How to Choose the Right Image File Format for Print

[Davis, David]

On Thu, Mar 19, 2015 at 3:52 PM, Carol J. Elkins <celkins at awrittenword.com>
wrote:

> Here is a really good article (I think) about the various graphic file
> formats and when to use and not use them.
> http://www.creativepro.com/article/how-to-choose-the-
> right-image-file-format-for-print
> I've read dozens of similar articles and this one stands out for its
> clarity.


It does seem a good article, although I don't agree with it when it opines that PNG graphics "aren't suitable for print" because they "have no support for CMYK":
If you are capturing a screen-shot, then that is an RGB entity. PNG is a perfect format for that, and it supports tagging the image as 'sRGB colourspace'.
If you are printing on paper, then the conversion to CMYK from that sRGB colourspace is best done by the output device (i.e. the printer driver).
The idea that you will get better results if you convert the screenshot to a CMYK colourspace in advance and store it in your document in a TIFF is wrongheaded (because at that point, you have no idea what your output device might be).
Best to leave it 'device-independent' in an sRGB PNG.

David

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