Lightning Labels Blog

What Does "K" Stand for in CMYK?

CMYK, also known as four color process, is the standard in the printing industry for reproducing full color images. CMYK stands for Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black, the colors used in four color process printing. So this begs the question - why is it not called CMYB?

Well the answer is two-fold. Back in the old days of printing when all printing was done using plates the black plate was actually called the Key plate. This was because it contained the artistic detail or "key" information. Look at the pictures below and to the left  (courtesy of Wikipedia) that show the breakdown of a photo into the components of CMYK. You can see that the most detail is in the black color - hence the name for the black plate being the Key plate.

The second reason has to do with avoiding confusion with another very popular color model - RGB. RGB stands for Red-Green-Blue and this is how computer monitors and televisions represent color. Even though no one refers to the Black plate as the Key plate anymore, to avoid confusion with the RGB model, the four color process model has remained as CMYK.

A Change Coming for Wine Labels?

There is an article in today's LA Times detailing some changes federal regulators are considering for wine labels. In the winemaking process there are all kinds of different ingredients used that can make their way into the wine and some federal regulators want these ingredients listed on the wine label. The wine industry is predictably against this idea but there are some consumer advocates pushing for the change.

There are widely accepted wine processing practices that use such animal proteins as egg whites to remove impurities. There can also be traces of fish, chicken and milk proteins in wine. Some of these proteins inevitably can find their way into the finished product. Personally I don't think this is a big deal, but for people who are highly allergic knowing exactly what is in their wine could help them make choices that will increase their enjoyment of wine.

Congress mandated allergen labeling rules for all food and beverages in 2004 and it looks likely that the wine industry will be impacted as well. This will mean a label redesign for all wine labels as they meet the new regulatory requirements. Depending on the final decision on the changes this could be a very costly exercise for wineries. Lightning Labels customers will be protected from some of this expense because we use only digital label printing, so there will be no extra setup or plate charges for making these changes.

All About PMS and Pantone Colors

In printing PMS stands for Pantone Matching System. This is a system, developed by Pantone Inc., that is a color reference tool used to describe and define color. So when a label designer specifies PMS 186 in their artwork the printer will know exactly what color the designer is intending.

At the heart of the Pantone Matching System is a book that is now called the Pantone Color Bridge (it used to be called the Pantone Solid to Process Guide). It is a book of color swatches of over 1,000 different colors on 157 pages - an example page from the book is shown here.

Now, let's look more closely at this page to explain the different information that Pantone provides. You will notice two columns - labeled Solid and CMYK. The solid color shows the actual color from the ink manufacturer, CMYK (short for Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black) shows the four color process approximation to that color. You can see that in the example here the solid and CMYK colors are quite different.

CMYK is the worldwide standard for printing color, and it is what we use here at Lightning Labels to produce full color digitally printed custom labels. So when we print PMS 1767 we will be printing the CMYK approximation. Pantone also provides the RGB values - RGB is the standard used to display color on computer monitors. A recent enhancement from Pantone is the HTML color value - this is useful for web site designers to create accurate color on their web sites.

One final note about Pantone colors. Pantone recently changed the values for some of the CMYK colors. These changes have been reflected in QuarkXpress 7, and will be reflected in all the products of Adobe Creative Suite 3, which is being released this week. So, there may be some confusion about exact color matches until everyone has the new upgrades. What we tell everyone, if color is important to you, always demand a press proof of your labels before approving your order. As we go through the transition to the new Pantone Color Bridge this is more important than ever.

Striking Photo Candle Labels

We printed these candle labels last week for Heartland Candle Company and we thought they came out beautifully. I always like it when we get great high resolution artwork with vibrant colors that really shows off the quality of our digital label presses.

There is so much excellent stock photography that is free or very inexpensive (from places like iStockPhoto) that it is easy to include a photograph on your product labels. These web sites have great search capabilities and you can search literally millions of photos instantly on any topic.

Of course you need more than just a great photo to make an attractive label. You need a design that fits your product, that blends your text in with the image. With Heartland Candle's labels, they used a simple but striking design by making the photo the center of attention with minimal text. For the scent name they just screened back the photo so you can still see it behind the text. Their designer has done an excellent job in creating a label that will really stand out on their products.

