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Silver Tritone


M

Mash69

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Hello,
I have a customer who wants to Print litho a photo book using tritones made up of black warm grey and silver 877. I know that using pantone silver within a tritone can be difficult due to the colours overprinting the silver. As I understand it I need to keep the silver in the highlights?

Any help and advice would be gratefully received.
 
As someone who worked in the print industry many years, watched the technology and process change, the best advice I can give you is to talk to your vendor first. He knows what his equipment is capable of and what inks and paper stocks available can offer the best reproduction. I'd also say that the best vendor would be the one who has tried the technique and is aware of the limitations - it's up to you if you want a printer to experiment with your work.

That being said,, you need to not just be aware of of the file you're creating, but also the type of press you're printing on and the stock you're planning to use. Most certainly, working with metallics, you want to use a coated stock so the metallic inks can "stand up" on the stock. When using uncoated stocks, the ink sinks into the paper and the metallic effect dies along with it.

Another consideration since you mentioned using the metallic in the highlights, the dots tend to get smaller in the highlighted areas and the metallic look will die back. Metallic inks are best used in sizable areas, ie spot colors, to take advantage of their properties. For what you're planning, you might want to use 2 different grays or maybe consider using the metallic in the midtones rather than the highlights. Again, your vendor will be the best resource as a path towards reproducing the best work.

From here, it gets highly technical especially related to ink chemistry, press chemistry, and print sequence.

You can read a bit more here:

https://graphicartsmag.com/articles/2012/03/about-metallic-inks/

https://graphicdesign.stackexchange...eep-in-mind-when-designing-a-metallic-duotone


I can't say this enough - your vendor is your best partner in this process.

Possibly others in this group might jump in and possibly someone has tried this technique. But keep in mind this goes beyond just preparing a file but dealing with the chemistry and mechanical cnstraints ot the process and the substrates (paper) used. That will also effect how you prepare your file.

Hope I didn't scare you away....it certainly sounds like a unique effect.

- Jeff
 
Thank you so much for your reply. I will check out each link carefully. I think it could look amazing or awful and do I am trying to gain as much info as possible. Thank you again.
 
Mash69 said:
Thank you so much for your reply. I will check out each link carefully. I think it could look amazing or awful and do I am trying to gain as much info as possible. Thank you again.
Click to expand...
My absolute pleasure to help!
Depending on your relationship with your client, I would ask the honest question "what are you trying to achieve?" Is it possible they saw something that they want to reproduce? Can they get a sample? Is it just an idea they had and want to see if it's possible?
If you can find out what the client wants as an end result, there may be other options. The vendor may also ask that question.
I would really love to see/hear the final result if possible. Please follow up and let me/us know what the final decision was. Keep print alive and keep creating! :cheesygrin:
- Jeff
 
JeffK said:
My absolute pleasure to help!
Depending on your relationship with your client, I would ask the honest question "what are you trying to achieve?" Is it possible they saw something that they want to reproduce? Can they get a sample? Is it just an idea they had and want to see if it's possible?
If you can find out what the client wants as an end result, there may be other options. The vendor may also ask that question.
I would really love to see/hear the final result if possible. Please follow up and let me/us know what the final decision was. Keep print alive and keep creating! :cheesygrin:
- Jeff
Click to expand...
 
They have a book that was printed from quadtones. 2 blacks a grey and metallic pewter. To be honest it looks good but not amazing. I work for the printing company that will be printing the book. We are going so a print test next week. I will adjust the curves and print 6 different versions on a B2 sheet. I will be sure to let you know how we get on.
 
Mash69 said:
They have a book that was printed from quadtones. 2 blacks a grey and metallic pewter. To be honest it looks good but not amazing. I work for the printing company that will be printing the book. We are going so a print test next week. I will adjust the curves and print 6 different versions on a B2 sheet. I will be sure to let you know how we get on.
Click to expand...
Press proofs are the best way to go. Real inks in real time - will gain you a more educated approach.
Seems like you're taking the right approach. You do what you can to protect the client. That's always been my bottom line philosophy.
- Jeff
 
JeffK said:
Press proofs are the best way to go. Real inks in real time - will gain you a more educated approach.
Seems like you're taking the right approach. You do what you can to protect the client. That's always been my bottom line philosophy.
- Jeff
Click to expand...
Absolutely. We have been completely honest we the client, we, like most printing companies, have limited experience of using metallics in this way and he is happy to work with us.
Would you happen to know if that as we will be using just grey silver and black when I adjust the duotone curve should I keep a straight linear curve and just adjust depending on highlight mid tone or shadow?
 
I'm not sure I completely understand the question but the curves of each channel/color will be changed based upon the aesthetic endpoint. In other words, it depends what your client wants as a final finished piece.
Will each channel be a straight line? Hard to say but it depends on the characteristics of the original image and what the client wants. There is no "normal" that I can really refer you to

Choose part of your image, run several combinations, and see how it turns out. Considering the stock and the number of adjustment even the pressman can make, the final proof set is the best way to answer the question.

My apologies if that doesn't answer your question more clearly. Maybe someone else will jump in with some background info.

- Jeff
 
Not at all thank you for the reply. Fingers crossed the test print will answer the quest and point me in the right direction.
Thank you for your help and I promise to let you know how it goes.
 
One other suggestion - have your pressman provide you with a set of progressives, ie one color at a time. Like viewing one channel at a time in Photoshop.

So if you're running black, gray, and silver, he would provide sheets in black, gray and silver alone. Then compare those to the full color sheet and you can see where your strengths and weaknesses are. Might give you some insight where you can make adjustments.

- Jeff
 
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