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

Well, it is always going to be debatable as utopia is described in one dictionary as ‘an ideal place or state’.

Achieving colour management (CM) utopia may seem like an unreachable goal and there are production constraints that we all must deal with.

Perfection in colour may not be entirely possible but the effort put forth will soon see a reduction in the variables to a smoother and predictable colour workflow.

When dealing with input and output devices like digital cameras, scanners, monitors and ‘printers’ you need to learn as much as possible about each device (the hardware and software) and take control – if you don’t control the colour it will control you!
And YOU cannot CONTROL WHAT YOU don’t MEASURE!
Three key points – If it is measurable, then your aim is to get the device into an optimal and repeatable state. And then, that should be quantifiable.
Where to start to reduce the variables?

The most often overlooked device in your workflow will be your monitor or display. With monitors we always say that you get what you pay for! (Do photographers buy cheap lenses?) The monitor is your ‘aperture’ to your digital workflow. Careful investment in a uniform, hardware calibration display, with a hood, will enable you to maximise the use of CM. Soft proofing is not new, but when it is done with care, and correctly, it can save you countless production hours and wasted prints because of bad colour! Colour management is an enabling technology! We would recommend an EIZO monitor because of their reliability, high quality and long warranty. The CG series comes with Color Navigator (CN) software for precise calibration – a CG model with the built in colorimeter would be my preference. Also, CN allows you run a validation routine to confirm the colour accuracy – an excellent feature and benefit! An important point – for visual confirmation of accurate and predictable soft proofing set up requires an ISO 3664:2025 viewing system with a dimmer, but more on that later.

Next…  The monitor will only be as good as the software design and production suite you are using. Soft proofing requires the correct colour settings and the settings you use should be correct for your type of work, type of print and for the region you are in. The Adobe Suite can be considered the industry standard, but when installed the colour settings are set up the North American Prepress defaults which may not be applicable if you are printing to ISO or G7. Using the correct settings within your design and production applications (PhotoShop, Illustrator, InDesign and Acrobat) will reduce the risk of costly re-editing. This will also provide validity to your soft proofing.

Then… Should you be working in RGB or CMYK? This is a big question! Many companies I work with are essentially print production facilities – no in house design, no image capture or content creation. They specify to receive only CMYK files (PDF usually) – any RGB content can mean the file is returned to the customer or source for CMYK conversion or the customer can accept the print production facilities default RGB-CMYK workflow conversion. If your production or workflow allows you to utilise the RGB format, then you should stick with this. Conversion to the required CMYK space can then completed at the last minute, when needed, just prior to print. Keeping images and files in RGB means you are keeping the full range of colour and tone – preserving the originally captured information. What about the choice of RGB working space? Many photographers swear by Adobe RGB or even ProPhoto RGB. Print technology is now improving at a great rate with increased CMYK and expanded gamuts becoming the flavor of the day. However, there will usually be some gamut compression (reduction in chroma), even clipping, when converting to a ‘print’ gamut. It is important to have the right skills and knowledge about the RGB-CMYK conversion options, rendering intents. Test, test, check and re-check to validate and confirm your settings are right for the type of work, workflow and type of print process. Reliable procedures will prove to be invaluable to visualize and assess image conversion quality.

And… Are you print buyer? Getting your print work outsourced? Many still like to have a good quality validation or guide print, even a ‘proof’. We use the term proof with care as this can mean ‘contract proof’ with implications on colour verification, content, etc. Very popular today is the use of an aqueous inkjet printer to produce an accurate colour simulation ‘proof’ or validation print. It is possible to set up a profiled inkjet printer in house that can provide you with accurate simulation of your printed result. Using a decent software RIP and spectrophotometer can provide you with the tools to produce an industry standard ISO or G7 proof, with certification.

We cannot cover everything about CM in a short a blog but to conclude… One of the most overlooked areas in any CM workflow is using the correct lighting for standardised viewing conditions – ISO 3664:2025 viewing conditions – the standard for photography, graphic arts and print. As stated earlier you will need a suitable ISO 3364:2025 system for soft proofing – you could argue against it but its value to your visual assessment will prove immeasurable (pardon the pun!). For accurate visual assessment of guide prints, contract proofs and ANY print matter, an ISO 3664:2025 viewing system is non-negotiable!

