3 or 4?

Depending on whether you work predominantly in web or print your answer might be 3 or 4. Red, green and blue or Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black.

Why 3 or 4?

Well you might have said 3 colours because Red, green and blue are the (additive) primary colours that are output through your TV, mobile and computer monitor. When added and mixed together these primary colours can produce a whole sub-set of different colours, including white in the right intensity.

Printing Press Inks image from Shutterstock.

But then again, you might have gone for 4 colours, particularly if you are a graphic designer primarily producing print work. Colour printers use cyan, magenta, yellow and black to produce countless secondary colours through a range of different printing techniques: halftone, pantone etc.

CMYK Gift Bag on White image from Shutterstock.

RGB or CMYK both produce a sub-set of colours but at their core are made up from 3 or 4 colours.

216 or 256?

If you’re saving as a GIF or a PNG or creating something for screen you might say 216 or 256 web-safe colours.

Why 216 or 256?

You might have started off saying 256 as this is the number of colours in monitors of the time. A 256 colour display. When saving as a GIF you have the option to save with 256 colours, as a GIF is palette based. If you wanted to reduce your file size of your GIF further you might start to reduce the colours used in the palette while trying to retain the quality of the final image. As the web continues to evolve and Internet speeds keep increasing, file sizes of images will become less of an issue, meaning that you can keep your 256 colours in your GIF.

You might also say 216 as while there are 256 colours in the web-safe palette, operating systems reserved some of the colours for their own use resulting in 216. This number is also easily divisible by 6 and so allows for 6 different shades of red, green and blue to create one colour. These 6 different shades, or hexadecimal, can be used in HTML either through the hex code or through the different RGB values.

Open Pantone Sample Colors image from Shutterstock.

Too many to count?

With all the advances in technology we’re moved on from the initial ‘web-safe’ colours and we’re now enjoying far more colourful days in front of our screens, 16 million colours to be precise. 16384 of which most modern monitors are capable of displaying according to the w3c: www.w3schools.com/html/html_colors

Lynda.com summaries the issue of why web-safe colours were first introduced succiently and is credited as creating the web-safe palette. It’s still an interesting and useful read today: www.lynda.com/resources/webpalette

Does it matter?

Well in a nutshell, yes. With some caveats of course!

If you’re designing for screen, colour, and more specifically colour contrast, can play a huge part in making text accessible to people with visual impairments. Your audience might also be based somewhere without our technological advances and be using a basic monitor and browser and using a colour outside of the web-safe 256 might affect your content/design.

If you’re designing for print using black, how do you make sure that you are using black? While all blacks look the same on screen there can be noticeable differences when printing resulting in a different result than expected: www.printernational.org/rich-black-plain-black.

Interestingly while the number of web colours have increased from the initial web-safe palette, the number of print colours have remained the same since the introduction of the modern process. Although Pantone introduced their Hexachrome system, within recent years, adding orange and green to turn CMYK into CMYKOG.

It’s a colourful life

Color Pencils image from Shutterstock.

At the end of the day it’s a colourful life and there are plenty of resources out there to make life easier for us such as: www.colorsontheweb.com. But it’s important to use colour wisely, it’s easy to get carried away with an entire rainbow at the end of your mouse but keeping it simple will help focus a user’s attention and not overwhelm or distract from what you really want them to focus on, whether it’s a link, email address or text.

How many colours would you say there are? Is it possible to provide a definite answer? Or does it depend on how, or what, you are creating?

You might also like…

25 Free Color Tools, Apps and Palette Generators »
Beginners Guide to Using the Power of Color in Web Design »
Understanding and the Meaning of Color Within Design »
The Complete Web Design Style Series (700 Designs in 14 Categories) »

Want a special gift for a family member.  Send us a picture and the size you would like it produced, and we can stretch and mount the image on artist canvas or face mount to acrylic for an extra special gift for someone you love.

To be effective, the visual impact of your trade show display must make a strong first impression and communicate your message in a matter of seconds. This small window of time is critical to attracting prospects to your booth and maximizing your sales opportunities.

Getting Started

Begin your trade show display selection process by answering the following questions. These will help you determine the exhibit type, size, design, and configuration that meets your specific needs.

• What do you want to accomplish through trade show participation?
• How do you plan to use your exhibit to meet your objectives?
• How large are the events in which you plan to participate? Do they attract national, regional or local audiences?.
• What location type (in-line, corner, end, island) and size of trade show exhibit display space will you reserve?
• How many events will you participate in annually?
• How much is allocated in your trade show budget to ensure you can meet your company’s exhibiting requirements? Your exhibit, banner stands, lighting and accessories can range from a few thousand dollars to more than $50,000+ for a top-end customized display.
• How will you transport your display to each show? Will you require a company that specializes in trade show freight services or will you be shipping and storing the exhibit yourself?

