Colour Management

Whether you are screenprinting, litho printing or are digital printing, it is crucial to get the colour right, your client expects it.

In colour management all colours are referenced to a theoretical colour model Lab.  In this way, the RGB of a monitor can be converted to the CMYK of a printer with maximum accuracy.  This is done via ICC profiles, small text files that contain a database of CMYK and RGB values relating to the colour that they produce.

If you have a colour in your DTP programme, the colour management module converts the colour to RGB values for the monitor and to CMYK for the printer.  In this way you can 'soft-proof' the job on your monitor, produce a digital proof on your printer and have confidence that the finished job will look OK.

There are limitations to the process, your eye can see a vast array of colours, a photograph slightly less, a monitor much less and a CMYK print a small fraction of the total.  Dealing with the 'out of gamut' colours can be the difference between success and failure.

Positivity can produce high quality ICC profiles and guide you through the correct usage.  We can explain the limitations and give you the tools to minimise them.

See what can be done with the correct colour management, the scanned photo on the left was produced using an 'out-of-the-box' profile. The 'mouse-over' photo is the same photo printed with a custom profile, the difference is whiter whites, punchier colours and happier clients. The original probably wouldn't be rejected but the custom profiled is just visibly better.

Produce Progressive Proofs to guide your press:
Produce the cyan plate, cyan/magenta plate etc.  Your pressman can't make a mistake!

C	CM	CMY	CMYK

Use Spot Colour Replacement and a Colour Atlas to get Pantone colours correct.

Positivity - for your colour needs.