Color in Technical Documents for Paper, Web, and PDF  

Traditionally, technical documents have been produced in black and white because the cost of color reproduction on paper is high. With new delivery options of the Web and PDF, color is suddenly available at no cost online. And new digital printers make color on paper increasingly affordable. When opportunity knocks, issues tend to follow. Writers will find that using color is a learning experience. There is a new alphabet soup: RGB, CMYK, GIF, JPEG, CSS. There are new buzzwords: spot colors, process colors, digital printing. There are new techniques for representing color in Web pages and in PDF documents intended for paper or screen. Our presentation focuses on practical techniques, not graphic design.

Jackson, Ken and Sonya E. Keene. STC Proceedings (1999). Design>Document Design>Prepress>Color

Color Management and Windows: An Introduction

An overview of Microsoft image color management technology.

Microsoft. Design>Document Design>Prepress>Color

Color Under Control  

Several years after the hype began, color management is maturing into a useful tool that can solve real problems. Here's a comprehensive overview.

Fraser, Bruce. Adobe Magazine (1995). Design>Document Design>Prepress>Color

It's a Colorful, Wired World  

Adobe® PostScript 3 printing systems offer a variety of new features for better, faster, Web-savvy printing. Here's an overview of what they are and how they're likely to affect you.

Nordling, Tamis and Wendy Katz. Adobe Magazine (1997). Articles>Document Design>Prepress>Color

The Pantone Matching System: Always Show Your True Colours

It can be very frustrating to see the logo you worked hard to create look deep blue on the client's letterhead, blue-greenish on his business card, and light blue on his very expensive envelopes. A way to prevent this is by using a standardized color matching system, such as the Pantone Matching System.

Bruno, Elisabetta. Pantone (2005). Design>Document Design>Prepress>Color

Problems with Colors - and the Solution: Color Management

The profession of the technical editor is rapidly changing, from the pure text manufacturer to a data manager, which leads inevitably to intensive occupation with the production of the final product: the technical documentation on paper or online. The color matching reproduction on the local screen or printer plays a new, important role. Particularly since the meaning of color in documents increases rapidly.

Thiele, Ulrich. TC-FORUM (2000). Articles>Document Design>Prepress>Color

See Spot Print  

An in-depth guide to working with spot colors in Photoshop.

Amladi, Rita and Erik Gibson. Adobe Magazine (1995). Design>Document Design>Prepress>Color

When Good Color Goes Bad

Color expert Mike Davis of Colorprep knows what to do when color goes wrong... and many times it's the photographer or designer's fault!

Davis, Mike. Design, Typography and Graphics (2004). Design>Document Design>Prepress>Color