Types of Trade Show Exhibit Displays

Whether you decide to have a custom exhibit produced, or adapt a used or rental unit, the type of trade show display you need will be based on the nature of shows you attend and what you want to accomplish at each one. Here are some standard types of exhibition stands and displays.

Graphics and Banners

You want your trade show exhibit display graphics and banners to grab people’s attention and draw them into your booth.  Executive Printers of Florida can provide graphic services in-house.

Be sure graphics and banners with your company and/or product name is highly visible, well-lit, and features large easy-to-read type. You may want to have multiple signs in different areas of your booth. Keep your message succinct and direct.  After all, you only have about three seconds to make an impression and turn a prospect into a viable lead.

For a complete catalog of trade show display solutions,
please visit – http://www.exhibitors-handbook.com/

Contact a trade show specialist today 305-887-4333

David also sits on the board of the Police Officer Assistant Trust (POAT) as the solitary civilian board member representing non law enforcement.  The POAT reaches out to all branches of law enforcement distributes funds to injured and fallen officers families and law enforcement families that are in need.  We need to protect our officers and their families to help keep us and our cities safe.

Acrylic photo framed prints are becoming hugely popular and are finding their way into homes up and down the country. 5 Years ago acrylic framed prints would have only been seen in top New york and London Penthouses but now they are becoming an everyday feature in homes up and down the country. Acrylic frames are now a very popular and affordable way of framing photos and artwork.

So what makes an acrylic framed print? There are a number of different framing methods with acrylic photo frames. The majority of acrylic frames are traditionally held to the wall with contemporary wall fixings usually called standoffs. The standoffs are usually chrome colored, Matt silver or even gold although they can come in a number of metallic colored finishes.

Acrylic printing is the most expensive style of acrylic photo frame, this is where the print or image is printed directly onto the acrylic. This method is done with very expensive printers which use white ink to print directly onto the plastic. When this method is used usually the image is printed onto a single 10mm panel which is then fixed to the wall with standoffs.

The print is then face mounted onto the panel with a sheet of face mounting clear sheet. The sheet has a plastic film on both sides which is peeled back, the sticky side is then stuck to the print and then stuck directly onto the acrylic panel. The sticky sheet is usually applied to the image with a mounted roller laminator to ensure that air bubbles to do not arise between the sticky sheet and the acrylic. This style of framing is usually applied to either 10mm panel or 5mm panels for a cheaper option.

The image is usually centered in the middle of the frame which allows the back panel acrylic to be shown. The back panel of the acrylic in this style can either be Clear, Black, White or any other color.

The advantage of this style of framing method is that it is affordable to create and therefore has created a huge rise in the sales of acrylic frames. Another advantage of acrylic sandwich panel frames is that the image can easily be changed as it is not fixed directly onto the panels.

We are Executive Printers of Florida and we create highly affordable classy acrylic panel frames. The method of framing that we use is the face mounting and acrylic sandwich frame. Our acrylic frames are extremely high quality and highly affordable. For more information on face mounting and acrylic sandwich frames please contact us at 305-887-4333.

 
Check out our handy Pantone ® Color chart. This chart is a reference guide only. Pantone ® colors on computer screens may vary based on the graphics card and monitor used in your system. For true accuracy use the Pantone ® Color Publication. 

Choosing the Right Paper Finishes

Learning about print finishing will make your job as a designer, marketer or business owner easier and will help streamline the print process.

Rx forms used for prescribing Medicaid reimbursed medications must be purchased from a Florida State Medicaid Board approved printer.

All controlled substances must be written on scripts obtained from Florida Department of Health approved printers.

The use of Script Paper is controlled by Federal and State Agencies.
Any attempt to purchase Rx Paper Products by unauthorized persons or by persons providing falsified information will be reported to the proper authorities for prosecution to the full extent of the law.

Acceptance of any and all orders for Rx paper products is at the discretion of the Executive Printers of Florida Security Compliance Team.

Contact an Rx specialist today at 305-887-4333  or rx@executiveprinters.com.

The growth of digital printing technology has brought technical advancements, more options, and exciting new features to today’s commercial printing. It’s also brought some confusion. An understanding of the advantages and disadvantages of digital printing and how those compare to traditional offset lithography is critical in making the right choice.

