4 COLOR PROCESS ARTWORK

4 color process is just as it is named. A process of printing 4 transparent colors (inks) to achieve a full color or photographic image as illustrated above. These colors are layered over one another which produces the entire range of colors that make up the final image. There are different printing processes which use 4 color process to reproduce images. The most common are digital printing and offset printing. While offset printing is specifically used for the printing of paper products, digital printing is growing and expanded it's capabilities almost daily. Currently, offset printing is more cost effective for large quantity runs of such things as books, magazines, catalogs, post cards, business cards and like products. Digital printing is much more flexible and allows for cost efficiency in smaller and even single printed items.

4 color process images can be reproduced from raster or vector graphics. Raster graphics are generally required to be at least 300 dpi (dots per inch) to reproduce clearly with 4 color process printing for books, magazines, catalogs, post cards, business cards, magnets, and like products.