We cannot cover everything about CM in a short a blog but to conclude… One of the most overlooked areas in any CM workflow is using the correct lighting for standardised viewing conditions – ISO 3664:2025 viewing conditions – the standard for photography, graphic arts and print. As stated earlier you will need a suitable ISO 3364:2025 system for soft proofing – you could argue against it but its value to your visual assessment will prove immeasurable (pardon the pun!). For accurate visual assessment of guide prints, contract proofs and ANY print matter, an ISO 3664:2025 viewing system is non-negotiable!

To realise the full benefits of color quality management in print and using a colour spectrophotometer, please contact us via our contact form

Producing a print campaign and marketing materials across different print formats and processes with consistent colour can be a real challenge. You could be dealing with offset, wide format display and signage, digital production print, even flexo for packaging! It will never be perfect but consistent colour is achievable throughout these print processes with effective colour management control.

Colour Management – How can it help?

Colour Management (CM) can mean different things to different people. Essentially CM is about how the colour is converted in a workflow (think RGB to CMYK) and how colour is managed with wide format and digital print and with digital proofing. The colour on your phone, tablet or TV screen is RGB (Red, Green and Blue), compared to offset, wide format and digital print, which is CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black). Your computer monitor may be calibrated for colour accuracy, which is a BIG plus, but it is still RGB.

TV and LED display screens can achieve very bright, vibrant and saturated colour compared to any form of traditional print. Therefore, it is vital to keep this in mind when you are embarking with print marketing.

CM for print or colour quality management in print is about achieving colour consistency across the various media types and print processes used in your print marketing materials. If you are putting together a marketing campaign across the internet, TV and print it will be difficult to achieve perfect colour matching over these diverse forms of information, product and brand delivery. However, using best practice in CM can go a long way to achieving more acceptable, consistent and predictable colour from the design stage through to RGB display and CMYK.

Many of the big global brands are very aware of this and as such they have well documented colour specifications for their brand colours for RGB and CMYK.

What is the key to Colour Management?

Well, first, remember that we are dealing with two entirely different colour spaces – RGB and CMYK.

– RGB for ‘digital’ media (TV, computer screen, phone, tablet, large advertising display screen, etc.)

– CMYK for print – ink on paper or plastic for offset and ink onto a “core flute” material or foam core board or self-adhesive vinyl for wide format are good examples…

Now RGB is based on emissive technology – bright light on a LCD or LED screen. The screen is black when it is off, but when it is ON you are going to see very bright, vibrant and saturated colours, as we stated at the outset. This equates to a much larger and broader range of colours (or larger gamut) than is achievable in CMYK.

CMYK relies on the ‘paper’ or white substrate (white background) to reflect the available light which translates to a smaller or less saturated gamut.

This means your CMYK print campaign will not have the same colour saturation or vibrancy as your digital media campaign.

It is interesting to note that some of this can be managed by using custom or spot colours in print for brand colours.

And importantly CM is an enabling technology – e.g. it will allow you to simulate the printed result on your calibrated monitor!

My concepts and design are in RGB – What should I do?

The design and concept phase is almost always done in RGB. Why can’t they do it in CMYK? Well, we do not live in a perfect world, and we cannot always get what we want! Photographers and most design schools will work and teach you in RGB – this can mean that their skills and knowledge of CMYK is limited.
Many companies, packaging prepress houses and Ad agencies I work with are well versed RGB to CMYK conversion, but there is still a big gap with much of the creative work being done in RGB. Some companies will provide training or customer service staff to help with the CMYK conversion – even down to providing the Distiller preferences for the conversions.

Some print companies will accept RGB images and elements in the customer supplied files and look after the conversion at the prepress stage or in their workflow or MIS system.

Quite often designers do not know how their designs and files will be used in print – i.e. Newsprint advert? Magazine? Packaging? Hence, they are understandably reticent at designing or doing any form of conversion, as they are unsure about what ICC profile to use and convert to.

What CMYK ICC should I convert to?

– The key here is communication between the designer, the print buyer and the print company.

