This is a question I get asked very often. First, let’s point out that we are talking about offset here, as digital, wide format and flexo really require their own topic of discussion.

Let’s break it down into what could be the cause and what to check.

1. What is the colour target?
   -Is it an inhouse colour target/standard or international standard or customer supplied target?
   -Check to make sure that your selected target or standard contains the same components (substrate, inks, sequence, coating, etc.)
   -Does the target have the correct instrument settings?
   The colour target should include all of the information, in detail, outlined above.
   e.g. Basically…
   -Substrate type, finish, coating, weight, Lab* values
   -Measurement conditions (M0, M1, M2 or M3) and backing (white or black) and instrument type, geometry
   -Solid CMYK Lab* and Overprints RGB Lab* and dE tolerances (and dE methodology)
   -Calibration method used – CMYK TVI target and spot colour SCTV or G7 calibration
   -Measurement made through coating/varnish?
   
   
2. Check the substrate (paper)…
   -The substrate you are using – is it exactly same as specified in the target?
   -Is the substrate the same type from the same supplier?
   -Is there consistency and QC in the substrate from the supplier?
   -With spot colours are the targets made from draw downs on the same substrate?
   
   
3. The effect of an in-line coating…
   -If there a coating or varnish being applied, in line, on press it will have a large effect on the final results visually and with the measurements.
   A coating or varnish will change the white point of the substrate, usually to a lower L* value and significantly alter the dot gain (visual appearance of tones) by increasing the ‘weight’ of tonal colour appearance.
   -Sometimes the varnish is not applied to the colour bar on the sheet – but the target and measurements here are very important for machine colour process control.
   -With the coating/varnish covering the majority of the ‘product’ area of the job the ‘contract proof’ should also reflect this.
   i.e. The colour and the target of the ‘proof’ should include or simulate the colour as per the final production process.
   
   
4. Are the inks correct?
   -Check with your ink supplier that the inks you are using are correct, as specified – for process and spot.
   -If you are formulating inks internally do you have a procedure to receive a colour quality report that the ink is correct and within tolerance?
   Ideally inks should be measured and checked before going onto press – especially for spot colours.
   
   
5. Ideally inks should be measured and checked before going onto press – especially for spot colours.
   -Thorough press clean-up is required when changing colours on press – if this is rushed and the necessary steps are missed it can lead to contamination
   -Often overlooked – Opacity – this can be measured, for example with a Techkon SpectroDens Premium. This will ensure consistency and the correct print capabilities can be communicated between the printer and the print buyer/customer.
   
   

The above five points outlined should be documented as SOP (standard operating procedures) to ensure press operators, off siders, production and press maintenance personnel are all following the same procedures as communicated to all relevant staff.

We specialize in on site colour print technical consulting, support, and training – To find out more about printer calibration and using a colour spectrophotometer please contact us via our contact form

Print service providers (PSP’s) and brand managers should be in control of their colour quality in print utilizing suitable quality control software. A QC software solution, paired with a suitable Spectro densitometer is now a prerequisite in today’s fast paced, results driven print environment. Samples, colour standards, production jobs can be quickly measured for PASS/FAIL assessment for press operators and production managers. Additionally, the software will provide instruction to quickly attain the targeted result within the required tolerances. Summary and detailed PDF reporting of the job colour metrics can be made available to in house management, the quality department and externally to buyers and brand managers. The quality software package can be used press side or close by in a production or quality area and should be suitable to the production equipment and machines used.

The goal shall be to ensure process and spots fall within the required delta E tolerances, by assisting the operator with the remedial action to take.

Make ready time is greatly reduced and with measurements taken during production a final production report can be produced showing that the colour quality is within the expectations of the customer and meets the company’s quality policy.

The modules within the MC suite of software enables PSP’s, especially in packaging (carton, flexible, etc.) and labels, to measure, analyze, correct and report. The PrintSpec (PS) module is for the CMYK process for ISO standards and G7.

The Ink Spec module is a complete CM system for systematic and measurable control of brand and specials.

InkSpec

What the key rewards with InkSpec?

