Digital Print workshop 3

Using Indesign
We recapped the use of spot colours and tones in Indesign. Exactly the same as we did in illustrator previously in the first session.

Creating different tones of one colour to save the amount of inks used and allow for tonal variation


Photoshop
300dpi
Actual Size
CMYK or GREYSCALE (not RGB)
.tif or .psd (not JPEG)

Always resize the pictures before placing them in an Indesign document, as when it gets printed the printer needs to work through the resized pictures and if they're not actual size then it'll slow down the printing process. Photoshop is the piece of software that is the best at resizing images whilst being used in Indesign at the same time. When altering the size in Photoshop it automatically updates in Indesign.

Illustrator
CMYK
Ai (if we place the image)  - Can copy and paste.

Placing duotone images into Indesign. The preview shows a greyscale image, when it's actually not.

After placing the duotone image into the InDesign document, the colours used from the duotone image are placed into the swatch palette. Meaning that these inks will be able to be used during the print process.

Making an image smaller increases its resolutions
Making an image bigger decreases its resolutions

Click on Image Size and then apply the percentage scale that was used to scale down the image in Indesign into photoshop

After saving the image in photoshop it updates in Indesign

You will see the error sign in the links panel

Double click on it

The image should say 100%. Meaning the image is actual size.

To view the separations preview

 The separations preview allows you to view each of the CMYK colours separately, which are used in the document for print. You can also select to view the spot colours too.

Deleting the unused spot colours from the swatch palette for print. 

The Angle is to do with halftones.
Larger the dots, the darker the tint
The smaller the dots, the more whitespace, the lighter the tint

Frequency value
Spacing of the grid. The number of halftone dots in every inch.

Each grid of dots have to be rotated at a particular angle. So each grid fits into gaps made by the previous dots. So one set of dots doesn't print on top of the over dots. This reduces the chances of interference with the other colours.

Smaller the frequency, the larger the dots and vice versa.

Screen printing
Same frequency throughout (50)
first colour 15 degree angle
second colour 75 degree angle
third colour 105 degree angle
fourth colour 155 degree angle

Overprint