Most Common
Offset lithography is the most common high volume commercial printing technology. In offset printing, the desired print image is burned onto a plate and is then transferred (or offset) from the plate to a rubber blanket, and then to the printing surface. The lithographic process is based on the repulsion of oil and water. The image to be printed gets ink from ink rollers, while the non printing area attracts a film of water, keeping the non printing areas ink-free.

Mechanical Steps Eliminated in Digital Printing
Digital printing eliminates many of the mechanical steps required for conventional printing, including making films and color proofs, manually stripping the pieces together and making plates.

So… Which is Better
Well, it seems that depends.

Advantages of Digital
* Shorter turnaround.
* Every print is the same. More accurate counts, less waste and fewer variations, due to not having to balance ink and water during press run.
* Cheaper low volume printing. While the unit cost of each piece may be higher than with offset printing, when setup costs are included digital printing provides lower per unit costs for very small print runs.
* Variable Data Printing is a form of customizable digital printing. Using information from a database or external file, text and graphics can be changed on each piece without stopping or slowing down the press. For example, personalized letters can be printed with a different name and address on each letter. Variable data printing is used primarily for direct marketing, customer relationship development and advertising.

Advantages of Offset
* High image quality. * Works on a wide range of printing surfaces including paper, wood, cloth, metal, leather, rough paper and plastic.
* The unit cost goes down as the quantity goes up.
* Quality and cost-effectiveness in high volume jobs. While today’s digital presses are close to the cost/benefit ratio of offset for high quality work, they are not yet able to compete with the volume an offset press can produce.
* Many modern offset presses use computer-to-plate systems as opposed to the older computer-to-film work flows, further increasing quality.

Still Not Sure Which is Right?

Use this checklist to help decide:
* Quantity. Offset printing has a front-end cost load. Short runs may have a high unit cost. But as quantities increase, the unit cost goes down with offset printing. Very short runs can be much more cost effective with digital printing; while larger quantities are likely to have a lower unit cost with offset printing.
* Printing medium. Do you need or want a special paper, finish or unusual printing surface, or unique size? The options are increasing continually for digital, but offset printing still offers the most flexibility.
* Color. Digital presses use four-color process printing. If you need only black ink or one or two ink colors, offset printing may offer a more cost-effective solution. If you need four-color printing, digital may offer advantages in lower up-front costs.
* More on color. If you’re planning to print using the Pantone® Matching System, offset printing will give you the best match, since it uses actual Pantone® ink. Digital printing simulates the color using a four-color matching process, so some digital printers may offer less accurate color matching on projects.
* Turnaround. If you need it fast, digital usually offers quicker delivery.
* Proofing. Digital offers accurate proofs since you see an actual sample of the printed piece. Accurate color proofing for offset printing can be expensive.
* Customization. Without question, digital printing offers the most affordable way to customize marketing materials, direct mail pieces, letters, etc.

Summary
Use the above checklist to help you decide and talk to your printer before submitting your job for advice on preparing files properly for the option you choose.

(source: http://www.pinscreative.com/articles/digital_vs_offset.htm)

1. It’s good practice to recycle, recycle, RECYCLE! Its always a good time to start; they say a little bit always helps.

2. Always use “print preview” before you print. It is easy to miss small mistakes, a quick check in print preview can save a whole run. Oftentimes we don’t notice these small mistakes in formatting or spelling until the job is printed.

3. Request files be proofed digitally instead of hard copies.

4. Minimize your page count. This can be done in a number of ways. Reduce margin space, using small (but still readable) fonts, and printing on both sides of the paper are a few ways.

5. If you have ink jet printers, have the cartridges refilled.

6. Print on recycled, chlorine free paper. Although 100% recycled paper might be too expensive, 30% is also available.

7. Set copiers and printers to go into standby mode after periods of downtime. Power down all machines before leaving at the end of the day.

8 .Paper-Use recycled or PCW (post consumer waste) paper. There are certifications such as FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) or SFI (Sustainable Forestry Initiative) that support sustainable forestry practices.

9 .Consider Alternative Substrates. Not all paper is made from trees, papers can be made from Cotton, Hemp and other more renewable plant sources or fibers.

10. Digital Printing, Instituting smaller quantity orders so obsolescence and waste are reduced.

Summary
It is never to late to start; as your company grows, your green initiative will “grow” with it. They say a little bit always helps, any steps we take in our businesses to better the planet we also better ourselves.

If you have any other questions or would like additional tips, feel free to email contact us.