Spot color printing uses percentages, or tints, of one or more colors. Spot colors are typically used in publications to:
- Emphasize headings, borders, and logos.
- Match colors in line drawings or other simple graphics.
- Specify special inks, such as metallic or varnish.
- Print black and white photographs.
Process-color (CMYK) printing, which can reproduce all colors on the printed page, is often used when a publication:
- Includes full-color photographs.
- Uses detailed, multicolored graphics.
In some cases, you may need to combine both spot colors and process colors, which will require five or more ink plates. Combined spot-color and process-color printing is typically used when:
- You need to print color photographs together with a commercial logo whose color cannot be recreated using process-color inks.
- One of the colors in your publication is a metallic color ink.
- You need to apply a clear varnish over a process-color publication.
The cost of producing the publication
Typically, a process-color publication is more expensive to produce than a spot-color publication. A process color job always requires four ink plates (for the CMYK inks), which increases the cost of setting up the press and requires more work from the press operator who must keep the impression made by the four plates on the paper in register. If you are printing only a small number of publications, the cost per copy of your publication may be prohibitive. However, if your publication uses a wide range of colors or includes color photos, process-color printing is your best choice.
Spot color costs have a wide range, but they are flexible. A spot color job requires a separate ink plate for every color, but you can get the look of multiple colors using only one or two inks. For example, a printer can create screen tints of a spot color that print on a single plate. Thus you can vary the colors in your publication without incurring the increased costs for printing multiple plates.
The cost of producing a publication also depends on the type of paper used for printing, the complexity of the publication's graphics, and the number of publications that will be produced.