GRC 203 Midterm

raster

set of horizontal lines composed of pixels that form an image on screen or in printing, resolution dependent

pixel

smallest element of an image

bit

computer’s way of storing information in 1s or 0s

1 bit

2 values [0.1], black and white, different size ink dots, common for line art

2 bit

4 values [00,01,10,11]

8 bit

256 values, most typical

how to convert CMYK colors for 8-bit image

take percentage of CMYK value, multiply by number of shades, get specific shade in range (ex: 22% cyan —> .22 × 256 = 56.32 —> 56th shade in range)

PPI

pixels per inch, for screen display

actual vs. effective resolution

actual = what the image comes into the program as, effective = what it is resized to

how to calculate effective resolution

image resolution/scaling amount, (ex: 300 ppi scaled 50% = 300/.5 = 600 ppi)

what ppi is best for line art

1200 ppi

lossless

image does not lose data during compression

lossy

image does lose data during compression

what compression formats are used most commonly in GRC

CCITT and ZIP

clipping paths

made via Pen tool and may be used in legacy files, use to create layer mask, aka blockout

how to account for spot colors in photoshop and illustrator

convert image to grayscale —> create new spot channel —> copy grayscale selection and paste into spot channel —> grayscale values will be copied to spot channel

spot varnish in photoshop

treat like spot color and alter like mask (black= varnish, white = not varnish), create additional channel (will designate that another plate is needed), typically represented as 100% magenta

how to color correct by number

color picker dialog box (first values = what mouse is hovering on, second set of values = pixel that’s actually selected), create adjustment layer (able to view before and after values) so edits are non-destructive and file size is reduced

additive color

RGB (each one on scale of 0-225, 0 = black, 225 = white), maximum values = white, used anytime there’s a light source (ex: phones, TVs, projectors)

subtractive color

CMYK (each one on scale of 0-100, 0 = white/substrate, 100 = solid color), maximum values = “black” (really a muddy brown and why K has to be added), for inks and pigments

vector

image stored in lines rather than pixels, resolution independent

supported color modes for vectors

CMYK, RGB, grayscale, spot, varnish

how to add vector symbols to artwork

window > symbols > hamburger > editing symbols, once imported object > expand

global colors

adjusts color everywhere it’s used, a process color, triangle by the swatch

why not use color picker

creates undefined swatches

how to access spot color swatches in Illustrator

swatch library > color books > select

pantone formula guides

ink colors and formulas for packaging, print, and graphics, see how they look on different substrates

color bridge

CMYK process equivalents to Pantone spot colors, also include sRGB, HTML, and HEX values

out of gamut

color can’t be reproduced in CMYK (can in RGB), click triangle caution symbol to get closest color

out of web color

can’t be reproduced using web-safe colors, cube symbol

web safe colors

combination of RGB hex values (hex not used for print), hex code = #RRGGBB (black = #000000, white = #FFFFFF)

separations preview

shows what will print and colors used within file, important to check “used spot color only”

transparency

opacity, see through, why substrate matters

tint

opaque, lighter shade, simply reducing CMYK values (ex: 100Y 50M —> 50Y 25M), new swatch > spot > adjust tint %

point type

click, generate text box, type

area type

click and drag, fit inside certain shape rather than just a line/box

type on a path

literally type on a path duh

vertical type

for eastern languages

touch type

adjust characters individually (rotate, stretch)

image trace

creates shapes rather than lines, avoid using b/c too many points and pads

link vs. embed

embed = physically stored inside file, increased file size, link = stored externally, have to package before sharing and repackage if completely new font or image used, can’t convert objects to CMYK (have to go into original source file)

document raster effects

control how live effects (ex: drop shadows) look when converted to pixels or used for print, should change from default 72 ppi to 300 ppi

artboard sizing

should snap to edges of die line, always have .125 bleed

layer ordering

die line always at top, minimum is having an artwork layer underneath

print settings for layers

artwork = print, die line = uncheck print

italicized layer name

wont print

packaged files include

non-Adobe fonts and placed images

ai

native adobe file

adobe pdf

opens in preview or acrobat

illustrator EPS

older format, don’t know if raster or vector until opened, asks to rasterize —> vector, cmd + y and nothing shows up (supposed to show outlines of objects) —> raster

black (k)

100K, for paragraphs of text

rich offset black

40C 100K, cooler black for wide coverage (ex: black background for poster —> rich black will prevent streaking)

rich digital black

30C, 20M, 20Y, 100K, but depends on printer

registration black

100 of all CMYK values, only for registration marks if in file, is not actually black even though it looks it

