Vehicle Wrap - Looking for Feedback Critique

[Emd2kick]

VanderJ, that is not correct as to the designing in CMYK. You will have a larger printable gamut when designing in RGB. When you design in CMYK, you are losing colors that our printers will reach. Design in RGB and allow the rip to bring in the colors to what is obtainable. I understand why logically people think that, but with a correctly profiled machine and a decent rip, you will obtain much a much greater printable color palette in RGB

I have to disagree, the basic rule of thumb is
Print CMYK
Web RGB
You can have your screen, proofed, equipment all calibrated to match each other via CMYK....Ever hear of G7?

 

[iPrintStuff]

I have to disagree, the basic rule of thumb is
Print CMYK
Web RGB
You can have your screen, proofed, equipment all calibrated to match each other via CMYK....Ever hear of G7?

Agreed. The problem designing in RGB would be where your printer can’t obtain the RGB colours that you sent on your proof. Even if designing in CMYK limits the available gamut to an extent, you’ll get what you see on the screen every time and no angry customers!

 

[crystalcoastgraphics]

Actually yes I have heard of G7. And have a master certified g7 profiler coming here soon to finish up our g7 certification. I’m an onyx certified profiler as well, so I am familiar with all of this. But hey, if you want to keep designing in CMYK, go for it, you are just limiting the colors you will be able to print

 

[Emd2kick]

Actually yes I have heard of G7. And have a master certified g7 profiler coming here soon to finish up our g7 certification. I’m an onyx certified profiler as well, so I am familiar with all of this. But hey, if you want to keep designing in CMYK, go for it, you are just limiting the colors you will be able to print

I'm proud of you...I think?

 

[unclebun]

If anyone wants to see the difference in what your RIP can do vs. your software, take a typical digital photo, one with good vibrant colors on a clear, sunny day. Send it to print twice, once by just putting the jpg file right in the RIP, and once by converting it to CMYK in your design software and sending the CMYK file to the RIP.

That said, it looks like the OP used pure RGB green to design his layout. On the screen, pure RGB green does look almost fluorescent. But it doesn't print that way. Actually, it prints quite dark. But you CAN print pretty bright greens with your printer if you specify a good color.

 

[Solventinkjet]

VanderJ, that is not correct as to the designing in CMYK. You will have a larger printable gamut when designing in RGB. When you design in CMYK, you are losing colors that our printers will reach. Design in RGB and allow the rip to bring in the colors to what is obtainable. I understand why logically people think that, but with a correctly profiled machine and a decent rip, you will obtain much a much greater printable color palette in RGB

While it is true that printing in RGB will get a better color gamut, but not much, the colors in his file absolutely won't print. If you show the customer that file and then show them the print I guarantee they will not be happy.

 

[Texas_Signmaker]

Ya'll the OP hasn't been online since he posted this Sunday afternoon... I'm sure they already printed their wrap.

 

[2B]

To add into the color gamuts.

We run Rolands with 6 color configuration, and while we can print with RGB for more vivid colors, we RARELY do.
reason being is consistency. say you design and print in-house RGB. then send the same design to an outsource (4Over) they print CMYK.
you now have inconsistency in colors and 99% of the time when the end user sees the products next to one another they want them to be the same.

 

[myront]

We actually use both. All depends on the desired outcome. We have some known colors that work better as CMYK and others look better as rgb. If a pantone is used we'll output as a pdf. That seems to print the closest to what the pms swatch book shows. Rgb files are much smaller too.

 

[Emd2kick]

To add into the color gamuts.

We run Rolands with 6 color configuration, and while we can print with RGB for more vivid colors, we RARELY do.
reason being is consistency. say you design and print in-house RGB. then send the same design to an outsource (4Over) they print CMYK.
you now have inconsistency in colors and 99% of the time when the end user sees the products next to one another they want them to be the same.

Understand that your 6 colors are built “enhance” CMYK prints, and achieve harder to reach colors with CMYK as a basis. White point will greatly alter color appearance as well, and that will vary from stock to stock even using the same printer.

