Color Makes An Impact

Knowing the basics of color can help expand solutions

By Stacey Wenzel

When customers are looking to get a reaction from their printed product, one persuasive technique is the use of color.

Whether it's a direct mail piece or a company logo, color can make quite an impact--and knowing the basics can be a big advantage when selling it.

Industry professionals advise first understanding the difference between flat, or spot color and four-color process.

"Determining what type of color to use really depends on the specific job," said Tracy Dennis, sales manager for Newtown, Pa.-based Newtown/CPC. "Flat and process color each have a different use."

Dennis explained that four-color process can be used to achieve a specific color through the mix of four base colors--cyan, magenta, yellow and black (CMYK).

Flat color, she added, is one color--not a mix. "Flat color is used when you need a very specific color that has to be exactly the same every time," she said. In addition, Dennis noted that flat color is effective with very fine type, where registration may be an issue.

However, Bill Maguire, president of Peninsular Printing, Daytona Beach, Fla., noted that ink is more expensive with spot color, because it has to be an exact match, whereas four-color process can be mixed.

"When printing four or fewer colors, or if you have colors that need specific matching--as with a company logo--use spot color," said John Fortner, sales representative for Bernadette Business Forms, Hazelwood, Mo. "Four-color process is used for printing full-color photographs and images. When printing multiple colors it can sometimes be more cost-effective to build the colors from four-color process."