Page 86 - Enhancing CAD Drawings with Photoshop

4386.book Page 69 Monday, November 15, 2004 3:27 PM

PROFESSIONAL COLOR 69

TIP The Cintiq interactive pen display is the ultimate display device, combining input and output
technologies. It features a pressure-sensitive tablet transparently overlaying an 18˝ color LCD dis-
play (about $2500 U.S.). Find out more at www.wacom.com.

RGB Printers
A common misconception is that you should convert an image to CMYK color mode before printing
on a desktop inkjet printer. However, all desktop printers are designed to receive RGB color data, so
you should keep your images in RGB color mode in Photoshop. Convert to CMYK only when using
a professional printing press that uses four separate plates (excellent for high-volume printing).
The best RGB printers as of this book’s publication use high-end inkjet technology. In the past, Iris
printers or dye-sublimation machines were the best in the business, but experts now agree that more
affordable inkjet technology has taken over the industry.

NOTE High-end RGB prints are sometimes called Giclee or Piezo prints in the art world.
Epson and HP are among the most respected inkjet printer manufacturers. In particular, Epson has
built a solid reputation among fine art printers and professional photographers. If color is critical to
expressing your design vision, consider purchasing a studio-quality color printer. For example, Epson
currently makes top-quality printers ranging from $700 to $8000. The ultimate would be to have a
smaller desktop model for hard proofs (13˝ wide) and a larger floor model that handles 24˝ wide
media for presentations.

Inks
When it comes to inkjet ink, you need to take several items into account. Many high-end printers use
more than the traditional four inks that emulate traditional printing presses (cyan, magenta, yellow,
and black). For example, Epson currently uses the seven-color ink system mentioned in Chapter 1 that
includes light cyan, cyan, light magenta, magenta, yellow, light black, and black. HP currently has an
eight-color ink system in some models.
The actual ink droplet size is critical in how much resolution can be achieved with inkjet technol-
ogy (the smaller, the better). Look for inks with droplet volume in the range of 5 picoliters for best
results.
Many printers can be retrofitted with continuous-flow ink systems that connect the moving print
head with flexible tubes to bottles of ink outside the printer. The advantage here is economy because
bottled ink can save you up to 90% on ink costs compared with single-use cartridges.