# Any newspaper Graphic Designers here?



## Dubsta (Aug 12, 2004)

I have a few questions that I need help with....anyone here a Designer for a Newspaper?


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## Randman (Aug 12, 2004)

I'm a newspaper designer/editor.


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## Natobasso (Aug 12, 2004)

I am a graphic designer, I've worked on large projects (not newspapers) such as 160 page full color catalogs. Do you have a production or software question?


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## Dubsta (Aug 12, 2004)

Yeah I do.

Let's say Im working in Photoshop, and I have to make a spot color ad. So, Black and White...and one color...lets say red. The document has to be CMYK. How can I output it and have only the red parts be red, and not have any other red show up in the ad.

Cause if the pictures are B&W(let's say cars) the CMYK information will be in them, and they will come out a tint of red. Do you understand what I mean.

It's fine if the ad will run on a CMYK page. It will look like it was created. But if the ad runs on a JUST SPOT RED page...basically the whole ad will be red and black. Red showing up in parts that you only want B&W.

Any ideas?


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## Randman (Aug 12, 2004)

As long as you create the ad just using white, black and red (magenta), you should be fine. The ad will print in CMYK, but the cyan and yellow sheets will be blank, so they can be discarded. As long as the camera folks don't reverse the plates, you should be fine. FYI, if this is the case, I'd recommend adding a little black (about 8% depending on the press and the amount of black on the page) to the magenta to give it more of a red look and less of a purplish one when it prints.
   Does that answer your question? 

Oh, and when the ad is printed, it won't likely be printed via PhotoShop, but Quark, InDesign or some other publishing application.


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## Natobasso (Aug 12, 2004)

Randman, I couldn't have said it any better myself!

So, Dubsta, are you creating an ad for a client for a newspaper?


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## Dubsta (Aug 12, 2004)

I am a full time designer for a newspaper. We have pondered this question for a long time...so I have to take it upon myself to figure it out.

I see what you are saying. But no matter what, my document has to be CMYK. So would that not mean that say, the pics of the cars which would be black and white, also have the color values of CMYK?

I have done what you said..and the whole ad is just gross.


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## Natobasso (Aug 12, 2004)

Can you show us what your ad looks like before and after doing what Randman suggested? That might help me better understand your problem.

It sounds to me like you are trying to design the entire ad in Photoshop, which I would not recommend especially if you have text.


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## pds (Aug 12, 2004)

It kind of depends on how your newspaper prints. I used to design a tabloid that printed as cut sheets and then we went to a web press. We could run spot colors when it was done on the flatbed, they just ran the one page through another press. It was an expensive option, - extra film, extra plates and the extra clean-up - but we did it for picky advertisers (at a premium of course). When we went to the web, the possibility disappeared.

Is there color in the rest of the document? You can't run spot color in a 4 color web print run. You have to find the cymk approximation of the spot color.

The reason is that spot color is mixed separately and printed on the page from it's own tray. So in theory a six color web will do it, but our printer couldn't.


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## Randman (Aug 12, 2004)

Are you trying to create an ad that is basically black and white, but certain elements, such as a car, are magenta? 
  Is the ad of a photo, or an illustration or just text? If it's a photo, you'd need to a) convert the entire photo to B&W, then use the lasso tool and go through and re-add color (magenta) to what you want colored; or b) use the lasso tool and pick what parts you don't want magenta and convert those to B&W leaving the magenta element untouched.
  Both would be time-consuming. If that were the case (I'm in editorial not advertising), I'd suggest a0 converting the photo to greyscale, then doing a color (magenta) overlay over the parts you want colorized; or b) converting the photo to greyscale, then doing a clipping path over what you to be red and then importing the original magenta elements (which would also be from a clipping path).

  If it's in illustration, you can just use the paint brush and fill in the areas you want to be red.

 However, if there are any other color elements (cyan or yellow) on the ad, then those will still reproduce when printed, but they wouldn't be used when printing, so you could have some problems.

What are you using to print?

And my honest opinion (from what little we know) is you're better off just running the photo of the car(s) in black and white, then using magenta as a color headline/text superimposed onto the photo.


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## Dubsta (Aug 12, 2004)

Here is what I mean...I know I should not be creating the entire ad in PS, but this had to be done quick so I did it. I don't usually do these shitty ass car ads....but anyway...


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## Natobasso (Aug 12, 2004)

If you lay the ad out in a layout program, you can control what's a pms color and what isn't. You can cut it down to a 2 color ad for spot, or it will print out the same (relatively, the spot will get translated to its closest 4 color equivalent) by saving out the photos and all other black material on one file and the red/pms color on the other file, then put them together in a layout program.

Should solve your dilemma, and then you can provide a file for either process that will look good. If you have to use only one color, then you will end up with a "red" or "black" ad only.


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## pds (Aug 12, 2004)

To make it with spot color...

Greyscale document
the Red is one layer, 
the Black is another layer
output each layer as a separate film

But how do you print it. In a four color press, you can't print a spot color.


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## Natobasso (Aug 12, 2004)

You just convert the spot color to process in the file, or output a pdf file that's a CMYK document.


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## Natobasso (Aug 12, 2004)

The spot will be approximated in the CMYK; in all likelihood, it will not look EXACTLY the same, but could be close.


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## Randman (Aug 13, 2004)

Are those photos greyscale? On the second attachment, it appears that the cars have some color still and that's what is giving you that reddish glow about them. The rest looks about right.


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