In a previous post about continuous tone and halftones, we mentioned the term grayscale in conjunction with black and white photography. Today, we’ll talk a bit more about this term and what it means to the printing industry.
What is Grayscale?
As we discussed in our post about continuous tone/halftones, humans perceive colors in a continuous range of values (light to dark). When photography was invented in the early 19th century, only the value of light, not color, could be captured on film. Although conventional terminology refers to such images as “black and white,” the more appropriate term — used by photographers and graphics professionals— is grayscale. A grayscale image, as its name suggests, contains areas of gray or intermediate tones between white and black. While it’s possible through various techniques (either photographically or via computer technology) to create an image containing only black and white tones, those kinds of images are limited in the amount of information they can convey about what is being depicted.
What does Grayscale mean to the printing industry?
When printing with spot color inks, particularly black ink, grayscale is a measure of the amount of black ink that can be applied as halftones dots to create gray tone or gradients from black to a gray tone. Usually referred to as a tint, standard gradations are defined as a percentage of the base ink color (e.g., 10%, 20%, 30%, etc.) Depending upon the paper stock and the press, certain tints may not be reproducible especially those below 20%.
In the realm of 4-color process printing, grayscale often enters into the discussion when addressing how much (or percentage) black ink should be used when reproducing/printing color photographs. Too much black ink can make an image appear dull, while too little black ink can make colors appear anemic.
If you have any questions about grayscale, give us a call at 330-597-8560. We’re happy to help you get the most out of your printing project.
