A Basic Guide to Color Space

Having been in the sign industry for over twelve years, I do know that it is very possible to design an object you can’t print. That may be interesting to philosophers, but it’s maddening for sign makers. This frustrating phenomenon generally befalls people who are making the transition from CAD processes to digital color. The color range used in vinyl and heat applied films is entirely different from the output available from a standard process printer. Most new printers assume the range is the same and struggle with managing their own and their customers’ expectations.


In sign making, what is the difference between spot and process color?

While you may not be familiar with the term spot color, it may be the more widely used of the two in the sign and screen printing world. This is because the majority of simple signs produced are using self-adhesive vinyl, which is a spot color media. Process color, on the other hand, means the four colors of yellow, black, cyan and magenta are mixed by the printing device in different percentages of dots to create a full range of colors.



Used or New… Which is the best buy?

As we move from the recession towards a recovery, sign makers interested in entering the digital print market have the option of buying a new outdoor printer or picking up a used printer on the cheap. Used printers have always been around. A few years ago, growing sign shops had the option of buy a […]