Designing, CMYK or RGB?

[Ken]

I export files as RGB, usually as a .tiff file. The RIP does the rest. Makes large files though.
Corel to Versacamm via Colorip v.2
I sometimes have to tweak a color here and there, but pretty minimal.
Cheers!
Ken

 

[cdiesel]

We find much better results designing in RGB.. ESPECIALLY with Corel. CMYK exports from Corel give very muted, washed out prints.

 

[TresL]

RGB....
Much brighter colors...(Roland 300V with Versaworks)
Reds, Orange & Greens.

 

[flyinhawaiian968]

We find much better results designing in RGB.. ESPECIALLY with Corel. CMYK exports from Corel give very muted, washed out prints.

Yep, its been like this since the start of time-or in this case, Coreldraw 1.1! I still design in RGB when in Corel and export as RGB, but when in Photoshop (which I'm using almost as much as Corel every day now) I design only in CMYK. PS is quite accurate and almost identical in screen vs. proof vs. final output.

Unfortunately for me, I was taught from day one to design in CMYK for the print field (offset/web press) and just can't break the habit!

I think nowadays its more a matter of preference, but 15 years ago if you said you designed anything in RGB to a printer or graphic artist, they would think you were either an idiot or found a copy of windows paint! Of course, they also thought you were an idiot if you weren't running a Mac too, but I digress!!!

:Big Laugh

Chris

 

[MariaMartini]

I design all raster elements in RGB.

However, I use a CMYK swatch table for vector elements in my designs. It's just easier for me to tweak colors that way. If I'm trying to match a Pantone color, for instance, it's easier for me to work in CMYK where I can add a little yellow and subtract a few percent magenta. I don't have a good enough understanding of RGB to make those kind of adjustments. And in these instances, the on-screen representation of the colors is not as important as the final output.

So, often I'll have RGB bitmaps used in conjunction with CMYK vector elements and gradients.

Same. RGB when working with raster (especially photographs). CMYK when working with vector.

 

[Jim Doggett]

I think I'd stay with RGB, which is richer because it has a wider color gamut than CMYK. Your RIP has color tables that convert RGB to CMYK, presumably in a way that's optimized for your printer. Plus, folks here are seeing richer colors when sending RGB to the RIP, which should speak volumes.

My $0.02,

Jim

 

[rhinox]

we design in RGB... i come from a printing background where we designed in CMYK so that was a huge change for me, BUT printing CMYK to our Roland printer, all of our blacks are printed at about 95% black instead of 100% black.. by sending the file as RGB.. it prints at 100% black... even when designing in RGB, we still use pantone colors for everything to get reliable color

 

[SignBurst PCs]

After talking to one of the RIP companies, as I understand it, the RIP has to convert CMYK images to RGB in the RIP process before it prints anyhow. Even though the printer may print CMYK, the RIP doesn't necessarily work that way. I was told to design in RGB for anything that has to go through the RIP software. If you are designing something that isn't going to be RIP'd (i.e. business cards or brochures) you may be better off designing in CMYK.

 

[JERHEMI]

I print out of Illustrator with Finecut plugin and Rasterlink 2 as the RIP and I try and print everything RGB but for some reason anything that I setup with registration marks and print in RGB the registration marks don't print! But, if I switch to CMYK everything prints fine?!? Any suggestions?

 

[anotherdog]

It seems the concensus is RGB to the rip for signage.
I suppose it is down to the conversion and gamut. In litho print the inks are prety much ridgid, but solvent inks have a much wider gamut.
CMYK in Adobe was originally really meant for litho print so dumbs down the gamut.
I guess I also have a natural distrust of embeding pantine colours in a RGB file...sounds slightly satanic.

 

[mediaman]

+1 for RGB - always, unless the file is going to an offset print house.

anotherdog,
you can still look at an image that is designed in an RGB colorspace (I like ProPhoto RGB or Adobe RGB 1998) and adjust it in terms of Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black. It'll still be an RGB image when you get done adjusting.

