What Do Your Colors Say?

They set the mood. They invoke a wide variety of different emotions or feelings. They have a huge impact on the way we perceive nearly everything in life.I’m talking about colors. Look around you and you will see countless examples of colors altering your perception of various aspects of life. This can be as simple as associating green with springtime, which in turn becomes associated with growth and vitality.There is a reason why people wear black at a funeral and a reason why red is considered a power color. If you go to a toy store, odds are the section for young boys will be blue while the one for young girls will be pink. You simply cannot escape the idea of associating certain colors with different elements of our culture. Same association can be applied in advertising and color printing.In designing ads, especially those that you would want to use a lot of colors on, you need to understand the kind of impact that colors can have on people beforehand.The more visual advertising is the more important this becomes. Take for instance advertising flyers. This form of advertising requires a strong color motif to get people interested in looking at it. Unlike a longer form of advertising, such as a catalog, a single glance needs to hook a person when they look at an advertising flyer, which is why you need to be sure you understand what colors would look best.Are you trying to convey a sense of prestige? If so, you might use silver in your ad. Alternatively, maybe you want to have a sense of spirituality and dignity. In that case you should have purple be a prominent color.Of course, even in longer advertisements you will need to be aware of what colors look best. When using a brochure printing company, the colors can be just as important as it is with a flyer. Having colors that sync up with what you are trying to say will help strengthen the message.The strength of well-picked colors is the fact that it can augment your message. Sometimes you cannot come right out and say certain things about a product as easily. If you want to imply a feeling of warmth and vibrancy, well, this is not something you can easily say your product has. However, if you use a strong orange coloring surrounding the product, you can get this message across without actually using the words.Not everything in an ad is going to be immediately considered on the conscious level. If you are not aware of the messages different colors send you might end up undermining your own message by using colors that counter your claims. Make sure when using a brochure printing company, or any other kind of advertising, that you are aware of exactly what your colors have to say.

How Color Printing is Defined

Color printing is the reproduction of an image or text (or both) in color, rather than in black and white.Of course, it is not quite that simple. There are different techniques used to reproduce color images and text. This article will discuss two of these methods and which process to use when.Four-color processThe four-color process is used to print items that have a full spectrum of colors, such as a color photograph. The four colors include three primary colors – cyan, magenta and yellow, along with black (known as CMYK for short). Another full-color printing method, the six-color process, is newer and adds orange and green to the CMYK palette, which provides a bigger and brighter color range. The colors produced are known as process colors.Spot-color processWhereas the four-color process mixes four colors together in different combinations to produce different colors, spot color ink is used alone, rather than mixed, to make various colors. Spot color ink can be used in combination with four-color inks if needed. Spot color inks are nearly unlimited in color range and can be more varied than the color produced by the four-color process. Spot color inks can print colors from pastels to metallics and other finishes. The colors produced are known as spot colors.Spot color printing is generally cheaper to produce than process color printing, but spot colors are not appropriate for any material that includes a photo or a wide range of colors.So how do you know which process to use when?Use process colors if:-you are using full color photos-you need more than two spot colors (otherwise, your spot color printing cost could get more expensive than process color printing)-your document includes many different graphics with many shades of colorUse spot colors if:-You have no full color photos – your photos only include one spot color and black-you repeatedly need a color that CMYK can’t produce properly (for instance, if your logo is going to be printed over and over)-you need colors that are more vibrant-you want to use metallic or fluorescent colors-you have a large printing area, such as a poster (spot colors cover well than process colors)In addition, sometimes you need to use spot colors and process colors together, such as when:- Your document has full-color photographs and you have your logo on the page, which includes a color that cannot be properly produced by CMYK- You need to increase the intensity of a process color – adding a spot color ink will deepen the process color- Your full color publication is coated with varnish, and varnish is designated as a spot color.

The Future of Offset Printing

The first printing press dates back almost 600 years. Printing has come a long way since its inception. Although digital color printing has its advantages, there is still a place for offset color printing. Most small businesses can greatly benefit by incorporating color printing into their marketing plan.Despite what you may have read, there are still people who leave the Internet thus wandering outside. Color printing in the form of posters can be a great marketing tool catching just as many eyeballs potentially as a web site. Posters are an excellent tool when properly placed, and they can also enhance online traffic by prominently displaying your web site address.Color printing is also beneficial when utilizing catalogs or brochures.It is imperative to capture the attention of the recipient immediately when one engages in direct mail efforts. Content is obviously very important. However, color scheme and printing quality are also critical in order to ensure your mailer does not go directly into the circular file.Postcard marketing is also a smart utilization of color printing. Postcards decrease associated mailing expense while retaining effectiveness if the limited "real estate" they entail if used properly. They often prove to be a great avenue for targeting a hard to reach niche audience.Other color printing needs are seen throughout the operation. Examples include everything from signs in the office to color business cards. Training manuals, coupons, and menus can also be on the list depending upon the nature of the business.Many assume digital printing is always the best path for their color printing needs. This is not always the case. Limited runs with very short deadlines usually are best suited to digital printing. However, for longer runs it becomes apparent that offset printing is the more economical choice. Most printing experts put the threshold at 2500 impressions for any given run. If it is projected to be over that amount, then you should seriously consider offset printing.When it comes to personalization, digital printing is most often the best route to take. Offset printing becomes cumbersome when there exist many fields of variable data. However, for projects entailing limited variable data the combination of these two processes can be used. A joint use of high-speed inkjet printing along with offset printing can capture the cost benefits of offset color printing while retaining the ability to personalize to a limited degree.When crafting your overall marketing strategy do not leave out proven real world methods. Properly place posters and targeted mailings are both great uses for color printing. Online is great but does not address your entire audience. Analyze the costs and benefits between offset and digital printing. Those postcards with limited variable data might be far less expensive than you imagine. Let color printing help your business prosper.