• Spot and brand colour control and certification system
• Match brand samples across many different substrates
• Print performance is standardized
• Complete management of your customers spot and brand colours
• Internal and external communication is improved
• Downtime and materials wastage is reduced

In packaging time to market is critical – speed and quality of production can regulate SKU (stock keeping unit) success. Reproduction of brand and spot colours with extreme accuracy is becoming de rigueur.

InkSpec provides flexibility to create standards from draw downs, previously produced samples or downloading and importing customer standards from CXF. MellowCloud server allows downloads from your customer – you can even enter the target L*a*b* and TVI values manually. The substrate can also be measured and stored.

The InkSpec database is able to store an unlimited number of samples.

Spectrophotometers from Techkon, X-Rite, Konica Minolta and others are supported. Measurement can be made by spot or scanning small patches within the job. The subsequent readings provide a summary report as well as a detailed multi page PDF report. The details of each sample measurement is clearly shown – how close with pass or fail for each ink.

A report can be produced with or without substrate measurement, solid patches only or solid and tone value patches of your choice. You also have the possibility to see how the hue changes under different lighting conditions. Density target information is also shown to aid the printers.

Sometimes the substrate specified by the customer will not allow the colour to be produced within tolerance, thus requiring a new formulation of the ink. InkSpec is able to export popular formats used by ink formulation systems to enable new and correct formulated ink.

InkSpec for spot and brand colours works with complete synergy with PSpec for CMYK control and reporting. Whatever the mix or process and spots InkSpec and PSpec are the go-to tools for QC and QA.

To find out more about printer colour management matched with a precise Techkon Spectro densitometer please contact us via our contact form

We are going to look at choosing a spectrophotometer for use within printing – covering offset, flexo, digital and wide format print. In these areas the substrate can be paper, carton material (board), flexible packaging material (plastics, polypropylene, etc.) and in the wide format area flexible (i.e. self-adhesive, banner, etc.) or rigid material (screen board, core flute, foam core, etc.)

When deciding which spectrophotometer is right for you there are a number of things to consider.

1. What sort of substrates are going to be measured?
   
   For ink on paper, sheet-fed offset, heat-set web offset, digital production print and digital proofs, using fairly standard thickness stocks (up to around 400 gsm) a bench top automated chart reading (Bench top) spectrophotometer may seem to be the right choice here. But there is another couple of areas to consider as well, which we will cover in the next steps.
   
   If you need to measure rigid type materials, such as “core flute”, foam core, screen board, plastic sheeting”, amongst others, a handheld instrument might seem like your only choice. But there are Bench top spectrophotometers that can measure substrates up to 20mm thick, according to manufacturer’s specifications. These instruments also offer the ability to measure transparent media, such as ‘backlit’ material.
   
   What if you need to measure flexible packaging material, like a thin ‘polypro’ used in flexo printing. You may be able to use either type of spectrophotometer here, but you will need to consider the use of a standard ‘backing’ (white or black) because of the colour show through with this type of substrate.
2. How will you use your Spectrophotometer?
   
   Will you be measuring charts for ICC profile colour management? Will you additionally need to spot measure or scan ‘patches’ of colour for QC and QA? Do you need your spectrophotometer to work with third party colour management software? Do you require portability? – i.e. taking a handheld to different areas/depts on site or even to other sites?
   
   How you wish to use your spectrophotometer may well be the determining factor here…
3. Are the ‘instruments’ going be part of a ‘workgroup’?
   
   Will all the usage of your instruments be centralized? Or will there be a number of instruments from across various sites that require correlation with measurement accuracy?
   
   If say, you are going to use three spectrophotometers across three sites then you should consider using the same type, model and specification. Not only are you dealing with one instrument repeatability, but you are also have to think about the tolerances of each instrument.
4. Does the instrument conform to ISO 13655:2009 for measurement modes M0, M1, M2, M3?
   
   This is important for ‘print’ measurements as quite often the substrate contains an amount of optical brightening agents (OBA’s). Many spectrophotometers available now can use the measurement conditions M0, M1, M2, M3.
   
   Many older spectrophotometers only used M0 – an incandescent lamp with relative spectral power close to CIE standard illuminant A.
   
