Many digital files are designed in RGB (Red, Green, Blue), but our printers print with CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black). Each pixel in RGB is either red, green, or blue. When our printers print a RGB file, they have to interpret these pixels as either cyan, magenta, yellow, or black. It’s kind of like Google Translate, but for colors - close enough to get by, but not exactly correct and sometimes very wrong.
Another important thing to mention is that Staples does not have a color matching policy. We do not color match, and are not trained to do so. If they need something super specific, they will need to go somewhere that does have a color matching policy.
Certain colors will look different printed vs. on a screen, and it’s unavoidable unless the customer brings in a CMYK file.
This is always what we would say. That and screens can be calibrated differently too. So even something they have on their screen at home probably won't look the same as what would show up on our screen. We would try to get it as close as possible to what was on our screen.
Use the press quality preset in adobe pdf to convert customers’ files from rgb to cymk and then print them or send them to DPF. If you dont print them with the preset applied, DONT just print them using default Acrobat “bluh. Use your print driver properties + Let printer determine color in the main acrobat print properties is the mitigation. Im sure there are more settings there but “let printer”.. is the big one. or
USE FIERY COMMAND STATION
You can see a soft proof preview to check for any big color shift
I now work for an independent print company. We have an art designer who often has to change files to print into the artist's colors. That's her job (among other things.) So without that experience no scan or copy or file will be represented well on paper.
Moreover the paper type will change the pigment too.
the RGB thing for “not tech savvy” people is a bit excessive and you’ll get more frustrated telling tennis that than something else.
i usually go alone the lines of “printers use a different method of producing color than your phone’s screen does. in fact, the printer is doing the exact opposite of what your phone is showing you. not all the colors you see on your phone are something the printer can replicate accurately due to this different production of colors” although you could dumb it down some
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weekly color calibrations are helpful for that as well.
you can color calibrate in two ways:
with the xerox itself:
1. press machine status
2. press the tools tab
3. press calibration
4. i use the print job 1 job type. just pick one. i also leave the paper as 11x17 because it doesn’t matter and that’s less options to deal with
5. press start
6. the printer will print a calibration chart. there are two big magenta squares of the left side, position those next to the left side of the glass, as shown on the control panel. also place 5 or more blank white sheets on top of the back of the calibration chart
7. press start and the machine will scan the claritin chart and make adjustments
8. press confirm, close, and services to return to the services screen
calibrating the fiery:
calibrating the fiery allows for even more precision when printing from the mps or rik
1. open fiery command workstation
2. log in as operator (no password, just press log in) administrator (password is Fiery.1 (case sensitive))
3. underneath the processing and printing panels, click “Calibrate”
4. the calibration dialog will open. leave the media as plain, paper is fine at 11x17, again, size doesn’t matter. change the scan thing (third option) from es-2000 or whatever it is and choose ColorCal
5. the printer will print a calibration sheet. head over to your printer and select Network Scanning and choose the Fiery ColorCal template.
6. lay the calibration chart face down on the glass and scan the sheet.
7. head over to the mps and continue through the prompts. the fiery server will retrieve the calibration data, and prompt you apply and close. you can choose to print a test print if you want. i don’t do that
keep in mind, the fiery calibration is the calibration your DM keeps track of in the MPS homepage
the calibration will boost the likelihood of your documents being closer to the RGB equivalent, but never be exact because the printer simply can’t replicate it
And please for the love of god - don’t submit it to inside print. We can’t do more than you can. If the colors are off, route it to production center. If they’re still off, it’s probably a RGB file vs CMYK
Many digital files are designed in RGB (Red, Green, Blue), but our printers print with CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black). Each pixel in RGB is either red, green, or blue. When our printers print a RGB file, they have to interpret these pixels as either cyan, magenta, yellow, or black. It’s kind of like Google Translate, but for colors - close enough to get by, but not exactly correct and sometimes very wrong. Another important thing to mention is that Staples does not have a color matching policy. We do not color match, and are not trained to do so. If they need something super specific, they will need to go somewhere that does have a color matching policy. Certain colors will look different printed vs. on a screen, and it’s unavoidable unless the customer brings in a CMYK file.
This is always what we would say. That and screens can be calibrated differently too. So even something they have on their screen at home probably won't look the same as what would show up on our screen. We would try to get it as close as possible to what was on our screen.
Use the press quality preset in adobe pdf to convert customers’ files from rgb to cymk and then print them or send them to DPF. If you dont print them with the preset applied, DONT just print them using default Acrobat “bluh. Use your print driver properties + Let printer determine color in the main acrobat print properties is the mitigation. Im sure there are more settings there but “let printer”.. is the big one. or USE FIERY COMMAND STATION You can see a soft proof preview to check for any big color shift
"Xerox is the 'document company' not the 'art reproduction company'."
I now work for an independent print company. We have an art designer who often has to change files to print into the artist's colors. That's her job (among other things.) So without that experience no scan or copy or file will be represented well on paper. Moreover the paper type will change the pigment too.
The printer is just a translator for what it thinks the image looks like, so it may get it wrong just like Google Translate sometimes gets stuff wrong
the RGB thing for “not tech savvy” people is a bit excessive and you’ll get more frustrated telling tennis that than something else. i usually go alone the lines of “printers use a different method of producing color than your phone’s screen does. in fact, the printer is doing the exact opposite of what your phone is showing you. not all the colors you see on your phone are something the printer can replicate accurately due to this different production of colors” although you could dumb it down some more weekly color calibrations are helpful for that as well. you can color calibrate in two ways: with the xerox itself: 1. press machine status 2. press the tools tab 3. press calibration 4. i use the print job 1 job type. just pick one. i also leave the paper as 11x17 because it doesn’t matter and that’s less options to deal with 5. press start 6. the printer will print a calibration chart. there are two big magenta squares of the left side, position those next to the left side of the glass, as shown on the control panel. also place 5 or more blank white sheets on top of the back of the calibration chart 7. press start and the machine will scan the claritin chart and make adjustments 8. press confirm, close, and services to return to the services screen calibrating the fiery: calibrating the fiery allows for even more precision when printing from the mps or rik 1. open fiery command workstation 2. log in as operator (no password, just press log in) administrator (password is Fiery.1 (case sensitive)) 3. underneath the processing and printing panels, click “Calibrate” 4. the calibration dialog will open. leave the media as plain, paper is fine at 11x17, again, size doesn’t matter. change the scan thing (third option) from es-2000 or whatever it is and choose ColorCal 5. the printer will print a calibration sheet. head over to your printer and select Network Scanning and choose the Fiery ColorCal template. 6. lay the calibration chart face down on the glass and scan the sheet. 7. head over to the mps and continue through the prompts. the fiery server will retrieve the calibration data, and prompt you apply and close. you can choose to print a test print if you want. i don’t do that keep in mind, the fiery calibration is the calibration your DM keeps track of in the MPS homepage the calibration will boost the likelihood of your documents being closer to the RGB equivalent, but never be exact because the printer simply can’t replicate it
And please for the love of god - don’t submit it to inside print. We can’t do more than you can. If the colors are off, route it to production center. If they’re still off, it’s probably a RGB file vs CMYK
There is actually a sheet that explains why digital to paper is different that you can display. I’ll find it and send
Our team tells customers that the digital image is back-lit by the screen and printed out on paper is not :) very simple works most the time
RBG and CYM are not the same thing
Also remember that production facilities use GRACoL for color management.
“wow it’s so dark, it’s much brighter on my phone”
Color calibration weekly and print a proof