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The properties of color
This chapter covers concepts that are basic to printing in color, including:
• The properties of color
• Printing techniques
• Using color effectively
• Raster images and vector images
• Optimizing files for processing and printing
• Workflow scenarios
If you are already familiar with color theory and digital color printing, you can skip to
the last section (page 1-10) for tips on optimizing your files for printing.
The properties of color
What we call “color” is really a perceptual ability unique to humans and a small
number of animal species. Color theory is an attempt to systematize the properties of
color perception, which by nature is relative and changeable. A color appears different
depending on the other colors around it, and individuals vary in their abilities to
perceive color.
This section introduces concepts that are basic to color theory. You will encounter
some of these concepts (such as hue, saturation, and brightness) when you work with
color in applications; others provide useful background information.
Color is a complex
topic, so consider this a starting point for experimentation and further research.
The physics of color
The human eye can see electromagnetic radiation at wavelengths between 400
nanometers (purplish blue) and 700 nanometers (red). This range is called the visible
spectrum of light. We see pure
spectral light
as intensely saturated or pure colors.
Sunlight at midday, which we perceive as white or neutral light, is composed of light
from across the visible spectrum in more or less equal proportions. Shining sunlight
through a prism separates it into its spectral components, resulting in the familiar
rainbow of colors (plate 1).
Chapter 1:
Desktop Color
Primer
