5 Reasons Why You'll Love InkChamp

5 Reasons Why You'll Love InkChamp

It started with a meeting. The RetroSupply Co. team discussed how to make a realistic ink bleed texture that didn't have an annoying and obvious repeat like other products. We experimented with different settings, poured over source materials, and by the end of the meeting we had it! Over the next three months, we worked on creating the most realistic printing textures for Photoshop this side of a Heidelberg press.

The results were InkChamp, a collection of authentic actions for Photoshop. Perfect for a variety of printing effects, including matchbooks, packaging, advertisements, and more!

InkChamp

Using extensive vintage print research, our Photoshop Action delivers unmistakable old-school charm. Experience genuine ink spreads and halftone perfection. Elevate your designs with true authenticity.

What is InkChamp?

Made to simulate offset printing, here's the details of what's included with InkChamp:

  • 24 Photoshop Actions. Quickly get a wide range of printing press effects in your work with these meticulously crafted Actions. Includes a guided step-by-step version as well as a fast version of the Actions.
  • Fine-Tuned Controls. We've made the Actions non-destructive wherever possible so you can easily change your ink colors, viscosity, ink trapping, and plate settings.
  • 6 Real Ink Textures. We sampled a wide range of real ink textures to get nuanced ink effects like low ink viscosity, high ink viscosity, cheap ink, mottling and more.
  • 5 Paper Textures. Includes printing press paper so you can easily add seamless paper textures to your final work to finish the effect.
  • Easy to Follow Instructions. We'll never leave you hanging with crappy instructions. InkChamp includes step-by-step detailed instructions to become a printing press master fast and frustration-free.

Choose from our collection of guided actions, or take a spin on your own with our quick-start actions that can get you authentic print effects in as little as 12 seconds (seriously!)

What is offset printing? Similar to block/lithographic printing or screen printing, offset printing uses color-separated plates to print one color at a time onto rubber blankets and then onto the intended surface. This creates a variety of iconic print effects that you have seen in your favorite vintage ephemera, including edge starve, registration errors, ink mottling, and more.

Now that you know a little about InkChamp, let's explore what makes it so special with our top 5 list.

1. Fast and Easy to Use

Nowadays, it's easy to create realistic simulations of just about anything. But how do you know what's authentic? If you don't have a background in printing, it can be easy to get caught in the pitfalls of overdoing effects or missing important details. And even if you know what the end result should look like, how do you go about translating that digitally? The result can be hours wasted agonizing over filters and settings that could have been better spent making more art.

That's where InkChamp comes in! We took the guesswork out of making authentic print textures so you can effortlessly apply a variety of settings with just the push of a button. How?

  • Each step of InkChamp includes dialed in settings for authentic results.
  • Choose to speed through the steps or fine tune for your needs.
  • Never feel lost with full descriptions and a handy walkthrough.
  • Our Quick Start actions make it easy to get lightning fast results in seconds.

You'll be astounded at just how easy it is to get started and how quickly images come together.

2. Authentic Textures

When you buy a product meant to recreate something that exists in the real world, you expect it to be authentic to the source material, not just a digital approximation. That's why InkChamp's ink texture and distress seamless patterns are made from real print material. We sourced from retro ephemera, modern prints, and even made prints ourselves. This ensures a wide variety of effects, all based on the real deal.

You'll be sure to have a blast mixing and matching each effect for perfect runs, wildly scuffed prints, or anything in between. Put yourself in the driver's seat with full control over

  • Realistic plate effects simulating different plate pressures.
  • Options for high and low ink viscosity for crisp or fluid prints.
  • Control over trapping for print overlay authentic to vintage prints.
  • True to life ink bleed and effects with no repeats or distracting digital look.
  • And so much more!

Need some help figuring out what is what? Our comprehensive User Guide outlines each effect so you can quickly become an expert at your new tool.

3. Full Customization

Photoshop Actions are a fast and easy way to complete a series of steps within seconds. They're great for repeating steps you use often. Or, in this case, quickly completing the steps needed to simulate InkChamp's print effects. This doesn't mean that you are limited to stock options, though!

Every step of InkChamp is customizable, complete with guided stops, so you can choose from our meticulously tested settings or fine-tune it to perfectly fit your vision.

Want to try many different versions of a design, or don't like what you picked? Many settings can be reversed or altered after the fact, and if you need to start over completely, your original work is untouched.

4. Attention to Details

We spent months pouring over all the fine details to ensure InkChamp is as authentic as possible. This means reading over print encyclopedias, making our own prints and print textures, and even reading scientific articles to understand the chemistry involved in ink mottling! That's because we never do anything half-measure at RetroSupply Co., guaranteeing that you're getting as close to the real thing as a computer can get.

But you don't need to be a technical whizz to make beautiful artwork. You can just follow our instructions or play around. You'll get stunning effects every time.

5. All the Extras You Want

One of the things we pride ourselves on at RetroSupply is listening to our customers. So when you asked for paper textures and print defects, we listened! Get 5 seamless paper textures for everything from archival art prints to cheap pulpy rags.

And that's not all! InkChamp also includes 19 bonus print artifact brushes, including

  • Registration marks
  • Pits (defects caused by damage to the plate)
  • Hickeys (defects caused by foreign objects sticking to the rollers)
  • Dust
  • And more!

If the quality and detail included in InkChamp wasn't already apparent, these extra features put it over the edge as the only tool you could need for recreating authentic offset prints.

Conclusion: InkChamp

With an endless array of options at your fingertips, all backed by months worth of research and the same high level of quality you've come to expect from RetroSupply, InkChamp really can't be beat.

No matter your skill level, you're sure to create something magical with our easy-to-follow guided actions and comprehensive support materials. Or, take it out for a spin on your own to see how you can get stunning print effects in seconds. With your original artwork separated from the effects, you can experiment over and over without losing a thing. Top it off with the included paper textures and print artifact brushes, and you're set to wow friends and clients alike.

You won't find anything else like it on the market, so grab InkChamp now from the RetroSupply shop.

InkChamp

Using extensive vintage print research, our Photoshop Action delivers unmistakable old-school charm. Experience genuine ink spreads and halftone perfection. Elevate your designs with true authenticity.

Other Articles We Think You'll Enjoy

5 Reasons Why You'll love office supplies

Whether you’re already familiar with Procreate or opening it for the first time, we’ll be looking at our top 7 features and gestures to help you move around the Procreate interface like a pro!

View the article.

5 Reasons Why You'll love ColorLab

Can you improve on perfection? We found a way with an all-new set of updates for our best-seller ColorLab! The RetroSupply team invites you to take a peek at what's in store and learn our top 5 favorite things about the ColorLab 2022 update. Including improved skin tones, new brushes, and more!

View the article.

Finding Your Style with Travis Price

Travis Price has been influencing the creative industry for over 20 years. Learn how Travis works and his advice for developing your voice as an illustrator.
 

View the article.