Printing has become a very major part of the economy today. Individuals, institutions as well as industries have a need for printing services. Newspaper and magazine producers also need printing services to a great extent as they would go out of business without the technologies applied in the world.
In the recent years, a rise in printing needs have arisen and this has seen the emergence of companies that offer these services all over the world. The world produces about 45 trillion printed copies every year. This shows that the need for printing services is rising.
Printing did not just start recently. It has been in use for quite a long while with the initial printing techniques dating from way back. Technology has seen the production of more superior machinery that is being used in the world today to get the kind of quality that you require. A lot of materials for the same purpose have also been created.
Processes have also been developed to facilitate the need for the highest quality prints. There are usually two major processes that involve color. The four color system is one of the most popular methods. CMYK stands for Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Key. The key is usually black. Each of the wavelengths is set to represent RGB which are three of the additive primaries. One of the primaries is white light subtracted.
Secondary colors to CMY are usually the colors used for any reproduction. They are used to try and reproduce the original but this has not been achieved. There are ink limitations that cause the darker colors to be muddied. A separation by use of the key black is created. This helps improve contrast as well as shadow of the image printed.
Metallic inks and spot colors can also be used. Sometimes color printing does not require many colors. One color or many colors may be applied. The colors used in most cases are not primary. They are used as additions to the primary colors. This addition is what we refer to as the spot color printing.
Some presses can print with additional colors as well as the inks for the four processes. These are perfect when there is a need for very high quality productions. Such productions include brochures, photographs and books. There are also graphic effects that require spot colors including the metallic and pantone inks. The finishing may be done by varnish so as to give or enhance the glossy appearance of an already printed piece.