   M1 aids in minimizing measurement differences between instruments due to OBA’s and fluorescence, by matching CIE illuminant D50. ISO 3664:2009 specifies D50 as the standard viewing condition for print, graphic arts and photography.
   
   M2 is similar to the previous usage of a UV Cut filter – to exclude differences in measurement due to fluorescence of OBA’s in the substrate.
   
   M3 is essentially the same as M2, but includes a polarising filter to remove and or minimize reflections – also differences between wet and dry inks (dry back).
5. Do you require your spectrophotometer to measure according to standards?
   
   The ISO 12647-2:2013 standard states that measurements “should be made using M1”. Therefore if you are using 12647-2:2013, or a later amendment, you should be using M1 mode, with white or black backing.
   If you are going to use an in house standard or something specified by your customer or brand owner then this should be clearly communicated stating the illuminant, observer, geometry, backing and /or alternate mode. i.e. M2.
6. What is your budget?
   
   I leave this obvious point to last – not that the above points are in any particular order. Price is always going to be a consideration – but the quality of a spectrophotometer will be remembered long after price is forgotten. You need to be realistic here as these are precision instruments that require care and looking after. You should have your spectrophotometer(s) checked, serviced and re-certified by a reputable instrument laboratory or the manufacturer at an interval according to the manufacturer or set by your quality management system policy. Either way it is best practice to have an in-house validation procedure in place, together with records.
   
   So, which spectrophotometer to choose – handheld or bench top?
   Your choice can be narrowed down depending on how your answer the previous 6 points.

For more information on setting up and looking after Printer Colour Management, Printer Colour Calibration, on site Colour Consulting and Colour Management training contact us via our contact form

If you desire good colour management from your printer, you need to start with printer calibration. When we talk about printers, we mean inkjet, solvent, UV, toner or liquid ink-based print devices or print engines – basically, the vast majority of printing machines! Colour management 101 (our stock in trade) dictates that we should pay very close attention to printer calibration.

So – what is it, and why should you care?

Calibration is best described as the process of bringing a colour device (printer, scanner, monitor) into an optimal, quantifiable, repeatable state.

• Optimal: The best result obtained or obtainable under specific conditions.
• Quantifiable: Capable of being measured, which means it then should be…
• Repeatable!
  

Printer calibration could involve getting the printer could conform to an established industry standard (such as ISO 12647-2 for print) or a manufacturing standard/guideline or even your own specification.

Printer calibration enables you to keep track of “device drift”. Over time, even with consistent use of the same consumables (ink, toner, paper), your printer will suffer from device drift. We calibrate to make the printer behave consistently and bring it back into a repeatable state. This enables colour management to remain valid and accurate.

Printer calibration is best thought of as the first step of the colour management process. The second would be printer profiling or print ICC profiling.

Printer profiling is sometimes called characterisation – the process of recording a device’s behavior into a profile. It is simply a record or map of how the device produces colour – what it is capable of producing. This record (referred to as an ICC profile) will show you the device’s gamut (i.e. what colours it can and cannot print), reflected by the calibration process.

Printer calibration can be likened to having your car ‘dyno’ tuned for optimal performance.

Printer profiling can be likened to getting a report of your car’s ‘dyno’ tuned results – power output, torque, and so on.

Print calibration is like money in the bank – when you find your print colour has drifted, print re-calibration, back to the same targets, will enable your existing print ICC profile to be valid again – i.e. your colour will be back to where it should be!

How often should you re-calibrate? That can depend on your print device, and it is well worth taking the time to set up process controls to monitor and gauge device stability. Sometimes though, a certain amount of drift or instability may need to be accepted.

A small note: Some print devices cannot be calibrated – for example if the device is a non-Postscript printer and/or does not have a ‘RIP’ that usually includes some calibration tools. 

Colour Graphic Services can help you to do all this and more! Contact us to learn more about our cost-effective, stress-free solutions via our contact form

I often get asked where to start when setting up a CMS (colour management system). Well, not one answer fits all. Like a lot of things there is ‘ifs’ and ‘buts’.

It depends on a few things. i.e.

