Convert to CMYK for Offset Printing?

If your image is going to be printed on an actual offset printing press or a web press, you may need to convert the image to CMYK mode first. Photoshop can do this, but before you even consider this, you need to contact the print shop first and ask for their exact CMYK conversion settings. They may even provide you with a downloadable settings file that you can upload into Photoshop, so you can do the conversion exactly to their specs. So, that’s Step One: contact the company that’s going to print your image and ask them for their CMYK conversion specs. Once you’ve done that, converting your RGB image to CMYK is really pretty easy. Just go under the Image menu, under Mode, and choose CMYK Color. A little warning dialog will appear onscreen letting you know which color profile is being used to convert your image to CMYK. If you want to choose your own CMYK color profile, or input the information you got from your print shop, go under the Edit menu and choose Color Settings. In the Working Spaces section, in the CMYK popup menu (seen above right), you’ll see a list of popular conversions. At the top, you’ll see Load CMYK, which is what you would choose if you have the CMYK color conversion profile from the print shop. One last thing, this is only necessary if your image is going to be printed on a printing press—do not do this if you’re sending your image to be printed by a standard color printing lab (like Mpix or Millers, etc.).