Not a four color process. I would think in that case, the sRGB profile would be the proper one to use. If you are printing using a 4 color process, then this may have impact on what you select. Probably less so for digital printing.

[lacerto]

(...)

[Sludgefest]

This commercial printer does recommend using a CMYK Color Format profile for greater color accuracy even though they will be printing my project using a digital printer. Thanks for the help!

[thomaso]

4 hours ago, Sludgefest said:

a Digital Printer!!! Not a four color process

There are no such opposites in printing colors. Printed colors are never RGB but always CMYK. Their difference is not in digital vs. analog but in additive vs. subtractive, which means light vs. material. You might have noticed that in RGB the 'No-color' is black and all colors result in white. So, to print in RGB would mean as more ink you print as lighter would get the paper.

In CMYK it is vice versa: no color is white and all color is black. So, printing starts with white, the paper, and fills it with ink, up to black. 

That means for your question and your document: Finally it will be CMYK. On screen it always will be RGB (though it can try to simulate CMYK). With other words you only can decide at which moment you convert the data from RGB to CMYK, or if you start within the CMYK look from the beginning. (look <–> color profile)

Because the RGB color space is a little larger (that can make it look so vivid) some people prefer to work in RGB as long as possible to get the most color with any of their color adjustments. This only plays a role when editing images/photos or with color effects and blend modes. So the advantage of RGB as working color space is its larger, more vivid color options – but its disadvantage is that it must + will be converted to CMYK before printing and thereby the color space will become reduced, which can result in unexpected color shift for specific colors and make those suddenly look dirty. To avoid such surprises and only see printable colors while working on screen some people prefer CMYK as working and document color space.

To be safe with not generating any look which can't be printed you will choose CMYK.

Compare these 4 ellipses and how their blend mode results change when the document color space gets switched from RGB to CMYK:

RGB:

CMYK:

[Sludgefest]

1. I surmise that any graphics meant for electronic displays, RGB is the choice as monitors are a Black background. That is your blank (canvas) work surface. 

2. Any graphics meant to go to physical print should be constructed in CMYK mode so as to get a more accurate idea of final printed output. Your blank canvas for print is White in color and will be a sheet of paper.

3. Lastly, the only time RGB mode should be used would be where your project will be printed on photographic paper, which can reproduce all RGB colors accurately? 

[wonderings]

7 minutes ago, Sludgefest said:

1. I surmise that any graphics meant for electronic displays, RGB is the choice as monitors are a Black background. That is your blank (canvas) work surface. 

2. Any graphics meant to go to physical print should be constructed in CMYK mode so as to get a more accurate idea of final printed output. Your blank canvas for print is White in color and will be a sheet of paper.

3. Lastly, the only time RGB mode should be used would be where your project will be printed on photographic paper, which can reproduce all RGB colors accurately? 

The only time I do not convert to RGB is when printing to my Epson 9900. This is a 12 colour wide format printer that can handle the wider range of RGB. For everything else it gets converted to CMYK. I always recommend starting out in the colour mode your file will be printed in. There can be some drastic colour changes when RGB is converted to CMYK. Might as well adjust for it at the beginning then getting a proof, finding you do not like the colour or it has changed and you are now fighting to get something close or in the same family. 

I also have an Epson eco solvent 55" S40600. Really nice colours, rich and vibrant and can print on photo paper as well (we use it for vinyl labels and banners). This printer is only 4 colour though. So not all wide formats are going to be the same, though most print shops are going to be using something like my Epson 9900 for wide format picture prints. Depending on the size of the shop they could be using one wide format to do everything from signs to posters. 

[walt.farrell]

3 hours ago, Sludgefest said:

Any graphics meant to go to physical print should be constructed in CMYK mode so as to get a more accurate idea of final printed output. Your blank canvas for print is White in color and will be a sheet of paper.

Home printers (or their drivers) typically require RGB images (at least on Windows) even if the printer uses CMYK inks or a variant of CMYK. And, if I remember correctly, Affinity (at least on Windows), will convert a CMYK docment to RGB before sending it to the printer driver. So, if you start in CMYK for home printing you'll have two color conversions (CMYK > RGB, then RGB to the printer colors) vs 1 (RGB to printer colors).

[Sludgefest]

14 minutes ago, walt.farrell said:

Home printers (or their drivers) typically require RGB images (at least on Windows) even if the printer uses CMYK inks or a variant of CMYK. And, if I remember correctly, Affinity (at least on Windows), will convert a CMYK docment to RGB before sending it to the printer driver. So, if you start in CMYK for home printing you'll have two color conversions (CMYK > RGB, then RGB to the printer colors) vs 1 (RGB to printer colors).

This is all interesting. Its a deeper subject than what one would expect. It should be simple. Its probably trial and error and/or recommendations by print house.

[benrymnd]

speak to the people who are going to do your printing

[Italo]

On 4/25/2020 at 6:06 PM, Sludgefest said:

I'm creating artwork that will be going to Print. Should I select for my Document Properties - Color Format the CMYK/8 profile and do my work within that profile? thanks! ☺️

Similar to the above question but with a twist... the artwork I'm creating is destined to be downloaded on demand and printed either at home or by a professional printer, depending on the customer choice. They are printable posters. Should I make them with the colour properties/colour format CMYK/8 profile, or something else? Thanks!