• What is your colour workflow?
  RGB or CMYK?
  Or both?
• What is your final output?
  RGB photo print output?
  CMYK digital or wide format print?
  Offset CMYK print?
• What are your requirements?
  Soft proofing – or just a colour calibrated monitor?
  Accurate colour from printing? (RGB photo print or CMYK digital or offset printing) Correct set up of colour conversions or transforms? (RGB to CMYK, etc)

Well, the answers can be many and varied, so I will try to provide the Top 10 Colour Management tips that can be applied in general.

1. Check your printed results under the right light – JUST Normlicht LED D50Yes, okay – I am recommending a manufacturers product – JUST Normlicht LED D50, DLS (Digital Lighting System) – They can be considered globally unique and there patented LE systems are the best for ISO 3664:2025!
   The correct lighting for viewing printed results* is absolutely critical and that is D50. What is D50? Daylight at 5000K. The standard for viewing printed results* for photography, graphic arts, prepress and printing (digital, offset or otherwise) is D50, straight from ISO 3664:2025. *Printed Results = Photo prints, Fine Art prints, PrePress digital proofs, Commercial printed matter from Digital Production machines, Wide Format digital, Offset, Flexo, Gravure and the like.
   NOTE: Just because a bulb or tubes or LED is 5000K does not automatically mean it is D50!Using the correct D50 lighting in your CMS is often the easiest, sometimes the cheapest thing to fix and implement – it is also the most IMPORTANT part of a CMS. Unfortunately, though, it is also the most forgotten and overlooked part…
   
   
2. Make sure you get the best monitor possible
   By this I mean the best monitor you can afford, and then some… If you rely on your monitor for accurate visual colour assessment then you should think about getting a monitor that can provide a good/wide colour gamut, smooth/even tonal gradations, good uniformity and even screen brightness across the display and one that can be easily calibrated.
   Cheaper monitors are ok for email, writing up text documents, playing games or maybe watching an occasional video – but if you are serious about colour you should invest in the best monitor you can afford, and then som
   
   
3. Learn and know how to calibrate your monitor
   Monitor colour calibration requires the use of a measurement device – a colorimeter or spectrophotometer, software and then adjustment of the monitors controls (usually through the OSD – on screen display) to achieve the desired calibrated result.
   There are also very good monitors that have built in measurement devices, and these can automate the calibration process.
   Importantly, you need to know the targets for calibrating your monitor to suit your workflow and process – i.e.  photographer, designer, retoucher, prepress/printing…
   
   
4. Keep your monitor calibration up to date and verify the calibration
   Most good quality monitor colour calibration ‘systems‘ will allow you to run a monitor calibration verification/validation routine, also called a QA check.
   If your monitor passes the verification/validation routine – i.e. it is within the tolerances, then you can keep working without having to re-calibrate. Do this at a minimum once per week. If the verification/validation fails, time to re-calibrate.
   
   
5. Gain skills and knowledge about Colour Spaces, Gamuts and ICC Profiles
   There are limitations in any CMS because of the devices being used and improving your skills and knowledge can be time well spent. This can be done by tutorials, reading or even better, one on one training from a reliable colour consultant! Getting educated with some good colour management training can go a long way to de-mystifying what you think you know and what actually is the truth.
   
    
6. Ensure you have the right settings in your software
   This a big one! Whether you are a photographer going from capture to print, graphic designer, retoucher, working in prepress, getting files ready for Digital Production print, Wide Format digital print, Offset, Flexo or Gravure. You need to know and fully understand the colour management settings in software you are using. Colour standards, colour spaces, ICC profiles, rendering intents are key points here…
   
   
7. Are your colour measurement instruments okay?
   The densitometers, colorimeters, spectrophotometers you are using – are they up to date for certification and calibration? Do you have an in-house validation system in place for the instruments? Accurate, repeatable and validated instruments can provide you measurements you can trust.  
   
   
8. Have you got procedures in place for colour verification?  
   Are you able to verify the colour output on your monitor? The colour captured by your scanner? The colour output through your print process or print system? Can you verify the accuracy of your soft proofing and digital proofing?
   
