Printing and File Preparation

Sending Spot Colors (Pantone/PMS) or RGB for Process Color Orders
Full color printing requires a mixture of Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black in order to represent the intended imagery. In some cases artwork may be created using in another gamut such as RGB or even using Spot colors. This presents a unique problem in printing as those colors must be converted to CMYK before they can be printed. This conversion process attempts to bring the resulting color as close as possible to the original, however in some cases, it is impossible to recreate that particular color.


This chart shows the full range of the visible spectrum as well as those colors that can be reproduced by both the RGB and CMYK spectrums. An RGB color when converted will be as close to the original as possible, but if it is in an area not covered by CMYK, it may take on a duller or different color.

It is always important to convert your artwork to CMYK prior to sending it for printing. This is your opportunity to see how much change will occur during the conversion and have a chance to make neccessary changes and avoid surprises when you received your finished product.

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Pantone Matching System (PMS)
A popular color matching system used by the printing industry to print spot colors. Most applications that support color printing allow you to specify colors by indicating the Pantone name or number. This assures that you get the right color when the file is printed, even though the color may not look right when displayed on your monitor. PMS works well for spot colors but not for process colors, which are generally specified using the CMYK color model.

Spot Color
Refers to a method of specifying and printing colors in which each color is printed with its own ink. In contrast, process color printing uses four inks (cyan, magenta, yellow, and black) to produce all other colors. Spot color printing is effective when the printed matter contains only one to three different colors, but it becomes prohibitively expensive for more colors. Most desktop publishing and graphics applications allow you to specify spot colors for text and other elements. There are a number of color specification systems for specifying spot colors, but Pantone is the most widely used.

Metallic Colors
Metallic Colors are actually Pantone Colors that have a metallic flake or sheen to them. They reflect the light to create a more metallic look. The most commonly used Metallic colors are silver and gold, both of which are part of the Standard Color selection at Alliant Printing.

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With our new integrated website, you can now get up to the minute updates on the status and location of your job in our facility. You will also receive notifications of events such as order receipt, proof approval, and a notice when the job goes out for fulfillment so you never have to wonder where your job is or when you will receive the finished product.

The end result? We provide the tools, products, and support so that you can focus on what is important, your business and your customers.

Our Products Include:

Full Color Printing:
Full Color Business Cards
Postcards
Flyers / Brochures
Booklets
Letterhead
Envelopes
Foldover Business Cards
Doorhangers
Rack Cards
Poster

Raised / Thermography Printing:
Raised Business Cards
Announcements
Letterhead
Envelopes
Commercial Envelopes
Commercial Flyers
Foldover Business
Cards
Doorhangers
NCR Forms
Notepad