“appearance of black” setting

adjust how black on screen and when printing looks, change to “display accurately”

total area coverage (TAC)

amount of ink on substrate, maximum is 300% for offset

what to include in packaged indesign file

copy fonts, linked graphics, include IDML (allows person w/ older version to open newer version),

indesign document size

should be what physical paper will be cut down to be, include .125 bleeds, margins, etc.

bleed (indesign)

red line, always add, standard .125 inches

trim (indesign)

where white meets gray, never put text all the way to trim

margin (indesign)

space between content and edge, smallest margin should be 3/16 inches (.1875) b/c 1/8 too small, default is ½ in

jump line

lets reader know to continue reading, is a separate text box overlapping w/ main body

folio

page number

page vs. spread

page = no facing pages, still have front and back, spread = folds, has spine, can include crossovers, right side is odd, left is even

automatic page numbers

cmd + opt + shift + n

text wrap options

bounding box, jump object, object shape, jump to next column

box vs. frame

box = rectangle with unassigned content, frame = rectangle with assigned content as graphic, difference doesn’t really matter tho

basic preflight cycle

generate preflight report in application —> look for problems —> sent PDF to prepress —> preflight PDF —> submit to workflow —> next person does preflight

costs of reworking

rework loop #1 (in-app preflight) —> shorter time and less $, rework loop #2 (PDF preflight) —> more time and $, rework loop #3 (workflow prelight) —> even more time and $

manual preflight

less cost, more interactive, less efficient, good for complex jobs like trifolds

automated preflight

server based and depends on workflow, higher software/overall workflow cost, less interactive, more efficient, good for repeatable jobs

ghen workshop specifications

standardized profile for PRINT (not web) preflight specifications, common types include GWG 1v4and GWG 2015

what GWG looks for in color when being run

PSD files are RGB or CMYK, AI and IND are CMYK, any problems w/ RGB (have to convert to CMYK which can cause color differences)

hot folders

automatically processes files placed into it, fiery (specific type of server) —> automated to check for certain things

GWG 2015

based on PDF/X-4, live transparency, color managed RGB (make sure colors are consistent across screens)

what to look for in bleed w/ prepress preflight

white leaks

what to look for in color w/ prepress preflight

defined swatches (spot colors will have dot), registration black only being used for registration, multiple Pantone colors (got to separations preview), unnecessary swatches (select all unused —> delete), add unnamed colors to swatches panel (hamburger > unnamed) and see if there’s different values of the same color)

what to look for in varnish w/ prepress preflight

ensure it’s a spot color, enable overprint to ensure varnish is printing over original design (window > output > attributes > overprint), correctly ordered layers

what to look for in TAC w/ prepress preflight

ensure colors are not over ink limit of 300% (separations preview > ink limit > 300%)

what to look for in fonts w/ prepress preflight

missing fonts that have the triangle caution symbol (type > find font), properly enabled font styling like bolds and italics (find actual edited version of that font if not working), reverse text

reverse text issues during preflight

serif hard to read on dark background, kerning can impede on readability

what to look for in images w/ prepress preflight

missing links (will print low res), modified links (see what happens to file when updated), see what pages images are used on, resolution

open prepress interface (OPI) used for images

creates low res version of image to use in layout (aka a low res proxy) to help file run smoother, actual higher res image swapped on plate

what to look for in lines w/ prepress preflight

should not be thinner than 0.5 pt, no fine lines or hairlines

shortfold in a trifold

prevents buckling, a .125 inch difference between where the flap ends and the fold is

sheetwise imposition with high folio lap

higher page number will have larger gutter

creep

when innermost pages get pushed away from binding edge, causes issues when trimming (cut gets too close to content), have to compensate for during imposition

shingling

how to compensate for creep, content of innermost pages moved incrementally toward binding edge, can be done automatically in Prep

skive

part of perfect bound book being cut off, has to be accounted for in imposition by increasing gutter size by the spine and in between page pairs (page pair gutter usually = 0 for saddle stitch)

nesting

nesting dielines (especially for packaging) on press sheet to save as much space as possible

off balanced forms

book (usually magazine) back has more pages than front

other important considerations for prepress

number “out,” pre-printed inserts, bind-in cards, crossovers, web growth, in-line color conflicts

lossy file compression format

JPEG

lossless file compression formats

LZW, CCITT, RLE, ZIP

LZW

supports tiff, pdf, gif, and postscript,

CCITT

supports pdf and postscript

RLE

supports windows file formats (windows bitmap) and legacy graphics

ZIP

supports PDF and TIFF

PSD

raster, 8-16 bitfor CMYK, 32 bit for RGB, lossy and lossless, supports transparency, clipping paths, layers, limited spot color

JPEG

raster (web), 8-16 bit for CMYK, 32 bit for RGB, lossy compression