What is color? Merely a reflection of light...how do we control it? We have 2 popular ink sets in offset printing, four color process and the Pantone set, each acting differently.
High quality offset printers control and monitor their internal color systems to ensure accurate results. Accurate results to what? Here lies the problem...
You, the valued customer, your color specification is your monitor and an ink jet or laser printer, guess what...they probably won't match your vendor's color.
- Your monitor is not a color specification
- Your desktop printer is not a color specification
Inks used in a desktop printer are not the same as the CMYK we use in a pro print shop. We also calibrate and operate by the "numbers" (more on that later).
The most popular color specifications that print shops use in various degrees are:
- SWOP - (NOT A STANDARD, a specification of a process)
- GRACoL - (NOT A STANDARD, a specification or methodology)
- Pleasing color - (NOT A STANDARD, developed by Joe Printer)
Color predictability produces productivity & productivity produces profitability. We suggest purchasing color guides set to a color specification your printer adheres to. So ask your printer, What's my color???
Additional resources:
Color guides: http://www.pantone.com
