I've been setting up my print files wrong for my whole business

I was finishing a big sticker order for a coffee shop in Portland and the owner asked why the colors looked dull. I always just hit 'print' from my design software, but he showed me his old printer's proof from a different job. Turns out I never switched my document to CMYK mode before sending it out. The colors were getting messed up because I was leaving everything in RGB. I've probably done this on like 50 orders. Has anyone else had a color mode disaster like this?

3 comments

3 Comments

shane_anderson1mo ago

Oh man, the "colors looked dull" part hits home. I once printed a whole batch of bright orange safety flyers that came out a sad, fleshy peach color. The client was not happy. I felt like an idiot because it was such a basic setting I just never checked. You're not alone in that club.

the_miles1mo ago

Can confirm, printers are secretly colorblind.

dylan12426d ago

It's funny how many things in life have hidden little quirks like this that you only discover the hard way. Printers and their color settings, microwave popcorn buttons that don't really work right, those automatic lights that turn off on you at the worst time. You just assume a machine will do what it says on the box, but there's always some weird little secret it won't tell you until you mess up. Kind of makes you wonder how many other everyday things are running on a bad setting and we just never notice.