 

[Johnny Best]

 

[ColorCrest]

One thing no one is mentioning is that most of the colors in the file are outside the CMYK gamut and will look much more washed out than they appear on your screen. You should get in the habit of designing print jobs in CMYK mode rather than RGB. The discussion you are going to have with the customer when it doesn't print nearly as bright as this image is not a fun one to have after you have already printed it. Take a look at Myront's post above with his alterations. The reason his colors look relatively washed out is because he worked in the CMYK color space which converted the RGB colors in the original file to a color within the CMYK color space.

Actually, the OP might be well advised to continue designing in RGB but learn the basics of color management along with the routines of presenting proofs and submitting print-ready files.

At least one reason to design in RGB is the common RGB working spaces are perfectly neutral from black through grays to white. Realize gray balance is a root of color perception as well as control aims for printers. That fact begs the question; what values would any designer use to build any gray in a given CMYK working space for their project? Working in RGB, the answer is easy but working in CMYK, not so much. Other questions are; what ICC profile would any designer choose for the CMYK working space and why that particular spec?

In this particular case posted by the OP, it seems the customer’s corporate colors are in fact, “out there.” (From looking at the website.) So, the OP will need to keep the file in RGB and reach for those colors from the printer and also utilize the printer’s ICC output profile to preview the limits of the process and adjust accordingly.

Otherwise, yes, the OP would have some "splaining" to do.

 

[ColorCrest]

VanderJ, that is not correct as to the designing in CMYK. You will have a larger printable gamut when designing in RGB. When you design in CMYK, you are losing colors that our printers will reach. Design in RGB and allow the rip to bring in the colors to what is obtainable. I understand why logically people think that, but with a correctly profiled machine and a decent rip, you will obtain much a much greater printable color palette in RGB

This depends upon entirely which CMYK space one is using to create designs. If one were to use the actual printer / ink / media ICC output profile as their working space, it is very possible the CMYK design may have greater gamut in certain colors than a particular common RGB working space. Depends upon the gamuts of given spaces because the two may often have very different volume shapes in different areas of color.

But, yes, working in the common CMYK spaces would normally be limiting.

 

[ColorCrest]

I have to disagree, the basic rule of thumb is
Print CMYK
Web RGB
You can have your screen, proofed, equipment all calibrated to match each other via CMYK....Ever hear of G7?

Well, there is no such rule really. Why dumb all these components down to the lowest common denominator of a "CMYK Something."

Also, matching equipment color is the result of ICC profiling and not G7. G7 mostly aims to balance gray in printers and most colors must fall where they may, then ICC profiles correct from there to finish the job.

 

[ColorCrest]

Agreed. The problem designing in RGB would be where your printer can’t obtain the RGB colours that you sent on your proof. Even if designing in CMYK limits the available gamut to an extent, you’ll get what you see on the screen every time and no angry customers!

You might check into the use of software features such as “Proof Colors,” “Gamut Warning,” “Convert to Profile,” etc., to help with avoiding angry customers.

 

[shoresigns]

Here's an example of how much the design might change from what you're showing the client vs. what your printer will output. If you're going to design in RGB, you need to at least inform them about how the colours will change when printed.

 

[ColorCrest]

While it is true that printing in RGB will get a better color gamut, but not much, the colors in his file absolutely won't print. If you show the customer that file and then show them the print I guarantee they will not be happy.

Actually, if you were to overlay a standard sRGB profile under a good machine / ink / vinyl media profile, you may notice how the colors in the OP's design will be shifted to be perceptually close. Then if you make a print, you might be surprised by the results enough so to probably satisfy the customer.

 

[mark galoob]

design in whatever system you want to, rgb cmyk...it doesnt matter. you have to know what colors your printer will hit. if you put colors in your design that the printer wont hit, you will have an unhappy customer.

 

[mark galoob]

design in whatever system you want to, rgb cmyk...it doesnt matter. you have to know what colors your printer will hit. if you put colors in your design that the printer wont hit, you will have an unhappy customer.

 

[ColorCrest]

To add into the color gamuts.

We run Rolands with 6 color configuration, and while we can print with RGB for more vivid colors, we RARELY do.
reason being is consistency. say you design and print in-house RGB. then send the same design to an outsource (4Over) they print CMYK.
you now have inconsistency in colors and 99% of the time when the end user sees the products next to one another they want them to be the same.

Because 4Over requests untagged CMYK files, I consider them to be completely un-color managed so it's no surprise that your color in-house work can be different than theirs.