File preparation guide
Color in print: RGB, CMYK, spot colors and rich black
A screen emits light; paper reflects it. So some colors you can see on a screen are simply outside what ink on paper can reach. Knowing the difference is how you get print without surprises.
RGB and CMYK
Screens and cameras work in RGB — red, green and blue light. A press works in CMYK — cyan, magenta, yellow and black ink. Every RGB file is turned into CMYK before printing. Ordinary colors barely change; glowing ones like neon green, bright orange and electric blue print duller. If you design with brand colors, check them in CMYK early.
Spot colors (Pantone)
A spot color is an ink mixed in advance to an exact shade and printed separately from the four process inks. It is only needed when the print shop has agreed to print an extra color. In an ordinary four-color job, a spot color left in the file may print in a different shade than expected — set it in CMYK instead.
Rich black — yes for backgrounds, no for small text
Rich black is black built from all four inks; it gives a deep black background. In small text it causes trouble: four layers of ink that do not land exactly on top of each other give letters a colored halo. Set ordinary text in black only (K 100%).
Ink coverage: how much ink the paper can take
Ink coverage is the sum of the four inks at one point. Too much ink does not dry, smears and sticks pages together. Common limits: about 300% for coated paper, about 270% for uncoated paper and about 240% for newsprint. A "maximum" 400% black background exceeds all of them.
Overprint and white objects
Overprint is a setting that prints one color on top of another instead of knocking it out. For black text it is sometimes wanted. But white text or a white logo set to overprint disappears completely in print — there is no white ink. Check in your design software that white is not set that way.
What Drapress checks when the file is uploaded
Drapress detects RGB images and colors, spot colors, rich black text, overprint — white overprint included — and transparency, and measures ink coverage against the product's paper or the limit the print shop set. RGB images can be converted to CMYK, only after an explicit confirmation and with a proof of the result. Most color matters are handled by the print shop, and the customer sees one calm line about them.
See it in action
In this video (75 seconds, no sound) a sample file goes through the Drapress check, from upload to sending it to the print shop.
Read the video as text
The file looked fine on screen. At the press, the bleed falls short. And a photo that may print blurry. Upload your PDF. Your original is kept. Live view of every check: size, bleed, fonts, colors, images. Bleed missing on page 3: a thin white strip may show after trim. Step by step: the photo on page 5? Replace it, or accept it as it is. Screen colors (RGB): the shop converts them for print; shades may shift. Missing bleed? A few clicks build it from the page's own edge. It fixes only what is safe to fix. Before and after: the background now runs past the cut line. A warning left? You decide, then send it to the print shop.
What an automatic check cannot catch
The check does not say whether a shade is "right" — it does not know your brand color, and a screen does not show paper exactly. When the shade matters, ask the print shop for a test print on the actual paper.
