Accurately Communicating Color from Design to Press

Accurately reproducing color from the digital artwork created by designers is an essential component to the success of any commercial or packaging print company. Within the print production process there are typically 3 different methods of communicating color. The first is the monitor as it is the medium by which designers create the original artwork. The second is the inkjet printer as it is typically used to produce proofs that represent the colors to be…

Going Outside the Box with SpectroDens MiniExpresso

One of the great advantages of printing to standards is having a known target to aim for. ISO 12647 indicates precise L*a*b* values for offset CMYK solids when using ISO compliant inks with ISO compliant paper. But what do we do to establish proper ink density targets when no standard exists? Printing onto unusual substrates such as plastics or synthetics, printing to “G7 Extreme”, or printing using unusual techniques are all examples of important non-standard…

Is it time to upgrade your densitometer?

In my travels helping companies achieve G7 Master Printer Certification I encounter lots of creative ways of managing color on press. Lots of folks have a densitometer at the press console to spot check sheets. While this has undoubtedly greatly improved the consistency of press color on each station over time it becomes obvious that some densitometers do not correlate to each other when measuring the same press sheet and ink zone. Which densitometer is…