– When converting from RGB to CMYK it is best to convert to the largest CMYK space available – this then provides the necessary colour gamut for converting to smaller colour gamuts.

– There are ‘large’ CMYK profiles available for free download that provide a media neutral and print process neutral workflow.

To realise the full benefits of printer calibration and using a colour spectrophotometer please contact us via our contact form

You have taken the utmost care with the latest ‘XYZ’ brand packaging print job.

Measured and verified the digital proof is within the required ISO 12647-7 tolerances for CMYK and for the brands spot colours.
Measured and checked that the viewing conditions on press and your viewing system in the quality department are within ISO 3664.
Measured, checked and reported that the required number of printed samples are within the customer requested tolerances (dE, TVI, Grey Balance).
Checked and completed in the in-house validation of the measurement instruments used.


Checked that the instruments used are up to date for manufacturers maintenance, service and certification.

All ok from your side, right! But your customer is complaining that the colour is no good, out of tolerance….

Why is this happening?

We often get called in to help and assist sort out situations like this. The solution is fairly straight forward. 


• You need a documented Colour Quality Measurement procedure that clearly defines how colour is going to be measured, analysed, reported and viewed.
• There needs to be agreement by all parties concerned.

• All parties then need to follow and adhere to the agreement.


What do you need to include into the colour assessment procedure?

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1. Instruments: You and your customer maybe be carrying out colour measurement but that does not mean you will get measurement agreement. What do need to consider about colour measurement instruments?


   
   Type?

There are various types of instruments – Densitometers, Colorimeters & Spectrophotometers.

   
   Densitometers are mainly used to measure the ink film thickness. i.e. ink on paper, more ink = higher density. Good for process control for hitting target densities when printing and checking if the inking is even across the sheet. A densitometer can also tell you about dot% and/or dot gain-TVI (tone value increase). A densitometer is a colour-blind instrument.

A Colorimeter is a low-cost way to measure and do basic evaluation. 

   
   A Colorimeter uses only 3 filters (RGB) to capture colour…


   
   Spectrophotometers are at the top of the pile! They provide the most accurate capture of colour.




   
   Geometry and Model?

There are basically three types of spectrophotometer geometry – 0/45 or 45/0, Sphere and Multi- Angle.


   
   All three of the aforementioned have their place, but they work entirely differently. Two spectrophotometers with the same geometry will not measure colour exactly the same due to manufacturer differences and instrument specifications.


   
   To confirm measurement consistency everyone should use the same type, and model of spectrophotometer.



   
   What Aperture Size?

All spectrophotometers have an aperture that is a fixed size. It could range from 1.5mm to more than 20mm. The size of the aperture definitely has an effect on the measurements. You need to use the right size aperture to suit your ‘job’ at hand. Measuring 3mm square printed patches? You will need to use a 1.5mm aperture for spot measurement.



   
   Using a larger aperture for spot measuring 3mm patches and you run the risk of including the background or surrounding colour outside the patches.


   
   Everyone should be using the same size aperture.





   
   Measurement Mode?


   
   Spectrophotometers can have different measurement modes and settings. In 45/0 instruments the measurement mode is usually set and controlled by the M condition. i.e. M0, M1, M2 and M3.



   
   It is vital that everyone uses the same mode!

   
   Measurement Backing?

For print measurement this is very important. Black or White Backing?
For double sided print material, on a thin substrate (e.g. 80gsm paper) you should use Black Backing to stop the show through or to stop the influence of printed colour on the other side of the substrate 2∘. Information about the standard for backing is contained in ISO 13655. You can also use some software tools to evaluate whether your backing is within the tolerances of the specification.


   
   Everyone should the same specification of Backing.


   
   Illuminant and Observer?


   
   The Observer angle will directly affect the measurement results. For ‘print’ colour measurement the Observer is usually set to 2∘. Spectral measurement data for print is usually converted to L*a*b* using D50/2∘ – (Illuminant and Observer).



   
   Make sure everyone uses the same Illuminant and Observer.


   
   In-House Validation, Calibration and Manufacturers service and re-certification?



