Sign Color Management Overview

ASK A ROOM FULL of signmakers which aspect of their job is the biggest pain, and more than a few would likely say color management. Interestingly enough, we would probably get the same answer if we asked that question 30 years ago. Why does this cause so much anxiety?

The primary pain points are the expectations of what you see on a monitor vs. what actually gets imaged on the print. The data gets manipulated a number of times during the workflow and subtle changes can take place from one step to the next, so is there a way to get everything working in a more predictable manner? Luckily, the answer is yes. Let’s look at some of the components that make up the workflow and areas you can address to help eliminate those costly surprises.

Typically you have two situations where a customer is going to ask for reasonably accurate color. One is centered on spot colors and the other on customer-supplied images like photos or scans. The former situation is fairly easy to deal with while the latter can really be a chore if you don’t have your ducks in a row.

Spot colors can be addressed by using swatch books printed with the specific ink, media and print modes you typically use. The customer looks at the swatches and selects the specific colors they want. Use those values when designing the artwork. When ready to print, make sure the media, inks and print settings (resolution and speed) match the swatch book. Many RIPs include a set of swatch books for this purpose, or you can use a color system like Pantone. Inexpensive colorimeters can be used to find color values for virtually anything. If the customer wants to match the color of their vehicle, just take a reading from the car. Use the value to define the color in your design program and print.

For color images such as photos, you will probably need to invest in some equipment. First, make sure that your monitor is calibrated. This will ensure that you are not making corrections based on a monitor that has a color shift. The devices are fairly inexpensive and can usually be used on multiple monitors. Calibration must be done with some frequency — once a week or month to ensure best results.

Practically all printers use ICC profiles to convert what you are seeing on the screen into a fairly accurate printed rendition. The profile must match the ink set, media and printer settings (again speed and resolution). The printer will probably come with a set of profiles but these will generally only work with the manufacturer’s media and ink. You can download profiles from media manufacturer’s sites for your particular printer as well. If the resulting prints satisfy your customers, congratulations.

However, if you have particularly picky clients then it will behoove you to make your own profiles. Media and ink from the same manufacturer can vary from lot to lot. Or maybe you prefer a third-party media and/or ink. This involves purchasing equipment designed for that purpose. A typical workflow is to print some swatches that are then scanned via a spectrophotometer. The scanning process can be manual or automated depending on how many profiles you need to generate. You can make additional tweaks during this process to reduce ink usage, for example. When finished, you will get a new ICC profile. Use this for the desired prints and you should get a good match.

Even after many years, color management has not become automatic. Luckily the tools are getting more refined and if your shop makes a commitment to learning the process, you can produce prints that will meet your client’s expectations.

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