Marketers! Here's How to Use Beyond CMYK

Print is powerful. Print with metallic and fluorescent embellishment can be even more powerful. If you’re going to spend your precious marketing budget on hard copy collateral, it’s worth understanding your options so that you can spend it well.

In this month’s blog post, I’m going to talk about what Beyond CMYK is, why marketers should care about it, and how you can use it to create dazzling designs that increase your Return on Investment (ROI) on print spend.

First, what is Beyond CMYK?

I wrote a whole blog post on this a couple of years ago, and now Bard is parroting parts of it back to me and anyone else who asks. In short, what Xerox – the OG – calls Beyond CMYK is anything printed with toner/ink colours that aren’t from the traditional quartet of cyan, magenta, yellow and black (the k).

That might mean gold, silver, white, clear, fluorescents, or even blue, orange or green. Xerox might use ‘adaptive CMYK+’ or ‘speciality colours’ (Fuji also use the latter), and you might also see other terms, for example, ElectroInks (HP Indigo). The language might differ slightly depending on your print partner and which devices they favour. Ultimately, they all mean printing stuff with more vivid colours, a wider colour range than a standard CMYK press, or with metallics or fluorescents in the mix.

How is Beyond CMYK print done?

By mixing colours together or using them as an under or overlay, printers can create all kinds of different effects to make your print stand out. Sometimes, they do this in one go, using a printing press that can hold up to six toners/inks. Other times, they might put the same piece of paper through a machine twice.

Both can create clever effects, but generally speaking, putting a piece of paper through once leads to a better quality result. This is because a piece of paper may feed through the press in a (very slightly) different position the second time, leading to minute differences in where the colour is laid down. One ‘pass’ means sharper edges – what your print partner will call tighter registration.

How can you use Beyond CMYK to elevate your print?

By which I mean, why should you care?

Let me count the ways…

Make your print more eye-catching with glorious gold, shimmering silver or Barbiecore fluoro pink. Or create new deep shades of orange using fluoro pink in the mix, or… well, the opportunities are limitless.
Use extended colours to add luxury and sophistication. We’ve seen this done in many industries, but high-end products, in particular, work well with a lift of gold in brochures, folders and more.
Increase the accessibility of your print by ensuring good contrast between text and background colours.
Add a layer of low-gloss clear for a slicker look on more textured stocks.
Use clear in another way to add subtle embellishments over the top of your design – cat footprints on a vet’s flyer, tyre tracks on a car brochure, you get the idea.
Quickly change one colour for embellishment in your design by working with a printer that can map a specific shade to a gold, silver or bespoke metallic or fluorescent shade.
Print a standard CMYK file with fluorescents instead; it’s a party on your flyer and will be more memorable.
A printer with extended gamut colours can colour match more Pantones so that you can keep consistency in your brand assets across digital print. Because digital print is more suited to shorter runs and variable printing (i.e. printing personalised information) than litho, this opens more opportunities to differentiate your print without compromising on quality.

How can you get the most out of Beyond CMYK?

Here are ten tips to help marketers get the most ROI out of Beyond CMYK print:

Do your research. But you’re here already, right? Before you start designing your print project, get an idea of the different types of Beyond CMYK printing available. Take a look at xerox.co.uk/creative for inspiration and ask your print partner to share samples – we recommend seeing Spellbound by Hobs Repro, which has been widely shared among the Beyond CMYK community.
Work with a professional printer. Working with a professional printer with experience with Beyond CMYK printing is the quickest way to get advice and knowledge. The print team’s expertise will ensure you get the results you want. We’ve got a range of case studies featuring printers that can help you, and we have a helpful list further down in this article.
Be experimental. Beyond CMYK printing opens up a world of possibilities, so don’t be afraid to be creative with your designs. Alongside your print service provider, experiment with different colours and effects to see what you can create – it can look very different on screen.
Think about your stock. The paper/media you choose is a crucial part of your project and will impact the quality of the final product. Different presses can handle different weights (measured in gsm; grams per metre), and embellishments will look different depending on what they’re printed on.
Pay attention to detail. Beyond CMYK gives you new options for gradients and shading, fine highlights and clear enhancements. You can go subtle or in-your-face, but it’s worth taking the time to make it right; your finished article can be haptic (touchable) as well as beautiful.
Share and refine. Share your design with colleagues and discuss options with your print partner. I’ve recently been looking at Beyond CMYK business cards, and the customer doing this for us has been fantastic at coming up with new ideas for print and stocks.
Be prepared to spend more for higher value. Beyond CMYK can be more expensive than traditional CMYK printing, but the value is worth it. Print collateral, especially digitally printed, can be more vivid, personalised, integrated with digital channels, and ultimately more memorable.
Get some training. First Copy has access to courses with experienced Beyond CMYK designers. Whether you are working at one of our customers’ sites or designing for them at your own business or agency, get in touch and let’s get you booked.
Maximise your channels. Because Beyond CMYK uses a digital print process instead of a litho one, it’s simpler to use variable print. You can personalise each print to match your database, from customer names to the cover image to a suitable promotion.
Distribute, distribute, distribute. Beyond CMYK metallics have a high flop index. In short, the sheen looks great as you view it from different angles and, therefore, in moving images as light moves across it – video is your friend. Share your glorious designs online for even more attention.

Convinced?

Here are some people who can help you bring your Beyond CMYK design to life (please note that not all have the same presses/colours, but all have Beyond CMYK capability).

Bedfordshire – Fidelity Design & Print
Hertfordshire/London – Kellmatt
London – First Colour
Norfolk – Wensum Print

All have brilliant teams that can help you unleash your creativity.

Successfully created a spectacular design? We’d love to see it. Tag us on our socials!

3 -2 -1 Blast Off...

Grab someone by the eyeballs with luminescence or gold plate your brochures by playing with the nuances of metallics. In so doing, significantly enhance recall by your target customer and your Return on Investment (ROI).

The time for Beyond CMYK is now. Embrace the possibilities offered by metallic and fluorescent toners to transform your marketing collateral. As a result, you’ll differentiate yourself from your competition through sparkle and colour – create a rave on your page.

Resources, training and experienced designers are out there to help you realise your Beyond CMYK dreams…

Let us know how you get on.

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Marketers! Here’s How to Use Beyond CMYK

First, what is Beyond CMYK?

How is Beyond CMYK print done?

How can you use Beyond CMYK to elevate your print?

How can you get the most out of Beyond CMYK?

Convinced?

3 -2 -1 Blast Off...

Elizabeth

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