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KristineS
02-15-2012, 01:14 PM
Just wondering - those of you who have logos for your business, how precise are you about the colors that are in the logo when it's being printed or embroidered or whatever? I'm pretty firm about the colors that are used for our company logo, and recently a few people have made it seem like I'm being too strict about this. We picked the colors that are in the logo for a reason, and I don't think it's asking too much that the proper colors be used. Am I wrong about that?

huggytree
02-15-2012, 02:04 PM
i was in printing before i became a plumber and color matching was part of my job...i made the colors in my logo easy....Yellow and cobolt blue....ive had various things printed over the years from multiple printers...tee shirts, cards, fliers, van.....all pretty much match because i kept w/ 2 very basic colors

ask someone for yellow and deep blue and you pretty much get the color on the 1st try

if they are just a hint off i dont think its a big deal....unless your Coke or Pepsi....no one's gonna notice for a small business

KristineS
02-15-2012, 03:41 PM
Basic colors are best, I agree, and I also think you're right that slight variations won't get noticed. I just get peeved when our deep purple and white logo comes up more lavender and white or something like that. We chose the colors we chose for a reason, and I want the logo to at least be close to what we chose. I know color matching can be a pain, but when someone gives you a PMS number for the color they want, it can't be that hard.

huggytree
02-15-2012, 07:30 PM
anyone should be able to match a PMS #.......if they cant it shows they arent professional.....just cause your in business doesnt mean your good

KristineS
02-16-2012, 12:17 PM
This is very true. Although I've had this argument with a few printers in my time. One printer once sent us sell sheets that were supposed to have a light gray background and they came out pea green. He said they were fine. I begged to differ. We finally got a refund, but I was amazed their quality control was that bad. These sheets weren't a little off, they were way off!

lucas.bowser
02-16-2012, 02:07 PM
Was he trying to claim they were pea gray?:D

KristineS
02-16-2012, 03:23 PM
Was he trying to claim they were pea gray?:D

That's so bad it made me laugh!

He didn't try that one, but he tried almost everything else. It was crazy because we'd always had good work from this printer and then all of the sudden it went haywire.

vangogh
02-16-2012, 04:54 PM
Funny Lucas. :)

Kristine I'm with you on this. I think the colors should stay consistent and match as perfectly as they can. My marketing is mainly online so it's not as much of an issue for me, but I do agree. You should be choosing colors for a specific reason and even a subtle change could throw off what you're trying to communicate. You could select several color palettes for different mediums. They could still communicate the same or similar message or perhaps could communicate something different, though to different people. A printer though should never change your colors and say it's good enough.

henryz
02-21-2012, 11:15 PM
Hi Kristine, what we do in these cases we'll print a swatch of different colors in the same spectrum, what you see on the computer or on paper of your printer will likely not be the same of a printer for flyers, business cards or those type of products. Maybe the company you use for printing offers a sample run for a small fee.

vangogh
02-21-2012, 11:43 PM
Henry is there a way to set up a color profile on your computer that can better match how the printed colors will look? Something you can switch to for any printed material? I'm guessing it still won't look quite right moving from RGB to CMYK, but maybe there's a way to get the colors closer to the printed version.

henryz
02-22-2012, 09:31 AM
I'm sure you can but it's probably more work than it's worth. You can change and save different settings but colors vary depending on the material being printed like paper, vinyl, banner material. I still prefer to print samples and change the color on the design if possible. I will usually try using both rgb or cmyk to get as close as I can, If I'm not making myself clear I will post some pictures in a while.

vangogh
02-22-2012, 11:00 AM
colors vary depending on the material being printed like paper, vinyl, banner material.

Good point. I had forgotten about all the different materials. I guess for someone like me the best thing to do would be to learn how to work with all the different materials. Over time I'd imagine you start to see that material x shows colors a little lighter while material y tends to desaturate some colors, etc.

KristineS
02-22-2012, 12:26 PM
Henry is right that different materials do take color differently. Even different types of paper can cause slight color variances.

Most printers, I should say, have been great about getting things right. Every once in a while, though, you run into someone who just doesn't understand, or appears not to anyway, why we're so insistent on colors being precise. When you deal with color for a living, you think a printer would get why being precise matters, but some don't.

j.dunning
03-12-2012, 12:05 AM
Henry is there a way to set up a color profile on your computer that can better match how the printed colors will look? Something you can switch to for any printed material? I'm guessing it still won't look quite right moving from RGB to CMYK, but maybe there's a way to get the colors closer to the printed version.

A good printer will always use profiles set up for specific printing devices and mediums to get the most accurate colors when printed. However these colors will still look different on screen then they will in the final print because of the different color modes (RGB v. CMYK). To get close to accurate color on screen your monitor needs to be calibrated with a specific set of tools. To get the best results these tools can get rather expensive though. However, a reputable printer should have these tools for there shop BUT keep in mind that what you see on your screen wont look like what they see on there calibrated screen after you email them a file.

If color accuracy is important it's worth it to pay a little extra for a color accurate proof from the printer. Never, ever trust a digital proof for color accuracy.

Also, as KristineS mentioned, choosing a PMS color should cut down on color inaccuracies. However, it's important to remember that there is more than one set of PMS colors.

If you have a PMS Spot color in your design it will be rendered differently if it's printed with 4 color process (i.e. CMYK). If you do have a PMS Spot in your design it would be wise to choose a corresponding PMS Process color which will print more accurately.

vangogh
03-12-2012, 11:38 AM
Thanks J and welcome tot he forum. Everything you say makes sense. I realize you'll never get an exact match going from RGB to CMYK. It sounds like calibrating things is more trouble than it's worth, unless you're need is high enough. I don't print enough to make it worthwhile to me at the moment, but it's good to know there are solutions. I suppose a big part in this process would be to learn as much as I could about printing. I'd imagine even if I could see the exact colors on my monitor, with some experience I would get a good feeling for how different they'd be and what the printed color will ultimately look like.

KristineS
03-12-2012, 05:12 PM
Good point about the more than one set of PMS colors, J, and welcome to the forum. I think people forget that PMS colors come in more than one type.

krymson
03-28-2012, 04:56 PM
For me it does not really matter, yes your logo is basically your company image and you want it to be something that when someone looks at it they instantly think of your company. My logo is so small on most of the material I have printed that you can't even tell that there is a gradient in there. Now being a web and graphic designer i know i should focus more on that but I take the focus away from my stuff and put it into my clients work to make sure everything for them turns out the way they want it. I understand most small business owners are like "This is my brand... This is my image... I want everything more stress free.

queenvictoria
04-06-2012, 11:21 AM
KristineS, picking the right colors for your business logo is essential and it’s good that you recognize how vital it is. While you already have your logo and you seem certain that it’s perfect for your company, what you need might just be a little improvement. Seek help from professional graphic designers out there and let them polish what you already have. Logos really have an impact to consumers and it’s important that the one we use is always capable to bring about positive impression.