   
   Like all things mechanical, your instrument requires scheduled checks and service. Having a procedure and for in-house validation and keeping records is a great way to track your instrument ‘behaviour’ or condition.


   
   Your spectrophotometer is a significant investment – look after it – keep it clean, well maintained. Keep your measurement check samples clean. Follow a good calibration procedure – Calibrate every time your start a ‘job’ and at least once a day. 


   
   No one likes to be without their favourite instrument! But sending your instrument back to the manufacturer ensures the instrument is measuring and performing within specification. Manufacturers service and re-certification provides peace of mind and also ensures you are up to date for compliance.


   
2. Viewing Conditions (Illuminant)


   
   The viewing conditions used to assess your colour print results should be standardised across departments, sites and customers.



   
   For print this means conforming to ISO 3664:2025, which means using D50 for colour assessment, evaluation and measurement (as mentioned in the previous point in this blog!).


   
   I see all too often a casual approach taken to critical visual colour assessment being completed under non-standard factory lighting or office lighting. THIS IS USUALLY THE EASIEST THING TO FIX AND CONTROL! More often than not, someone’s comments about ‘bad’ colour issue from looking at a printed result or digital proof under non-standard lighting conditions.




   
   ISO 3664:2025 viewing conditions, of the same type, should be strictly adhered to wherever the print samples are to be visually checked for ‘colour’.
3. Colour Definition and Tolerance


   
   There are many ways to define and describe colour, which has caused a huge amount of angst among colour specifiers, quality departments, manufacturers and suppliers.



   
   We would recommend using L*a*b* as the means to define a colour target or reference. You will also need to describe how the L*a*b* co-ordinates were achieved.


   
   – Illuminant and Observer?


   – Aperture size?

   – Measurement Mode?

   – Backing?

   – Instrument Geometry, Type and Model


   
   What is the tolerance amount and the tolerance methodology?


   
   Defining a pass/fail tolerance should be in line with industry standards (i.e. ISO 12647-2), as well the capability of the production process. And, best of all discuss this at length with your customers, as they are the ones whom you are endeavouring to please and look after!
You may use a tolerance of dE 2~3 for spot or custom printed colours…


   
   The tolerance methodology could be:

   – CIELab (1976) – dE

   – CIE94 – dE94

   – CIE2000 – dE2000
The latter is now commonly used for brand or spot colours…


   
   The colour definition, tolerance amount and tolerance methodology should ALL be clearly defined, documented and followed by you and your customer(s)!

   
   
4. Measurement Method


   
   We covered most of this in the previous point when we discussed about using L*a*b* and how those numbers arrived at.
Importantly the measurement method should be same across departments, sites and with your customer.


   This may include using ‘averaging’ when measuring samples and creating a colour definition or standard. 

   
   
5. Environmental considerations and the effects on the standard and sample(s)

   
   Factory and Office environments can vary widely depending on the manufacturing and production process. This can obviously have an effect on the measurement instrument performance and the condition of the sample(s) to be measured.


   
   Therefore, measurement should always be done within the same environmental conditions to ensure consistency.


   
   Printed samples can be affected by ink dry back, UV inks, aqueous coating and varnishes. 


   
   ISO 12647-2 (Offset print standard) states that the measurement is based on dry samples…


How do you eliminate customer disagreements with colour assessment and measurement?

1. You need a documented Colour Quality Measurement procedure that clearly defines how colour is going to be measured, analysed, reported and viewed. It has to be standardised!
Include specifications for:
   – Instruments 

   – Viewing Conditions

   – Colour Definition and Tolerance amount and methodology

   – Measurement Method

   – Environmental considerations

2. Identify the variables in the production process
3. There needs to be agreement by all parties concerned, and test the process
4. All parties then need to follow and adhere to the agreement.


   
   It is possible to improve and maintain predictability with colour. It takes some effort to set up colour assessment and a Colour Quality Management system, but the long-term benefits far outweigh the on-going arguments, disagreements, loss of production, job re-prints, etc…

   
   

For more information about Colour Spectrophotometer training and the TECHKON SpectroDens instrument range please contact us via our contact form

Whether you are doing digital production print, wide format for signage, POS and display printing, sheetfed offset for commercial or packaging, flexo for packaging, heat-set web for catalogue and magazine printing or even RGB photo print, there are a few colour management ‘norms’ we should pay attention to.

