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Capturing Colors

Proper steps to make your vinyl colors

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Wow, 2007 has blown by us, and another year, full of changes in hardware, software, media and inks, begins. Now that you’ve survived the holidays and eaten all the turkey and stuffing you can stand, it’s time to get back to work! If your New Year’s resolutions include further mastery of digital-printing equipment and tackling color management, you’ve come to the right place.

This month, we’ll review color-management basics and talk to some experts who can help us ensure what comes out of the printer actually looks like the original design – or, better yet, pleases our customers. So, let me turn this last bit of leftover turkey into a sandwich, and we’ll get started.

Media matters

Because this column addresses vinyl graphics, the print media I’ll reference throughout will be digital, pressure-sensitive adhesive vinyl (DPSA). I only refer to DPSA, and not typical plotter vinyl, because you should only be printing on digital media (see ST, January 2006, page 20).

Media selection demands matching the film to the application before you ever load a roll on the printer.

Currently, three DPSA grades are available; economy-grade calendered, high-performance calendered and cast. Too often, I see shops using the wrong media – the print looks great, until it’s used for an application it can’t handle, and failure results. Read the media manufacturer’s specs to learn about your media, and, if you have a question, promptly contact the manufacturer.

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Naturally, DPSA’s manufacturing differences require different production steps. By understanding how color management relates to your printing equipment and software, you’ll more closely match your client’s logo colors and turn it into an eye-popping vehicle or building wrap. Now, let’s examine the wide world of color management and see how much we can stoke our curiosity.

Color basics

Understanding all the principles and scientific theory behind color management can be pretty overwhelming. So, we’ll just look at the basic components and how they aid everyday printing applications.

Because my brain reached its capacity some time ago, I’ve enlisted the technical genius of Mark Gundlach from X-rite Inc. (Grand Rapids, MI) – a color-management hardware and soft¬ware manufacturer – to provide some color management do’s and don’ts. Mark has a degree in photography and has been training signshops, commercial printers and advertising agencies about opti¬mizing color for more than 12 years.

View color management as a process that ensures the same color space (RGB or CMYK) remains throughout our file creation, file RIPing and printing. For the novice, your color-space choices, either RGB or CMYK, are color values that collectively create a specific color, such as Coca-Cola®’s red (according to Darek Johnson, ST’s technology editor, Coke®’s red is technically a spot color, but RIPs have become much more accurate with their colors). Full-color images, such as photographs, also use these values. For reference, you see RGB when you look at your television or computer monitor.

Starting out right

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I wish color management was simple, but we’ve just scratched the surface. The main component in day-to-day color management is profile development. You should understand two types of profiles: an input (source) profile, and an output profile. First, we’ll discuss the input profile and subsequent design considerations.

Image capture (through a scanner or camera) or design creation triggers the input profile. In other words, if you develop a design in CorelDraw® or Adobe® Illustrator®, make sure you assign an input profile. All design software requires different methods, so check the ol’ user manual and determine your software process. Don’t worry; it usually entails only a few mouse clicks. This step is critical – by assigning that input profile, you capture that file’s color information.

Let’s dig more deeply into file creation and the input profile. Earlier, we discussed color spaces, for which Mark offers this advice: “Always standardize your color spaces, especially if you’re working in several different design packages. Always work with RGB or CMYK across the board. Even though you may have different components within your design, they must be uniform. Second, ensure your RIP and printer have the same settings as the input profiles unless you’ve made changes during the process.”

Putting ink to vinyl

We’ve discussed front-end color management, let’s take examine the rest of the process – our output, or media, profile. Once you’ve completed your design or image, send the file to your RIP to translate the image and color infor¬mation into a language your printer can understand.

Next, choose your DPSA media. Let’s your printed image will be applied to a 4 x 8-ft., aluminum panel that requires a five-year, outdoor lifespan. I’d recommend an intermediate or high-performance, calendered vinyl. Current intermediate-grade calendered films can withstand five years outdoors, whereas high-performance will endure seven years. After the image has been processed by the RIP, choose the correct media profile for the selected media.

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Mark said, “Make sure you have the correct profiles for your media. Profiles match specific media, RIP, resolution and printer settings [especially temperature], and ink type. Trying profiles for other configurations and media won’t usually work.” Furthermore, profiles shouldn’t mix different brands of media; they’re developed according to each manufacturer’s recommendations.

Now, you may be wondering, “How do I unlock this magic?” Fortunately, most major RIP software companies devised and loaded many profiles into the software. Better yet, several major media manufacturers also provide media profiles through their respective

websites. These great resources allow plug-and-play utility with your particular RIP and printer. But, if you really want to excel, purchase the equipment to make your own profiles (see websites below).

Points to ponder

Most of our discussion evolved from my color-management questions to Mark. However, additional points he provided may help you avoid some common mistakes.

First, calibrate your monitor and printer regularly. This includes head alignment and printer linearization. This ensures you routinely receive your printer’s best performance. Also, your pre-packaged media profiles are created on a calibrated machine.

Temperature settings are critical on today’s solvent, eco-solvent and mild-solvent machines. Temperature extremes impede color fidelity and slow drying time. Often, the media profiles will override printer settings, but always make sure.

When choosing your color system, consider indoor versus outdoor requirements as general rules of thumb. Graphics that need high color saturation for vibrancy and impact, such as vehicle wraps, may benefit from the Adobe RGB (aRGB) color space. Contrastingly, graphics that will be viewed at close range, or significantly incor¬porate flesh tones, may be better served by CMYK, though it depends upon your color-rendering choice.

Finally, profile your monitor. You can do this relatively inexpensively; it will give you more accurate on-screen color that more accurately depicts the final output.

Can’t get enough?

You could study color management and theory for a lifetime. Fortunately, myriad avenues allow this. I recommend taking a course in color management and profiling – this will absolutely set you apart from the crowd. Online resources are available, but nothing matches hands-on learning. Here are a few sites where you can get color-management information, or sign up for a class:

• www.colorwiki.com/wiki/ColorWiki_Homelists.apple.com/mailman/listinfo/colorsync-users

• www.xrite.com/top_services.aspx

Now, you have enough information to start your year on the right foot – and just enough to be dangerous! Be consistent in your processes, and pay attention to the details. The better your prints look, and the better you match your customers’ intended colors, the more you’ll be printing green – the color of money!

Craig Campbell is the product application manager for Oracal USA (Jacksonville, FL).

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