Environmentally Friendly Labels

There is a definite trend in the label industry to being more environmentally friendly. One useful product that has come out of this movement is label film material that is made from corn. EarthFirst PLA is a new material that is available in both white and clear, and the main ingredient in the manufacturing process is corn. Most film material currently available is made from petroleum products.

Here at Lightning Labels we have just begun a trial of this new material, and we hope to have it available to our customers in a few weeks. I will keep you posted here on the results.

The Challenge of Printing on Clear Labels

We had a customer come in last week to order a job on some clear labels. He had been ordering blank clear material and printing the labels on his ink jet printer at home. But the colors looked all washed out when he put the labels on his jars. This highlights one of the major challenges for printing on clear material. The colors can change depending on the contents of your bottle or jar.

So how can you get around this? Well, if you are printing with a regular four color process printer like an ink jet printer there is not much you can do. What you need is to put a layer of white ink behind all the colors on the label - this way the colors will not appear washed out. Here at Lightning Labels, we add a layer of white on all our clear labels - it really does make the color stand out more and the color is less likely to change with the contents of the container.

Done well, clear labels can provide a unique "no label look" on your container. Next time you are at the supermarket check out some of the products with clear labels. If you look carefully you will probably be able to see a layer of white behind the colors. An excellent example of the use of clear labels is Fiji bottled water, they use white ink to great affect. Their front label is mostly blank - it just has some text and a small picture of a wildflower (with white ink behind). For their back label they use a technique called sandwich printing, where you can make your clear label appear to have a unique front and back design.

We recommend you receive a press proof whenever you order clear labels. This way you can put a sample of the label on your containers before your order is printed. This is critically important if your container is not clear or if you have colored contents. Your contents can subtly change how your clear labels will look even with white ink. But by printing white behind your colors you are sure to have the colors stand out better on your labels.

It Was Five Years Ago Today

March 7, 2002 is the day I consider that Lightning Labels really began. Even though I had been working on getting Lightning Labels off the ground for several months at this point, that day was when we took delivery of our first digital label press. It was an Indigo Omnius 50, and I vividly remember it being unloaded from a truck and installed in our warehouse. We could now print labels.

Back then I had no idea of the potential of short run digital label printing. I knew that there was no other company in the country that was specializing in serving the small companies who only wanted to order a few hundred labels at a time, but even I couldn't have predicted how fast we would grow. It has been an exhilarating ride. It has both been the most difficult undertaking I have been involved with, and the most enjoyable.

I am the first to acknowledge that Lightning Labels wouldn't be anywhere near where we are today without the dedication of a large number of people. We have a first rate team working here, for that I am truly grateful. I also want to publicly acknowledge the efforts of my partner, Steve Smith, the president of Lightning Labels. He arrived at the end of our second year in business, and I have to say things were in a bit of a mess. He has worked tirelessly in developing the people and the systems needed in order for our company to grow and thrive.

The exciting part here is that I know we are only just beginning. The first five years have set the foundation. Now, I don't know what the future holds, but I do know we will continue to work hard to get better every day. We are dedicated to delivering you the best quality labels with the best customer service in the industry. Here's to the next five years.

Lightning Fast Digital Label Printing System

On Friday we launched the Lightning Fast Digital Label Printing System™. Now what is this I hear you ask? Basically we have streamlined our processes and created a system where we can turn virtually all custom label orders (unless it is horrendously complex) around in 3 days. This system uses a 10 step process that leverages digital technology at every step:

1. Customer obtains label quotation through the Lightning Labels Instant Online Quoter.
2. Artwork is submitted via email, FTP or through the Instant Online Quoter.
3. Order is entered into the LLSystem, Lightning Labels proprietary job tracking software.
4. Artwork is run through pre-flighting where all art components are checked.
5. An electronic proof or high resolution press proof is produced and sent to the customer.
6. Upon proof approval, a press-ready graphic file is created and sent to one of the digital label presses.
7. Labels are printed on one of the high resolution HP-Indigo digital label presses – the WS4500 or WS2000.
8. Label job is loaded into the die-cutting press and the labels are cut to shape.
9. Labels are digitally counted and inspected in the rewind department.
10. Labels are packed and entered into the UPS System and the customer is automatically emailed the tracking number.             

Lightning Labels believes that business is going digital not because it is fancy or cool, but because digital technology provides real productivity advantages. The Lightning Fast Digital Label Printing System™ utilizes all the advantages of digital technology to turnaround high quality custom labels quickly and efficiently.