Colour management
New Pantone colours
Check colours for separation
Import all spot colours into QuarkXpress
The ideal way to set up colours
Coated vs. Uncoated Pantone previews
Colour names must match across all applications
Never rely on the screen for colour
Check colour modes of all images
Trapping
Pantone came under new management a few years ago, and decided to change its naming scheme. This has caused a few minor headaches at output bureaus where a single colour would separate into two plates because the designers unknowingly included both names for a single spot colour. More importantly, though, Pantone also released some new colours.
These colours will not appear in your current applications (Adobe Illustrator, QuarkXpress, etc.) that have built-in Pantone colour swatches. The good news is that you can update them. For Adobe Illustrator, all you have to do is replace the Pantone swatch library. It's a bit more convoluted for QuarkXpress, because you have to import the colours every time you want to use them. You can download the swatch files from the support section at Pantone's Web site.
Make sure you've set your colours to separate correctly. If you are preparing a file to be printed as CMYK, then make sure all spot colours are designated as process in QuarkXpress's colour pallette. Many operators tend to overlook or become sloppy with this crucial step.
Import all spot colours into QuarkXpress
If a spot colour in an imported file is not being used for any text or other QuarkXpress elements, and you are printing the job as CMYK, then the spot colour can be deleted from the colour pallette: When printing CMKY, the spot colour will separate correctly as CMYK.
However, you are strongly advised against this practice: If, during
normal workflow, that imported file was modified in any way, it will need
to be updated in QuarkXpress - when doing this, the spot colours used
in that file will be reimported into QuarkXpress. If the QuarkXpress document
is printed at this point, the spot colours will print as separate plates.
Therefore, you are advised to always import all colours used in all
imported files, and then designate them as spot or process in QuarkXpress.
When files are updated or reimported, the process checkmark will remain
unaffected, as long as the colour names have not changed.
A quick way to make sure that QuarkXpress has imported all colours associated with any imported file, is to double-click its picture box with the content tool, and select "Get edition now" in the resulting dialog box. Any spot colours used in that file will now show up in the QuarkXpress colour pallette.
The ideal way to set up colours
Ideally, if a colour is to be separated into CMYK, then all applications that use that colour must designate it as a process colour. Even though you can manage your colours from QuarkXpress alone, it's best to be accurate across the board.
This becomes particularly important when the default CMYK breakdown of a spot colour will produce an entirely different colour than expected. In such cases, a custom CMYK colour is often picked by the designer from a CMYK colour swatch book. It then becomes very important that the colours have the exact CMYK breakdown in all imported elements.
Coated vs. Uncoated Pantone previews
Using coated or uncoated PMS colours in your QuarkXpress documents is
ONLY relevant for screen representation. QuarkXpress displays the same
PMS colour differently depending on which model you choose. This is illustrated
in the following screen shot taken within QuarkXpress (the first box is
coated, the next uncoated, and the third CMYK):
However, the CMYK breakdown for the colours are IDENTICAL because "coated"
refers to the paper the ink is printed on, not the ink itself. All "models"
of the same PMS colour will look identical when printed on the same paper
stock.
Colour names must match across all applications
When using duotones, tritones, or any raster EPS files with embedded spot colour information, make sure that their colour names match the colour names in QuarkXpress. Mismatched names will sometimes result in incorrect separation.
Never rely on the screen for colour
Whether you use colour calibration software (such as Apple's ColorSync) or not, it's never a good idea to rely on your screen for colour accuracy. Always use a Pantone colour swatch book to pick your PMS colours (remember to pick coated or uncoated, depending on your final paper stock).
Check colour modes of all images
When preparing a job to be printed in CMYK, ensure that all your imported images are converted to CMYK. RGB data can be converted to CMYK data by most printers, but you may get unexpected results.
Production operators generally do not need to worry about trapping. Film houses will normally apply trapping that is appropriate for the job.
Even if you are printing "direct to plate", or in other words, circumventing the film stage and going directly to plate from the digital files, the press operator is still responsible for final trapping.
The predicted demise of film houses in the digital age was greatly exagerated. Filmhouses that adapt to current technologies may continue to have a role in the production process. Until things change drastically, it would be wise to let film houses and press operators do what they do best.
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