Create composite colors electronically. There are two easy ways to achieve this: first is to make an exact copy of black version of item you want to appear as a composite. Then, place over top of black one and change its color to color you want it to overprint in at whatever screen tint you desire. If you use QuarkExpress, trapping function for that image can be defined as “overprint”. In PageMaker, create a 100% tint of PMS color you want to overprint with and click “overprint” box in definition. Make sure your item’s cloned copy that you want to appear as a composite is also in that color.

Second is mixing colors ahead of time for your very own produced graphics. In Photoshop, “duotone” function works well for photos since it allows you to assign a specific color to each of two copies of photos you are combining. In Illustrator drawing programs, however, mixing colors is trickier. The composites won’t really translate into your layout program unless you “mix” process colors. This means a four-color process, CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow, black.

With all these said, I hope I don’t have you under impression that I am downplaying raw designing talent with digital technology expertise. I too know for a fact that excellent designs still stand out and it takes more than clicks and shortcuts to get them done. I only stand to encourage frustrated designers and to impart message that with help of available graphic designing software, they too can come up with something that’s more than mediocre.

When you extract images from internet, most probably, you will have a poor quality image. Internet images are mostly saved in GIF or JPEG file format, which only consumes 72dpi. The purpose of saving image files on this resolution is to make image easy to extract. Meaning, these images are not for print use.

Scanners, digital camera, computer monitor and other display devices use RGB (red, green, blue) color mode, while in printing process CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow and black) color mode is used. Meaning, you have to expect change in color of image when you print it. To reduce problem, you must convert your image from RGB to CMYK. There are image editing programs that offer color conversion, such as Photoshop or Corel PhotoPaint.

Do not expect to get good images from internet. You must resort to other sources like real photos or pictures from magazines. When you scan, compare size of photo to size of your layout. If photo is larger than your layout, scanning at 300dpi is enough. If it is smaller, adjust your scanner’s resolution setting and percentage size. If there are texts over image, lighten image so text will be readable. If you do not know how create good prints, you can resort to a printing press.