 

[ActualGrafix]

This is an interesting thread. When i was in design school (2001), they always taught us to design in CMYK. Presses would go ape $%&# if you sent in an RGB file. I suppose i'll be trying RGB from now on. THanks peeps!

 

[Rasmus]

I work at a digital printshop, and have always learned to convert and work in CMYK. But I have done some testing, and the print results are remarkable better working in rgb- of course because of the wider color gamut working rgb. We only print on 4 or 6 color printers..

Best Regards

Rasmus Laursen

 

[signswi]

Original design work in CMYK but with lots of pantone spots as the rip color tables do a good job with them. I don't like working in a gamut that's going to be crunched like (RGB) is and I know how the pantones will come out as I can just look at the pantone conversion swatches (Bridge)/media specific charts we have printed and hung on the walls. That way I can get a wider gamut than straight CMYK but I'm not selling clients on colors I know will shift radically/become muted. It's also nice to stick with the tried and true PMS as most clients are familiar with it and any color picky client likely has the PMS Bridge swatch book.

Raster images I usually leave in the original color space and convert in the RIP, being careful to use a rendering intent that makes sense. If it's a mix of RGB and CMYK source material layout I'll usually end up doing final layout in InDesign and exporting to one of the custom PDF setups I created to convert everything into CMYK space (SWOP) at a max of 720dpi while maintaining vector/postscript everywhere possible (it also does some transparency flattening to avoid some common RIP errors we run into).

 

[smdgrfx]

Design in CMYK, export as RGB. 99 out of 100 come out very close to what was on the screen. Of course we have Pantone charts printed with our favorite settings and use those to color match/color choose when necessary.

 

[eye4clr]

Design in CMYK, export as RGB. 99 out of 100 come out very close to what was on the screen. Of course we have Pantone charts printed with our favorite settings and use those to color match/color choose when necessary.

Why would you start off with a small gamut, export to a larger gamut (with no improvement in the color), then have the RIP convert to the output profile?

Wouldn't it make more sense to simply design with a larger color gamut, then have the RIP perform the only conversion in the workflow?

 

[LowStandards1979]

After talking to one of the RIP companies, as I understand it, the RIP has to convert CMYK images to RGB in the RIP process before it prints anyhow. Even though the printer may print CMYK, the RIP doesn't necessarily work that way. I was told to design in RGB for anything that has to go through the RIP software. If you are designing something that isn't going to be RIP'd (i.e. business cards or brochures) you may be better off designing in CMYK.

i was told the same from a roland rep at sgia that in rip in converts to rgb but has a wider spectrum (more red red, more green green,etc) than true rgb.

 

[eye4clr]

It frustrates me that a manufacturer's rep would be so wrong.

All conversions in our desktop application and the RIP convert from incoming RGB or CMYK by referencing the LAB values defined by the source profile (sometimes called an input profile). Then the conversion gets translated to the destination profile (sometimes called and output profile).

In the case of the RIP, you're converting from incoming RGB or CMYK -> LAB -> CMYK.

Incoming Pantone colors should be handled the same way. The RIP should have a library of LAB references for all named Pantones. In this case you're going Pantone -> LAB -> CMYK.

RGB is never used as a conversion space. Often it is a working space within your design apps, and it is one of the input profiles within our RIPs.

Options for RGB working spaces are usually sRGB (the most common), Adobe RGB (a favorite of photographers and some fine artist), Apple RGB (not very common), or possibly a custom monitor profile (bad choice - avoid doing this).

No need to overcomplicate a subject that is really quite simple once you get the basics.

 

[BALLPARK]

Both...

I use RGB for gradient design backgrounds.

I use CMYK for pretty much all others.

Love Photoshop and Illustrator!!!

 

[Artgunner]

RGB for us. I try and keep it simple as I can.

Art