By EFI’s Roland Campa and Kerry Moloney
Colour printing, in theory, can be a complex topic. Print shops produce hundreds of jobs per week, and each one could present its own colour challenges.
According to a 2022 study by NAPCO Research (Propelling Your Business Forward in Ever-Changing Competitive Environment, 2022) almost 40 per cent of print buyers state that they want print providers to “improve colour consistency” or “offer better colour matching”. That is a challenge that more providers need to overcome to reduce costs and wasted time from reprints, attract new buyers, plus keep them happy and away from the competition.
This same NAPCO Research study also states that 37 per cent of buyers have “high-quality colour printing” as their top criteria for choosing a print service provider. It also notes that 36 per cent of buyers feel providers need to invest in “print colour standards”, whereas only 18 per cent of providers think this is true for them. Could this discrepancy be down to the “complex topic” reputation colour management has? Do print providers really know the importance of good colour to their customers?
Properly implemented colour management is all about “printing the expected”. It also vastly improves quality, reduces toner or ink consumption, raises productivity and profitability by eliminating “by-eye-colour” test prints, and minimises waste by reducing reprints.
The Cs
Managing colour for print has long been talked about using the concept of the ‘Cs’ of colour management. Whether you’ve heard of none, the three, four or five — their aim has been to help make getting colour right and keeping it there. Here’s a refresher or introduction to the first five (more on number six later):
- Consistency
Driven by the condition of a printing device and its consumables. A printer needs to be in a defined state so that it can easily return there if it drifts.
2. Calibration
Handled by colour management software or digital front end (DFE). A printer, media, and ink/toner combination must be in a repeatable — therefore “targeted” — state. Correct calibration also ensures the best possible colour gamut of a printing device.
3. Characterisation
Taken care of by colour management software. Characterisation — or profiling — captures how a device prints based on the inks/toners and media used. This step is crucial for colour accuracy, but also takes care of toner and ink savings, shadow and highlight detail via black controls, colour enhancements, and more.
4. Conversion
Controlled by the digital front end (DFE). Conversion is the process of converting colour from the colour space of one device, to the colour space of another, using the colour profiles created during the characterisation step.
5. Control
Performed by process control or colour management software. It informs when colour needs to be brought back in line via scheduled verifications plus failure notifications. Corrective actions keep colour on track over time, and prevent earlier colour management steps needing to be redone to get colour back on track.
For colour management to work effectively, all 5 ‘Cs’ are critical to achieve accurate colour — and importantly keep it there. Once set up, managing colour can become part of standard operating procedures, and with the latest automated technology and built-in AI, it is probably far easier than most people think.
Introducing the 6th C – Conformance
When the 5 ‘Cs’ are in place the value unfortunately is diminished if PDF processing is imperfect. The ability to properly interpret PDF files from customers is essential. And that’s the 6th C – PDFConformance.
The correct interpretation of colour transparencies and overprints, and the correct use of source profiles is as important as hitting colour standards when it comes to getting colour right first time. Ignore one of these, and the best profile and colour management in the world isn’t going to work if your PDF processing is broken.
Electronics For Imaging’s Fiery servers are extremely easy to set up for correct PDF printing. On the latest Fiery DFE platform for cutsheet printers, generating certification-compliant output only requires selecting a single check box in Fiery JobExpert software for automated, optimal PDF print production.
To help tackle this important “C” in colour management, Fiery has partnered with the Ghent Workgroup (GWG) to offer fast and easy PDF Conformance Certification for Ghent PDF Output Suite 5.0 for Fiery Driven print systems.
Achieving this conformance not only proves PDF/X-4 standard compliance, it is also a valuable marketing tool to help print shops acquire new customers, and keep existing customers loyal to them — keeping the competition at bay. This certification shows the industry and customers that your facility has been recognised for perfectly processed PDFs — which is crucial in meeting industry colour standards.
Comment below to have your say on this story.
If you have a news story or tip-off, get in touch at editorial@sprinter.com.au.
Sign up to the Sprinter newsletter