Colour Management using ICC (International Colour Consortium) profiles has become the accepted means of maintaining the consistency of colour files when transporting them between the originator/creator, publisher and printer.

Problems of colour perception arise because the originator is looking at a monitor that generates colour in RGB, the colour proof is produced in CMYK on an inkjet printer (which deposits ink on the surface of the paper), and the printing process (which is also working in CMYK, but presses the ink into the substrate). It is also a fact that peoples' perception of colour varies because colour is resolved differently by different eyes.

At SPM we have recognised the challenge of maintaining colour fidelity throughout the process from design to printed product and we have been working with ICC colour profiles since the inception of the company. We also recognise that in practice, commercial printing processes operate within broad tolerances and that a printed 'colour target' only represents a unique setting of a single press and is therefore not representative of colour fidelity process performance over time. Accordingly, we use spectrophotometers throughout the process to measure that the colour results conform to the ICC colour targets - as this overcomes the issue of how colour is viewed by different operators.

The colour of the substrates we print on can also vary, as does the composition of the paper. It makes a difference if we use recycled papers, or papers made from virgin wood. The colour profile represents the colorimetric performance not just of the printing device, but of the combination of reproduction process and substrate used for printing.

We have therefore adopted the concept of 'printing to ICC colour spaces', exemplified by the ISO 12647-2 standard, because we believe that colour profiles created in this way will prove to be repeatable and maintain their colour fidelity for both litho and digital presses - and are therefore preferable to custom profiles. All the devices used in the colour processes (Macs, proofing printers, CTP platemakers, digital and litho presses) are regularly calibrated to ensure that we work to this standard throughout the production processes.

Print Production

• Print Production
• Products
• Quality
• Colour Management
• Evaluation and Measurement