Design 101
Use the menu below to go to the different sections of our audio mastering information, or scroll down to read through each section sequentially.
Part 1: Vector vs. Raster Graphics
There are two types of graphics you will be dealing with when doing your design: raster graphics, and vector graphics.
Raster Graphics
Raster graphics are "pixel based" images, that is: they are made up of pixels (little squares of color).
In Adobe® Photoshop®, for example, a grid is used to map where pixels are placed. By placing different colored pixels throughout the grid, an image is produced. An image with a larger, denser grid (more squares to place pixels into), can hold more detail than an image with a smaller, less dense grid, and is referred to as a "higher resolution" image. A "lower resolution" image contains less pixel information than a "high-res" image.
You cannot increase the size of a raster image after it's been created without decreasing it's resolution.
The grid used in a raster image has to be defined in order to have a place to put the image's pixels: consequently, the image's resolution (grid density) is FIXED as soon as you start creating the image. This means that if you create an image with a resolution of 9 pixels per inch, the grid will only hold 9 pixels per inch and your image will only contain 81 (9 x 9) pixels. If you increase the size of the image you decrease the resolution of the image in the process.
When you increase the size of an image you decrease the image's resolution.
You can increase the image's resolution (increase the density of the image's grid), but your image still only contains the original 81 pixels that you started with.
Increasing the resolution of an image gives it a denser grid, however, realistically you are just breaking up the original pixels into smaller pieces to give you 324 pixels.
Changing the size of an image in a program such as Adobe Photoshop actually does more than just increase the size of the original pixels; it "resamples", and recreates the image to a certain degree. HOWEVER, Photoshop still only has the original pixels to reference, so although the image is "enhanced" as its size or resolution is increased the resulting image is not as good as it should be.Photoshop will increase the size and/or resolution of an image and "enhance" the image, in so doing however, the result is still of lesser quality than the original.
Computer monitors are "low res" devices and typically display images at between 72ppi and 96ppi (screen resolution). Images going to print need to be 300ppi. Screen resolution images are not acceptable for print. Graphics displayed in web pages on the internet are most commonly created using screen resolutions because they are only intended for viewing on a computer monitor, SO you should never use graphics which you have saved out of a web page. Generally speaking, GIFs, PNGs, and JPEGs should be avoided.
NOTE: You can DECREASE the size or resolution of an image without any visible loss in quality, eg., you can safely reduce an image with a resolution of 600ppi down to 300ppi, or from 8" x 8" to 4" x 4".
Vector Graphics
Vector graphics are not made with pixels, they are made with vectors. Vectors are mathematical equations defining direction. A program such as Adobe Illustrator®, intended for vector graphics, draws graphics on screen using equations, and not a grid mapping pixels. Instead of placing pixels into a grid to create a circle, vector based programs draw a circle from an equation. The advantage of using equations instead of pixels to draw shapes is that there is no "resolution" involved. Because the vector based drawing program creates a circle based on an equation, a circle drawn with a radius of 3" is no different than a circle drawn with 3000" radius (one just has bigger numbers plugged into the equation than the other). Vector graphics can be resized to any size without becoming "pixelated" or losing resolution.
Raster images are the only choice for photo realistic images, as vector graphics are limited to outlines and fills of shapes.
Vector graphics are the best choice for line art (eg., logos), and TEXT because the outlines of these shapes are always sharp, and cleanly defined.
Fonts are vector based. For each character of a font there is an equation defining it's shape. In general, text should be made using fonts, and not raster images. We do not recommend laying out the text of your design in Photoshop®. Photoshop does handle nice clean vector based fonts, however in order to go to film with artwork created in Photoshop, any fonts used in your file will have to be "rasterized" (or "rendered") and converted from vector to raster. Raster text is not as sharp as vector text.
Raster text is made up of pixels, and does not have perfect edges.
Vector based text always has sharp, perfect edges.
Part 2: CMYK Printing
There are two printing processes used in the making of your CD and packaging: offset printing, and silkscreening. All of the packaging printed onto paper (eg., CD booklet, traycard) is printed using a process called "CMYK printing" or "4 Color Process printing". The CD label artwork is printed using a process called "silk screening".
CMYK Printing (4 Color Process)
CMYK printing uses only 4 colors. By printing combinations of Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and blacK ("K" is used to identify black instead of "B" in order to avoid confusion with blue or brown) CMYK printing can produce a multitude of other colors. With this type of printing tiny dots of each color are printed in combination to produce other colors.
