What are color separations and why do they cost so much?
A lot of time and plastic. — Donna Barr Four-color process printing requires 4 plates instead of one. Separation is the process of converting a continuous color image into the right combination of dots for the four ink colors (CMYK). This can be done photographically or electronically. Either method requires generation of film and burning of a plate (there is also plateless 4-color printing now; suffice it to say that this equipment is even more expensive). These materials are costly, and there is labor involved with both electronic or photographic separations. Typically, if you deliver a CMYK electonic image, you are charged only for the film, since you have already separated the colors in the proper balance. This is a big moneysaver, if you have the ability to do it (full-version Photoshop, removable disk media).
