Gradients

Gradients are very popular for the interesting visual effect they can create. However, when creating a smooth gradient that will print on a four-color offset press, there are a few rules to follow in order to avoid unwanted banding in the final printed piece. A gradient that appears smooth on-screen will not show the color "banding" that can appear on press between transitioning colors within a gradient.

How to create a smooth gradient

To achieve the best results, we recommend creating your gradient in Photoshop. After your gradient is created, import it into your page layout program. For basic instructions on how to create a Photoshop gradient, see your Photoshop documentation.

1. For smoother results when creating the gradient, enable the "Dither" box:

2. Go to Filter > Noise > Add Noise.
Noise applies random pixels to the gradient, eliminating the "steps" or banding created by the transition in colors.

3. In the Noise dialog window, enter 1 in the Amount box, and select Gaussian and Monochromatic.

4. Be sure your file is in CMYK mode. If your original gradient is not composed of all four process colors, you can delete the pixels of the process color(s) that do not form part of the values of the original gradient. For example, if your gradient values are 100c/50m/0y/5k at one end of the gradient, and 10c/5m/0y/2k at the other end, all yellow pixels in the gradient can by eliminated, in order to achieve a slightly cleaner color. One way to do this is by adjusting the curves. Go to Image > Adjustments > Curves. Then In the Curves dialog window, adjust curves so that yellow values become 0:

Following these above steps should help assure that your gradient will be smooth and pleasing.