Like any speciality there is terminology that can sometimes baffle. Over the next couple of weeks we will look at some of the terms.
Maybe you’ve asked for a quote for printing and have had prices back along with confusing terms – CMYK, pantone colours, and gsm. Never be afraid to ask your printer for a complete explanation of what you are getting and even better – ask for samples before you commit!. For a quick lesson CMYK refers to full colour printing where the colours are made up of Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black. Pantone colours have unique references – they are ‘pure’ colours in the sense they are not a mix of other colours to produce the finished result. Today full colour printing is much more cost effective but has to approximate the pantone shades. Gsm – grams per square metre refers to the quality of the paper. For example most letterheads are printed on 100gsm, business cards on 350gsm or 450gsm and leaflets 150gsm.