The printed dots are small enough to avoid detection by the unaided human eye and give the illusion of making a solid color. So for example if we wanted to print green, we would print Cyan and Yellow... up close you can see the separate dots of Cyan and Yellow but when viewed normally the printed Cyan and Yellow dots "mix" together and give the illusion of green.
When viewed normally the individual dots of Cyan and Yellow disappear, seemingly "blending together" and making green. In order to print CMYK we must make film separations. Artwork is processed by an imagesetter (the piece of equipment we use to make film), and divided into 4 different pieces. Each separated piece represents a color: one piece = all of the Cyan in your artwork, another = all of the Magenta, another = Yellow, and another = blacK. After the imagesetter has separated your artwork into 4 colors, each separation is made into a piece of film. These 4 pieces of film are then sent to printer where the colors will be printed one at time.
Because four plates of film are made for each part of your job to be printed in CMYK, it is important to "label" the colors in your artwork. That is: by placing the letter "C" or the word "Cyan" in 100% cyan, 0% magenta, 0% yellow, and 0% black into your original artwork you are ensuring that "C" or "Cyan" will be separated to the Cyan plate, and only the Cyan plate. Doing this for each of the four colors (CMYK) guarantees that the separated plates can be identified, and that for example the Yellow plate won't be mistakenly printed in Magenta.
This is why you must supply your artwork to us in CMYK. A common error is to work in RGB, or screen mode. RGB is how your computer monitor displays colors. Your monitor uses different combinations of Red, Green, and Blue to produce other colors. Unfortunately not all color combinations possible using RGB are possible using CMYK (and vica versa). We cannot make RGB film separations, consequently we have to convert all images supplied in RGB mode to CMYK mode. When RGB artwork is converted to CMYK the colors change and the differences can be extreme. In order to avoid the unpleasant surprise of all of the colors in your artwork changing into something completely different than you are expecting, you should work in CMYK mode from the start of your project.
Part 3: Silkscreening
CD label artwork is printed onto CDs using a process called "silk screening". Silkscreening uses Pantone® colors. Pantone colors are a set of colors used by printers all over the world; the Pantone Matching System (or PMS®). Each Pantone color is identified by a number [eg., one type of Pantone red is referred to as Pan 185c (The "c" indicates that this color is from the "coated" group of Pantone colors. You can ONLY use Pantone solid coated colors when placing your order with Healey Music. Pantone solid coated coated colors DO include CMYK.)], and each number is associated with a specific "recipe" of inks. These "recipes" indicate to the printer how each color should be made (eg., Pan 185c would be made up of "this many parts of this ink" and "that many parts of that ink"...) This standarized set of ink combinations ensures that the Pantone 185c used by the printer in France is the same as the Pantone 185c used by the printer the United States.
Silkscreening involves the creation of a "screen" representing one color from your CD label artwork. Your artwork will be separated into its constituent colors, these separations will then be output to film, and screens for each plate of film will be made (in the example below Pan Black c, and Pan 185c are used; one screen would be made for all of the Pan Black c used in the artwork, and another would be made for all of the Pan 185c used in the artwork).
An image is separated into its Pantone components, and film plates of the individual colors are produced. In this case the artwork uses 3 Pantone colors, Pantone 130c, Black, and White (the White is represented by 100% cyan because in design, white represents the absence of color, that is, wherever white appears in a design, there will be no printing. In order to set up a plate for white, another solid color is used to represent it.)
Because individual color plates of film are made for each part of your job to be printed in Pantones, it is important to "label" the colors in your artwork. Using the above illustration as an example: by placing the Pantone selection "Black" in 100% Pantone Black, "Pan 130c" in 100% Pantone 130c, and "White" in 100% cyan into your original artwork you are ensuring that "Black" will be separated to the Black plate, and only the Black plate. Doing this for each of the colors used in your artwork guarantees that the separated plates can be identified, and that for example, the Black plate won't be mistakenly printed in Pan 130c.
The final screens are placed, one at a time, onto the face of each CD and the appropriate Pantone color is squeezed through the screen (the screens are made of a porous material that allows tiny dots of ink to pass through). The screens are then removed and the image represented by each screen is left behind on the CD face in the appropriate colors.
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