Ed #2 Quadtones

To help manage these concerns, you need to work with your printer. You should sit down together and review the artwork that you are supplying. You also need to get an accurate color proof. The most accurate color proofs are made from the film that will be used to make the printing plate, but they are not an option if you are printing the project digitally, skipping film and going straight to plate. In that case the best bet is to ask for a digital match print, which shows the dots as they will be printed on the plate, along with any moiré patterns or other potential problems with the screens. Another alternative–dye sublimation proofs–are an acceptable, but not great, choice. While they show the halftone dots, they cannot provide advanced warning of moirés or other problems.

Laser proofs can be misleading, because laser printers only produce 2,000 colors, far fewer than the 24,000 colors that can be achieved with a printing press, and the colors they do produce are often oversaturated.

Most printers will tell you that investing in a good proof is money well spent, because it will help you avoid even more expensive problems later on. But remember, even the best proofing process is just a simulation and does not apply printing ink to the paper that will run on the press.