PSA: My sunset-inspired color palette looked awful in print

I based a client's brand colors on a photo I took at dusk. When we printed the business cards, everything was muddy and gray. What's the best way to check if digital inspiration will translate to physical media?

3 comments

3 Comments

jason4191mo ago

I read somewhere to always check the CMYK values first.

the_ivan1mo ago

Yeah, that advice from @jason419 is solid. A lot of monitors show colors that just can't print. Like a super bright neon green might look awesome on screen, but in CMYK it turns into a muddy green-yellow. Always run that check first to see what you're actually going to get. It saves so much time and angry client emails. A rich black made from all four inks prints way deeper than just 100% black.

the_sage1mo ago

Did my friend tell you about her poster made from a mountain sunset photo? The orange tones printed totally flat and looked muddy brown on paper. She started getting a physical color proof from the print shop before any big order. Now that check is just part of her process.

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