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Until recently, most color printing was done on printing presses using one of several printing 
techniques, such as 

techniques require lengthy preparation before a press run can take place. Short-run color 
printing, including Color Server printing, eliminates most of this preparation. By 
streamlining the process of color printing, the Color Server makes short print runs 
economically feasible.

In contemporary offset lithographic printing, digital files from desktop computers are output 
to an 

, which creates film separations. The film is used to make a 

, 

which is an accurate predictor of the final print job and allows you to make corrections before 
going to press. Once the proof is approved, the printer makes plates from the film and runs 
the print job on the press. 

With the Color Server, you simply print the file. The Color Server processes the 

information in the file and sends four 

(one each for cyan, magenta, yellow, and 

black) to the printer. The ease of Color Server printing makes possible experimentation that 
would be too costly on a press, allowing unlimited fine-tuning of color and design elements.

Halftoning is used in offset printing to print each process color at a different intensity, 
allowing millions of different colors to be reproduced using only the four process colors. 
Depending on the required intensity of a given color, toner is placed on paper in dots of 
different size. The grid of dots used for each toner color is called a screen. Halftone screens are 
aligned to unique angles designed to eliminate interference patterns called 

arise with halftoning. 

Some color printers are commonly referred to as 

 (contone) devices. They do 

not use traditional halftone screen patterns and angles. Contone devices are capable of varying 
the intensity of individual dots. 

Even if your color printing is done exclusively on the Color Server, you will encounter 
concepts from offset printing if you use high-end graphics applications. For example, color 
controls in illustration applications, such as Adobe Illustrator, are geared toward specifying 
color for offset printing using process and 

. Many applications allow you to specify 

the screening used for each printing plate. 

The ability to print in color can greatly increase the effectiveness of your message, whether 
you are printing a presentation or newsletter (short-run printing), or proofing an ad concept 
that will later be printed on a press (color proofing). Some potential benefits of using color 
include:

• Conveying information rapidly by using color cues

• Making use of the emotive aspects of different colors

• Increasing impact and message retention 

Color can also be a source of distraction and discord if it is used poorly. This section outlines 
some guidelines and concepts to consider as you approach designing color materials.

To create successful color materials, consider the following:

• Use color to aid comprehension, rather than applying colors indiscriminately. 

In presentations, graphs, and charts, use color to highlight patterns and 
emphasize differences. 

• Use color sparingly. In general, fewer colors work better than many colors.

• Use red as an accent color. Red is particularly effective when used in otherwise 

monochromatic materials.

• Consider the tastes of your target audience when choosing colors. 

• Keep a file of printed color pieces that appeal to you or strike you as effective. Refer to it 

for ideas when designing your own documents.

A color wheel like the one in the following figure is a helpful tool for understanding the 
interrelation of colors. The colors on one side of the color wheel, from magenta to yellow, 
appear to most people to be warm colors, while those on the other side, from green to blue, 
appear to be cool. The distance between two colors on the color wheel can help predict how 
they will appear when seen side by side.

Colors opposite one another on the color wheel are called complements (see example a in the 
following figure), and create a striking contrast side by side. This can be the basis for a bold 
graphical design, but it is an effect you should use with discretion, since it can be visually 
fatiguing. Other bold combinations to consider are split complements—a color and the two 
colors adjacent to its complement (example b)—and triads (three colors evenly spaced on the 
color wheel (example c). Colors adjacent to one another on the color wheel result in subtle 
harmonies.

The color wheel simplifies color relationships for the purpose of clarity, showing only 
saturated or pure colors. Adding the myriad variations of each hue to the palette (more or less 
saturated, darker, or lighter) creates a wealth of possibilities. Taking a pair of complements 
from the color wheel and varying the saturation and brightness of one or both colors produces 
a very different result from the pure complements. Combining a light tint of a warm color 
with a darker shade of its cooler complement often gives pleasing results. Combining a darker 
shade of a warm color with a light tint of its cooler complement produces an unusual effect 
that may appeal to you.

Once you have mastered the concept of the color wheel, you have a good framework for 
experimenting with color combinations. Many books targeted at graphic designers show 
groups of preselected color combinations. Some are organized by themes or moods, and some 
are based on a 

, such as PANTONE. The more you develop a critical 

facility for judging color combinations, the more you will trust your own eye for color. For a 
selection of books about design, see the