The Ins and Outs of Color Management

Color management is the process of translating how a color is initially depicted (in a proof or in a two-dimensional sample), to how it is reproduced by various output devices. With color management, the unique color characteristics of the output devices are "fingerprinted." That is, their unique color range and colors reproduced are mapped. Color management software performs the translation between the initial color depiction or sample and the "fingerprinted" colors of these output devices. While color management doesn’t assure a color match between devices, it can allow more control over the color reproduction method when process changes occur. While output devices and printing systems can benefit from color management methods, what is the return on investment for a printing company and its workers? One of the benefits of managing color output is to lower the cost in achieving “good color” in a production environment. Inaccurate color results usually in a higher rate of job rejection and requires costly reprinting. This raises production and labor costs and lowers profit margins. There are added benefits to color management with production personnel who need to make fast and accurate color changes to a job, based solely upon what they see on a computer monitor. With proper color management, timely corrections can be visualized on the monitor and rendered directly to the print process.

Equipment

Color management equipment can be broken down into the following areas:

• Software color management solutions, monitor and media profiling
• Spot color – matching software
• Hardware
• Densitometers
• Colorimeters
• Spectrophotometers

“The necessary tools one needs to provide a color-managed workflow,” said Jeff Burton, SGIA’s digital printing analyst, “include a colorimeter (designed to calibrate a monitor) and a spectrophotometer (designed for reading colors and interpreting the color reading into standard color space values). Spectrophotometers can either be handheld, capable of reading values in strip form or a strip reader, which automates the color measurement process in a production environment.” Burton continued, “Inkjet printers by themselves have no innate knowledge of color or correct output. When purchased they are either bundled or bought in conjunction with raster image processing (RIP) software that translates the electronic file into a format the machine can utilize and print with. Usually, the RIP software has the capacity to modify the ink control of the printer and to amend or adjust the color of incoming and outgoing image files.” Few manufacturers are beginning to bundle the hardware (built-in spectrophotometer) and the software necessary for a color-managed workflow, but these are still in the minority. “For the most part, third-party spectrophotometers are a necessary part of ‘profiling’ media for better color output,” said Burton. “The software part of the equation can either be supplied by the RIP manufacturer as part of the RIP, or can be purchased as an additional module for the RIP. If a RIP is not used, there are software solutions provided by the color management retailers directly.”

Color Management at the 2013 SGIA Expo

Each year, the lauded SGIA Expo brings new and inventive tools to the specialty imaging industry, along with unrivaled opportunity for knowledge gathering. Hear what SGIA’s Jeff Burton had to say about color management tools and techniques at the 2013 SGIA Expo in Orlando, Florida — Tools “Some of the latest iterations of spectrophotometers are folding in all of the functionalities of past-discontinued models. Like the Swiss army knife of color tools, the X-Rite eXact^TM spectrophotometer is equipped with a completely customizable LED interface. Customizable via a computer interface, it allows you to program functions, reading types and button placement on the unit proper. “On the textile front there was an automated cutting unit that could convert entire rolls of dye-sublimated printed banners into their individual banner components.

This frees the production personnel from having to trim out countless banners from rolls of material. Another textile processing unit was automating the process of sewing rubber edging onto finished textile, necessary for backlit display installation. This is a tedious chore usually done with specialized sewing equipment and operators. This new unit, started by a foot pedal, automatically stitched the rubber edging onto the entire length of the textile backlit, back stitching at the end to lock the stitch.”

Techniques Put You in the Zone “The Color Management and Workflow Solutions Zone showed the breadth and depth of knowledge that not only forms the basis for color management, but continues to grow and provide for solutions to more complex issues surrounding printing in a digital environment. “Talks ranged from how to use the RIP’s spot color library and G7 methodology to defining color tolerance for client projects. There are just so many avenues to address within this topic that every seminar was filled with attendees wanting as much knowledge as possible to apply to their businesses.” He concluded: “Learning the process of color management goes hand in hand with operating an inkjet printer. This is the only approach an owner or operator has to develop consistent and accurate color output using today’s media and equipment.”