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4386.book Page 70 Monday, November 15, 2004 3:27 PM

70 CHAPTER 2 WORKING WITH COLOR

TIP Learn more about the Niagara continuous-flow ink system at www.mediastreet.com.
Ink itself can be classified as either a dye or a pigment, depending on whether it is water-soluble.
Dyes have a larger gamut but fade more quickly than pigments. On the other hand, pigments tend to
have a greater archival quality. The choice depends on your needs and is affected by the paper used.

Specialty Paper
The type of paper you use makes a huge difference in the quality of the resulting print. Do not sell
yourself short by printing an important presentation on inexpensive bond paper. You can print on a
wide variety of substrates, including canvas, textured watercolor paper, satin, rag, velvet, glossy and
matte finish photo paper, and more. Consult a service provider, paper companies, or your printer
manufacturer for media options that are designed to work with your printers.
TIP Different ink, paper, and framing combinations have varying archival qualities. See www.wilhelm-
research.com for estimated longevity test results of popular inks, printers, and media.

Summary
Your relationship with color can be as amateurish or professional as you desire. Although amateurs
tend not to be able to print color consistently or to be able to make effective color corrections on a mon-
itor, they also do not spend any energy on the subject (and may not need to). In this chapter you have
seen how you can tighten up your color workflow so that what you see on the monitor is exactly what
you get in your output.
Although the learning curve may be steep in producing professional color, its benefit may be well
worth the effort. Color is a beautiful dimension that greatly adds to your work if you choose to embrace
what it takes to work with it effectively on a computer.