When we say ‘norms’ this can also mean ‘standards’, although I usually like to refer to standards in the actual sense of ISO standards.

There are four basic areas we are going to cover.

• RGB colour space
• The CMYK standard for print
• ICC colour management
• Tolerancing for Process Control and Quality Control

RGB colour space

What to use? sRGB or Adobe RGB? If you are a pro photographer, you are probably capturing in RAW and then finally using Adobe RGB for your RGB conversion. If you are like 95% of the public, capturing images on your mobile phone these will be in the sRGB colour space. Either is workable, but high end pro photographers usually swear by the Adobe RGB colour space as it is larger than sRGB.

Many print systems and use the sRGB colour space as a default for the incoming RGB images. But, importantly, there is usually an important check box to tick – honoring or use the embedded profile. This means if the workflow or RIP picks up the RGB images in file, and they are embedded or assigned with Adobe RGB then that profile will be used. On there flip side, if the RGB image(s) has no embedded profile then the default will be used – this could be sRGB.

It is very important to check the RGB settings in your workflow or RIP if you are using RGB images in your production.

The CMYK standard for print

There is a very good CMYK print standard available that can be used as a benchmark and target for just about all other print process – ISO 12647-2. This is standard for offset print and it can be fairly easily applied to digital contract proofing, digital production print, wide format print and flexographic packaging print.

Whilst the ISO 12647-2 print standard itself is really about ‘calibrating’ and setting up an offset sheetfed or headset web press, the target colour values have been used to create ‘standard’ ICC print profiles.

For digital proofing, digital print and wide format print we almost always have to use ICC profiles to colour manage the workflow and print devices.

The latest version of the standard is mirrored with two available characterisation data sets and ICC profiles. These are Fogra 51 and PSO Coated v3.icc for Premium Coated PS1 (print substrate 1) and Fogra 52 and PSO Uncoated v3 fogra 52.icc for Uncoated woodfree PS5 (print substrate 5).

The latest version of the standard is mirrored with two available characterisation data sets and ICC profiles. These are Fogra 51 and PSO Coated v3.icc for Premium Coated PS1 (print substrate 1) and Fogra 52 and PSO Uncoated v3 fogra 52.icc for Uncoated woodfree PS5 (print substrate 5).

Basically if you are printing digitally onto a substrate that achieve the colour gamut of a good quality coated stock then you would use PSO Coated v3.icc as the target.

If you are still printing or set up to the previous version of the standard then you can still use Fogra 39 and ISO Coated v2 eci.icc.

All the RIP’s are different in the way they implement the digital colour management but attention should be given to;

1. Using the right or correct CMYK profile (one of the above mentioned standard CMYK icc) for your final print simulation.
2. Using the recommended RI (rendering intent) to achieve the right outcome of the aforementioned point – i.e. Relative Colorimetric with BPC (Black Point Compensation).

ICC Colour Management

The International Colour Consortium (ICC) was established in the early 1990’s. ICC profiles is the standard way for managing colour across different devices – capture (camera, scanner), display (computer monitors and other device displays) and printers (think laser/toner, inkjet, etc.)

But many prepress staff, printers, designers and those working in ad agencies still struggle to understand the fundamentals of assigning and converting with ICC profiles. I am not going to attempt to explain all about ICC profiles here, suffice to say that using ICC profiles will not fix bad colour or a poorly captured image or photo. ICC profiles are about managing colour from device to device – from capture to monitor to printer, for example. Once you have a grip on it there is really no other way for managing colour.

There are many ICC available for free download and usage and myriad of measurement instruments and ICC software packages for creating your own ICC profiles.

The final point here is that it is easy to create and make a profile – follow the bouncing ball or easy steps in the software. But creating and building a good and valid profile is not always easy!

A spectrophotometer on the other will tell you about the colour of the colour, covering complete colorimetry and densitometry. A spectrophotometer will enable you to check dE (delta E) tolerancing that is widely used today by colour specifiers, brand owners and packaging companies. The current ISO 12647-2 standard uses dE 5* as the tolerance for the primaries, CMYK. *Using the tolerance method dEab or CIELAB 1976.

