Design resources

Color

CMYK is short for Cyan-Magenta-Yellow-Black, the four colors of ink used in printing. It is the standard color model used in offset printing for full-color documents.

RGB Short for Red-Green-Blue, is used for display devices, such as computer monitors.

Some printers may prefer your files be delivered in RGB with ICC profiles attached, as this allows the printer to use color management methods when converting to CMYK. Other printers may prefer your files in the CMYK (Cyan/Magenta/Yellow/Black) mode, as this is the mode required for the printing process. If an RGB (Red/Green/Blue) file is submitted, it must be converted to CMYK (four-color process) for print.

File Types

A file type refers to the type of information a file contains. Depending on what you are using a file for, a different file type may be needed. When selecting the proper file type, using the proper type of image is important.

An introduction to file types:

File extension	Program	Use	Notes
EPS	Adobe Illustrator	Professional print jobs	May be opened but not modified in Photoshop. Does use transparency
JPG or JPEG	Photoshop, MS Word	Do-it-yourself print jobs	Does not support transparency
GIF	Photoshop	Web	Does use transparency. Does not resize well.

Fonts

Fonts, or typefaces, are a set of type in a particular face or size. NAMI publications use a specific set of fonts. Some fonts are only compatible on either Apple or PC operating systems.

Hue

The color or shade of an image.

ICC profile

This is a set of data that characterizes a color input or output of a particular device, such as monitor or printer.

Images

Most images online are not available to be used in personal publications without permission. There are many websites, known as paid stock image sites, where you can pay to use images. Check out iStock or Photos to Go for examples. One website that, depending on copyright constraints, does not require payment for image use is Flickr. To find free images, go to advanced search and check the Creative Commons license box. Creative Commons allows creators to share their copyrighted work with others free of charge. See File Types for which type of file to use.

Pantone

A system for matching colors, used in specifying printing inks. Visit Pantone for more information.

Resolution

The number of dots per inch (dpi) that make up an image on paper or on a screen. The resolution required for print and online use is different:

Print: For print publications, the resolution of images needs to be 300 dpi.
Web: For web use, the resolution of images needs to be only 72 dpi.

Saturation

The intensity of a color, expressed as the degree to which it differs from white.

Software

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