Du Mez says that even very slight colour shifts or inconsistencies in the product imagery can have a “significant impact” on consumers’ perception of the final printed product and, as a result, impact your chances of repeat business.
According to Du Mez, this is a key reason as to why demand for colour perfection is not limited to brand colours alone, with this process becoming increasingly complicated for printers and converters to meet these quality and consistency challenges.
“In addition to rising brand owner demands, printers are faced with an increased pace and complexity of required technological innovation—at a time when profit margins are very tight,” Du Mez comments, adding: “Add to that increasing requirements to meet new industry standards, an aging workforce, and the scarcity of true colour experts—and the challenges can be extremely daunting.”
For this reason, QuadTech has introduced and continues to develop various new colour management tools that directly address these challenges. Among the new innovations are a complete, software-based workflow solution; automation that Du Mez says greatly simplifies “the science of colour production”; as well as inline colour measurement technology that is affordable and adaptable.
In addition to rising brand owner demands, printers are faced with an increased pace and complexity of required technological innovation—at a time when profit margins are very tight”
Du Mez continues: “There is a clear and growing trend to move from periodic color measurement with handheld spectrophotometers, to the more thorough and consistent inline spectral measurement.
“There is certainly a place for sampled handheld measurement. But continuous inline measurement catches problems through the entire print run, preventing you from throwing out product that is within colour tolerances, and ensuring that no out-of-tolerance product is passed on to your customers.”
Included in the latest range of solutions from QuadTech is DeltaCam, which made its debut at Drupa 2016 and, as Du Mez explains, makes advanced inline spectral measurement “affordable to individual packaging print houses”.
Also available is QuadTech’s ColorTrack, a colour management software for flexo and gravure packaging applications, while InkWeigh allow press operators to view and weigh ink recipes received from the formulation software in order to make press-side corrections.
Du Mez adds: “There is an enormous opportunity for printers and converters who can adopt complete, simplified workflow solutions that increase press productivity, significantly reduce colour makeready and setup time, and reduce ink inventory and storage needs.”
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