Designing, CMYK or RGB?

[anotherdog]

Here is a sort of poll. When you are designing in the proofing stages, do you work in RGB or CMYK? The issue of file size aside.
Right now I send out CMYK files to be printed. Should this be RGB and will this give more accurate or brighter results?
I design mainly in Illustrator myself, email proofing in CMYK .pdf for as close accuracy to final output as possible.

 

[scuba_steve2699]

I do all design in corel using CMYK

 

[Letterbox Mike]

Illustratr I design in CMYK, Phooshop I design in RGB until it's ready to print, then I convert to CMYK before sending to the RIP.

 

[bob]

Here is a sort of poll. When you are designing in the proofing stages, do you work in RGB or CMYK? The issue of file size aside.
Right now I send out CMYK files to be printed. Should this be RGB and will this give more accurate or brighter results?
I design mainly in Illustrator myself, email proofing in CMYK .pdf for as close accuracy to final output as possible.

RGB always and ever. RGB is the color mode of monitors and if you keep things in some other mode you imply conversions to and from RGB everytime you access and/or save something. Implied conversion because they may or may not physically take place, depending. Just assume the worst. Anytime you force a conversion form one mode to another there necessarily is a color shift. This shift may or may not be permanent, depending.

Keep everything in RGB and let your RIP sort it out. It will do a far better job than your applications. If you're using a proper profile and your RIP is set up properly you won't see much, if any, shift in the final output. Again, depending.

All of the 'depending's represent the art, not science, of digital printing.

 

[Shovelhead]

I agree with Bob.

:signs101:

 

[thewood]

I design all raster elements in RGB.

However, I use a CMYK swatch table for vector elements in my designs. It's just easier for me to tweak colors that way. If I'm trying to match a Pantone color, for instance, it's easier for me to work in CMYK where I can add a little yellow and subtract a few percent magenta. I don't have a good enough understanding of RGB to make those kind of adjustments. And in these instances, the on-screen representation of the colors is not as important as the final output.

So, often I'll have RGB bitmaps used in conjunction with CMYK vector elements and gradients.

 

[Fred Weiss]

Rgb

 

[iSign]

rgb

 

[schurms]

RGB, if you profiles are right including using correct inks your color gamat is by far better and color reproduction is also far more accurate.

 

[scuba_steve2699]

Guess I should try some prints using RGB!!

 

[Jackpine]

Me too.

I agree with Bob.

:signs101:

 

[Mike Paul]

I design and export mostly in RGB but there are certain colors and gradients that seem to work better in cmyk so it can be mixed sometimes. Raster images print much better when sent in RGB.

 

[w2csa]

I Make sure export in RGB to keep my WASATCH RIP happy with bright colors.

 

[ProWraps™]

rgb unless outsourced jobs request cmyk

 

[anotherdog]

Thank you, it's interesting. I will try in RGB though frankly I have a CMYK head. I look at an image and can tell how much cyan it needs, but for the life of me I can't think how much red needs taking out.
I have to proof in CMYK, but I'm thinking about getting a 6 colour something.
They just don't make this easy.

Thank you for the thought provoke though.

 

[Hwy]

I understand the RGB files looking better for the most part but few instances call for out of gamut colors when designing.

I design in CMYK for absolute control of UGR (Under Color Removal) and GCR (Grey Component Replacement) and total ink density before sending files to the R.I.P.

Having a CMYK file allows conversion to RGB when needed. RGB to CMYK does not work as effectively as starting in CMYK to begin with.

The only draw back is larger file sizes. I have a 1TB drive so that's not of too much concern.

One final thought is that PS and Illustrator work together to perform raster and vector designs flawlessly. The designer's and printing industry's gold standard.

 

[Mainframe]

CMYK in illy

 

[Joe Diaz]

RGB here! every thing turns out nice and shinny:Big Laugh

 

[GK]

I was always taught from the beginning to do everything in RGB from the start of the project. Save all your stuff as RGB documents and worry about the CMYK conversion afterwards. You can always go from RGB to CMYK with little to no problems, but try converting work done in CMYK to RGB after the fact and you are going to work your tail off to get nice results.

 

[ProWraps™]

as far as i know, all heads on modern digital printers are cmyk. but cmyk refers to the printing process. not what is RIPed to it. just like we design at 72 dpi, but print at 720x720.