Tolerancing for Process Control and Quality Control

For process control with offset print the use of densitometers, either with simple handheld, or auto scanning off line, or closed loop is still widespread. A densitometer will tell you if you are up density and if the inking is even across the sheet. But densitometers are essentially colour blind instruments.

A spectrophotometer on the other will tell you about the colour of the colour, covering complete colorimetry and densitometry. A spectrophotometer will enable you to check dE (delta E) tolerancing that is widely used today by colour specifiers, brand owners and packaging companies. The current ISO 12647-2 standard uses dE 5* as the tolerance for the primaries, CMYK. *Using the tolerance method dEab or CIELAB 1976.

There is currently no international for spot or custom colours, but a widely accepted tolerance is dE2, using the dE2000 tolerance formula.

What the key points?

• Use a standard format for Professional Commercial Print – – PDF/X4 – This format preserves vector crispness, embeds necessary fonts, and locks in exact layouts.
  It can be considered the industry ‘gold’ standard. It maintains live layers and transparencies, supports both RGB and CMYK colours, and guarantees your layout prints exactly as intended.
• If you are going use RGB images in your workflow pay specific attention to your RGB colour management settings
• Making use of current ISO 12647 print standards (and the associated characterisation data sets and ICC profiles) enables a clearly defined set of targets (and tolerances) for digital contract proofing, digital and wide format print and offset print
• Make sure you are up to speed using the correct digital colour management with ICC profiles in the design phase and in production and prepress areas
• Use a clear set of tolerances for process control and for quality control reporting for CMYK and spot colours.

Using colour management standards, with clearly defined tolerances will enable you to save valuable production time, improve customer communications, reduce waste, and vastly improve customer satisfaction.

For more information on setting up and looking after Digital Colour Management and Printer Colour Management 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

If you desire and/or require accurate colour, from capture to monitor to print you need colour management.

Colour management is not something you buy in a box off the shelf. And there is no one button press magic solution either. A colour management system that works does require some input from you, colour measurement using hardware & software and a bit of ‘know how.

What is colour management?

Basically, colour management is the process of using ICC profiles to communicate colour throughout an ICC enabled colour reproduction workflow – a bit of a mouthful, I know… Unfortunately, often, it is not an easy process.

And colour management does fix bad colour – if you have a photo that is dark or muddy or over exposed – colour management will not ‘fix‘ it – but it will communicate the bad colour accurately and predictably through the colour managed workflow.

If you consider yourself a highly skilled colour retoucher or colour ‘technician‘ – colour management will not replace you.

The real benefit of colour management is that it enables colour simulation across the ‘workflow‘ – it is an ‘enabling‘ technology.

It can provide you with the ability to simulate your print output (CMYK digital, offset, RGB photo, etc.) before you commit to print – this is done using a calibrated and ICC profiled monitor, utilizing soft proofing.

You can accurately check the colour of a conversion (RAW to RGB or RGB to CMYK or RGB to RGB, etc.) before clicking OK.

You can save valuable production time (or your own time)and save on materials wastage when you ‘print‘ – your colour is predictable and accurate – no more colour surprises and no more, ‘I didn’t think it was going to look like that…‘ comments…

If you have ever wondered whether your monitor is right and why your printer is always printing that terrible colour result, then you need colour management. Colour management involves calibrating your devices (digital camera, scanner, monitor and printer), creating ICC profiles and then setting up and using the ICC profiles correctly.

There are limitations with the colours captured, compared to the colours displayed on a monitor and the colours that can be printed and a couple of things that influence this are the type of monitor being used, the type of printer or print process and the type of paper or media that is being used for the print. There are some rules of colour management – for example – standardized lighting (D50 or daylight @ 5000K) should be used for accurate colour and visual assessment of the printed result.

Colour management is a BIG subject – suffice to say – you are better off going down the path and doing it ‘right‘ (i.e. setting up a colour management system, correctly…) than ignoring it doing nothing at all.

Colour Graphic Services can help you with colour management, training, colour products and an ICC profiling service. Contact us to learn more about our 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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