As print production continues to evolve across technologies, sites, substrates, and customer expectations, shared color standards have never been more important. For Michelle Bodary, Color and Print Execution Specialist at MCC Label, pursuing G7+ Expert Certification was both a professional milestone and a practical step toward deeper alignment in print execution.
With a strong background in color behavior and hands-on experience working within a G7 framework, Bodary saw certification as an opportunity to formalize her knowledge, strengthen her ability to contribute, and connect with a broader community of professionals working through many of the same color challenges. In this G7+ Expert Certification Spotlight, she shares what inspired her journey, what she took away from the training experience, and why a common color methodology matters in today’s print environment.
What inspired you (or your company) to pursue G7+ Expert Certification?
This was something I had wanted to pursue for years - the opportunity just hadn't lined up until now. MCC was already working within a G7 framework, so the foundation was there. For me, pursuing the Expert certification was about being able to genuinely contribute to it, not just work alongside it. I already had a deep understanding of color behavior from my previous roles, and how the G7 methodology works in practice, but there's something meaningful about having the certification match the knowledge. It's validation that goes both ways. It challenged me to formalize what I knew and fill in the gaps I didn't know I had. And there were definitely some gaps I wasn't aware I was missing!
What was your biggest takeaway from the G7+ training experience?
Honestly, that we're all dealing with the same challenges. There's something really validating about going through a training like this and realizing that getting color to behave consistently, trying to align across different processes and conditions, are universal to anyone who works in print. Since going through the certification, I've had people from my network reach out to share their own experiences with the course, and that's been one of the best parts of the whole thing. It turned into a shared conversation, not just a credential. That sense of community around a common standard is exactly why something like G7+ matters.
Since implementing G7+, what results or improvements have you seen in your print process or business?
We've seen the real benefit of having a shared methodology when it comes to aligning work realistically across sites and workflows. When everyone is referencing the same framework, cross-site coordination gets smoother and conversations become more grounded in reality - less guesswork, more shared baseline. The certification has given me the tools to contribute to that alignment in a more meaningful way.
Why do you think G7+ certification matters in today's print environment?
Because there are a million ways to approach color in print, and most of them work, at least some of the time. What G7+ offers isn't just a technically sound methodology, it's a shared one. A standard only has real power when it's widely understood, accepted, and practiced across the industry. That common language is what makes conversations between sites, between vendors, between customers and print providers actually productive. When everyone is working from the same framework, you spend less time debating approach and more time solving problems. That's what makes it matter.
Michelle Bodary’s experience reflects the value of G7+ as more than a certification. It is a shared methodology that helps print professionals align expectations, improve communication, and approach color with greater consistency and confidence. For organizations managing complex workflows across locations, teams, and technologies, that common framework can make color conversations more productive and execution more reliable.
Her perspective also highlights the growing strength of the G7+ community. As more experts, print providers, and organizations adopt a common language for color, the industry moves closer to more consistent, measurable, and collaborative print production.
Michelle Bodary is a G7+ Certified Expert and Color and Print Execution Specialist at MCC Label, with nearly 20 years in graphic communications and print. Before moving to the brand side, she spent years in technical support and training at GMG Color and PrintFactory RIP, giving her a rare inside-out understanding of the software, workflows, and pain points that print teams deal with every day. That foundation now shapes how she approaches color management, process design, and automation across flexo, offset, digital, and large format. She enjoys making complex workflows scalable and human-friendly, and believes expertise only matters if it translates into people feeling less stressed and more supported.