   
9. Do you know how to perform printer colour calibration?
   Printer colour calibration is the key to maintaining accurate, consistent and repeatable colour from your print process or print system. This applies to RGB photo print, CMYK digital and/or wide format print and commercial offset, flexo, gravure print.
   
   
10. What are the variables in your CMS? What control do you have over them?
    There can be many variables in a CMS and some may be out of your control. i.e. The effect of ambient light or factory/office lighting on visual assessment of colour printed results may be out of your control or may not be able to be changed…
    You need to get to know your instruments, software, devices really well – the more you know the more you will understand about the capabilities and limitations of your CMS and process.
    
    

Contact us to learn more about our colour management training, cost-effective, stress-free solutions via our contact form  

P
rinter calibration is required for any print device in order to get it into a stable, repeatable state.

Let’s break it down into what could be This is necessary as it enables you to bring the printer back in line, so to speak, as it will drift over time.the cause and what to check.

Basically, once you have the calibration process down pat you will be able to produce predictable, accurate and repeatable colour.

The idea is that if your colour starts to move away, out of tolerance, a quick check of the calibration, re-calibration or adjustment of the calibration will bring the colour back into ‘line’, without the need for complete re-profiling, etc…



For the wide format market, covering display, signage and the like, I am not going to be specific about the substrate or media, printer type, ink set and TIP type in use. There so many combinations it would take more than a month of blogs or more to cover…



Good colour management strategy dictates that you should always calibrate your device first before creating your ICC profile.

This is colour management 101!

Calibration – the process of bringing a colour device (i.e. monitor or display, printer, and even a scanner…) into an optimal, quantifiable, repeatable state. This condition could be an industry standard, manufacturers spec or guideline or your own specification.

With wide format printer calibration, the printer will be controlled by a RIP, and the RIP will usually have an in built calibration process prior to creating an ICC profile.

The steps of calibrating the printer will usually follow, but not always, this order:

1. Per channel ink limits
2. Linearisation (tonality)
3. Overprint ink limits
4. Grey Balance
5. Profile creation
6. Profile and colour management validation

Per channel ink limiting is usually the first step. This about achieving ink/media compatibility for each of the inks, per channel, C, M, Y and K. Too much ink being laid down can cause problems such as puddling, ink not drying, and ink reticulation.

To achieve the goal here, you are looking for the optimal result – enough ink without causing problems, together with enough ink to produce enough saturation larger than the target gamut you are aiming to simulate.

This step usually involves visual assessment and may include measurement using a densitometer or spectrophotometer.

This step usually involves visual assessment and may include measurement using a densitometer or spectrophotometer.

Tonality or tone distribution is about achieving smooth and even tone graduation from 0% to 100% for each primary channel C, M, Y and K. This step involves visual assessment and will include measurement using a densitometer or spectrophotometer.



Overprint ink limiting is about looking at the build-up of ink once the primaries (CMYK) are mixed together in different combinations – i.e. 100% M and 100% Y for RED. This step usually has a complex looking chart with rows of ink channel combinations in varying amounts.

This step definitely requires visual assessment.


Similar to per channel ink limiting except you are looking to find the step in each row that can produce the ‘best’ result with showing problems (ink puddling, not drying, etc.). You will probably need to input your results and print again to confirm your settings are correct…



Similar to per channel ink limiting except you are looking to find the step in each row that can produce the ‘best’ result with showing problems (ink puddling, not drying, etc.). You will probably need to input your results and print again to confirm your settings are correct…



I prefer to use a custom chart I have created for this purpose. It also helps you to decide on some important profile settings, such as total ink coverage and black start point. If the output of the calibration chart looks ok you can proceed to creating your ICC media/substrate profile.



Output your preferred CMYK profile chart – I like to use a profile chart with 2000+ patches for accuracy and coverage.

Measuring and building your profile really requires another blog as there are quite few options for measuring and then the settings for building your profile. Suffice to say once this step is complete you should be looking to validate your profile and validate your colour management settings in RIP, using your new media profile.

This does involve critical visual assessment, under the correct lighting (D50 – ISO 3664), and spectral measurement for reporting to see how your output now stacks up compared to an international print standard (ISO 12647) or an in-house standard. Again, I think it best to tackle this subject in a separate blog.

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