Editing for printing

[Ovid46]

Hello All,

I've contracted with a graphic artist co. to convert RGB images into CMYK images for printing in a book. They are fotos of a wetland and the people who live in it. What should I know about this? What should I tell them about?

I did meet with them via Zoom and they seemed to know a lot and were helpful. However they said that the conversion into CMYK would limit the color space compared to RGB. Is that true and what is the best way to deal with that?

Having images printed in a book is new to me and any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

Richard

 

[aks100]

Do you mean printing in a book via one of the main online printer services?

If so, I'd expect them to take RGB images.

Which region / services are you thinking of using?

 

[paulraphael]

Did the people printing the book (printer / publisher / prepress house / whoever) specifically ask for CMYK files, or are you assuming?

CMYK used to be the standard for offset printing but not anymore. Most printers that use newer technology want RGB files.

When I did a book 8 years ago (printed in China) they asked me to use the Adobe RGB profile. Some printers might send you a custom profile specifically for their printer, or even for the printer / paper combination they're using.

You don't necessarily have to convert your files to this profile. But at the least you should use it to soft proof the images to make sure nothing gets weird in the conversion.

 

[Box Brownie]

Did the people printing the book (printer / publisher / prepress house / whoever) specifically ask for CMYK files, or are you assuming?

CMYK used to be the standard for offset printing but not anymore. Most printers that use newer technology want RGB files.

When I did a book 8 years ago (printed in China) they asked me to use the Adobe RGB profile. Some printers might send you a custom profile specifically for their printer, or even for the printer / paper combination they're using.

You don't necessarily have to convert your files to this profile. But at the least you should use it to soft proof the images to make sure nothing gets weird in the conversion.

This AFAIK.....

Looking at Blurb and Saal (for example) neither make mention of file type let alone colour space.

So the question remains why is the OP paying to have his files converted and why is that needed?

 

[Ovid46]

Thank you for your message.

Do you mean printing in a book via one of the main online printer services?

Actually, this will be a small run done at Palmetto Publishing with image prep by Embassy Graphics. The on-line printer services - as far as I know- can't deliver the quality of reproduction that is needed.

If so, I'd expect them to take RGB images.

They say it's necessary to a RGB to CMYK conversion.

Which region / services are you thinking of using?

Palmetto is in S.Carolina. Embassy is in Canada.

 

[Ovid46]

Thank for this message.

Did the people printing the book (printer / publisher / prepress house / whoever) specifically ask for CMYK files, or are you assuming?

They asked for RGB images which they said will be necessary for the printer being used. It's not an offset one. It's an HP Indigo printer.

CMYK used to be the standard for offset printing but not anymore. Most printers that use newer technology want RGB files.

When I did a book 8 years ago (printed in China) they asked me to use the Adobe RGB profile. Some printers might send you a custom profile specifically for their printer, or even for the printer / paper combination they're using.

You don't necessarily have to convert your files to this profile. But at the least you should use it to soft proof the images to make sure nothing gets weird in the conversion.

 

[Box Brownie]

Thank you for your message.

Do you mean printing in a book via one of the main online printer services?

Actually, this will be a small run done at Palmetto Publishing with image prep by Embassy Graphics. The on-line printer services - as far as I know- can't deliver the quality of reproduction that is needed.

If so, I'd expect them to take RGB images.

They say it's necessary to a RGB to CMYK conversion.

Which region / services are you thinking of using?

Palmetto is in S.Carolina. Embassy is in Canada.

Blurb on this page

Color Management & Calibration Center – Perfect Printing | Blurb

Get help with color management and calibration. Accurately soft proof using Blurb ICC Profile and monitor calibration to manage color more precisely.

www.blurb.com

Say this

"When a digital image is printed, its RGB numbers are converted to CMYK numbers for the printer. This conversion will produce unexpected color if not done in a controlled and predictable manner. Overlay RGB and CMYK color spaces, and you’ll see that colors in RGB that do not have an exact equivalent in CMYK. This means that there are often colors on our monitors that cannot be reproduced perfectly in print. Through color management we pick the best possible CMYK color to match a given RGB color."

I have made that last line bold......to emphasise that you are trusting the printing company, who know their printers & processes, to make the best RGB to CMYK conversion.

In other words, what is about the printer that have chosen that they cannot correctly(?) make the conversion? Plus, as by inference they are obliging you to do/get the conversion done! The cynic in me says that that situation means the printing company can blame you/the other party if the product is "wrong" .

Can I ask have you spoken to other book printers and what have they said on the matter?

 

[NAwlins Contrarian]

I've contracted with a graphic artist co. to convert RGB images into CMYK images for printing in a book.

Just to make sure I understand: you are sending your RGB images to the service, and the service will convert them to CMKY for book printing? This is certainly not my area, but it seems to me that maybe whatever service is actually printing the book should perform or at least oversee the conversion, based in part on the specifics of their printing process.

They are fotos of a wetland and the people who live in it. What should I know about this? What should I tell them about?

I did meet with them via Zoom and they seemed to know a lot and were helpful. However they said that the conversion into CMYK would limit the color space compared to RGB. Is that true and what is the best way to deal with that?

That is sort-of true but the issue is complicated. AFAIK there is no inherent reason why a CMYK-encoded image should have a smaller gamut than an RGB-encoded image. However, the printable gamut may well be a lot smaller than the gamut of your images. Even with the finest inkjet photo printers and the finest inkjet photo papers, there are a lot of colors that your eye can see, your camera can capture, and your software can process that the printer cannot print. Just one basic comparison is Blurb's ICC profile for its books versus sRGB, which is the smallest of the common color working spaces:



As you can see, there are lots of colors that sRGB can contain / represent that Blurb cannot print (and a few colors that Blurb can print that sRGB cannot contain). The gamut volume of Blurb's printers is only 45% as large as the gamut volume of sRGB.

To be clear, this is not a criticism of Blurb. If anything, that gamut is pretty good for book-type printing.

Having images printed in a book is new to me and any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

What makes good sense depends a lot on whether you're having 10 or 100 or 1000 copies of the book printed. I suggest you find a good service to print the books and follow their recommendations. There's a huge range of options, qualities, and prices. I've used Shutterfly and been happy with the results, but that's relatively expensive. A lot of people seem to like Blurb. There are many others. Good luck.

[ETA]

See also my other reply. Something is not making sense to me.

 

[NAwlins Contrarian]

Did the people printing the book (printer / publisher / prepress house / whoever) specifically ask for CMYK files, or are you assuming?

They asked for RGB images which they said will be necessary for the printer being used. It's not an offset one. It's an HP Indigo printer.

If the people printing the book "asked for RGB images", then why did you "contract[ ] with a graphic artist co. to convert RGB images into CMYK images for printing"?!

Something is not making sense to me. Did you contract for the CMYK conversion before getting instructions from the printer? If so, then apparently you need to try to cancel that contract with as low a penalty as you can pay.

 

[D Saul]

I agree completely with you and wil add that the OP states in their question:

"What should I know about this? What should I tell them about?

I did meet with them via Zoom and they seemed to know a lot and were helpful."

Something is off here.