60C, 40M, 40Y, 100K (240%)
40C, 20M, 20Y, 100K (180%)
Secrets to great digital color.
Print gamuts
Gamut is the term used to describe the
range of colors that a specific device
can produce. If you’re accustomed to
designing within the limitations of the
traditional color gamut of the CMYK
offset process, you’ll be pleasantly
surprised to learn that the advanced
technology of Kodak NexPress dry inks
make it possible to exceed that gamut
by 20%.
Your computer monitor, however, can
display many colors that are outside
the gamut of any printing process,
even a 600-dpi digital printer. In the
same way, the inkjet or dye sublima-
tion printer you may use to create
proofs also has its own distinctive color
gamut. The bottom line: what you see
on your monitor or on your proof is not
necessarily a good indication of the
final printed result. The best way to
know exactly how your color will look is
to ask your printer to proof the job on
the Kodak NexPress digital production
color press. That’s one of the benefits
of digital printing—proofs can be run on
the same printer as the final output.
Blacks and grays
If you want to print a solid black area,
use a formula that combines all CMYK
colors to create a “rich” or “super” black.
A few sample formulas are shown here
and you can check with your printer for
other variations that work well. If you’re
planning to reverse white or light-col-
ored type out of black, modify the for-
mula to a slightly less rich mixture. Here
again your printer is the best source
of information as you learn about the
capabilities of digital printing.
For neutral shades of gray, you’ll get the
best results with straight tints of black.
Spot colors
The NexPress press uses spot color
mapping and special look-up tables to
automatically match Pantone colors
using CMYK dry inks. That means you
don’t need to alter or reformulate Pan-
tone and other spot colors. However, if
you prefer the control of selecting your
own CMYK formula, you can always
convert Pantone colors yourself using
standard Pantone-to-CMYK charts.
Color gamut boundaries for Pantone, 4-color
NexPress 2100 press, and 4-color offset press.
Blue to Yellow Tones
Green to
Red Tones
100K
80K
40K
10K
7 pt Knock-out typography
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Designing for Success
Secrets to great digital color
Pantone colors
4-color NexPress 2100 press
4-color offset
