Critical color-not-all-color-is-created-equal-brochure

All color

is not

createdequal

Table of ContentsThe Standard Register investment in digital color .............................................. 3

All color is not created equal ................................................................ 7

How Standard Register manages color ............................................................ 18

The Color of Success .................................................................. 24

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We advance customer reputations through critical color management.

The Standard Register commitment to customers is to help customers uphold their own brand promises by providing expert management and precise execution of their customer communications. Our continued advancements in digital color position Standard Register as the premiere choice for production of our customers’ materials—reinforcing their brand identity in a credible and memorable way.

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The Standard Register investment in digital color

Industry trends show digital printing on the rise.In 2012, digital printing is expected to account for more than 21% of the total market value of the printing industry, compared to 11% in 2007. In 2007, the total global digital printing market was valued at $68 billion, up 122% since 2002—and it is set to double again in the next five years. *

The 2012 – 2014 forecast indicates 12% growth in color with a 3% decline in black & white. It is projected that all color will be migrating from 16.9% of all printed documents to 35% in the next few years.

US Digital Color Page Volume Growth (CAGR 2009 to 2014)

Application Family Application

10%

General Office

- Business Cards- CAD/Rendering- General Office- Presentations- Proposals- Reports

20%

Packaging

- Folding Cartons- Flexible Packaging- Labels- Prototypes

31%

Promotional

- Brochures- Catalogs- Direct Mail- Inserts- Coupons- Posters- Banners- Sinage

10%

Utility

- Identity Cards- Forms

31%

Publishing

- Books- Greeting Cards- Directories- Magazines- Manuals- Newspapers

23%

Consumer

- Fine Art- Photo-related

20%

Transactions

- Bills- Statements- Checks- Tickets- Data-driven Reports

Source: InfoTrends

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The Standard Register investment in digital color.In order to capitalize on the market potential for high-end digital color and commercial print, Standard Register has invested in color management technology and processes. Our investment in industry-leading digital color equipment positions us to capitalize on outstanding market opportunities.

The

Equi

pmen

t

8 Xerox iGen4s

4 HP Indigos

• 26” wide capabilities

• Inline bindery capabilities

• High output

• Wide range of substrates

• 4-color process with up to two spot colors

• Comparable to offset quality

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Color Equipment by Location:Location Installed Press Qty.Boston, Mass. HP Indigo 5500 1Dallas, Texas Xerox iGen 4 2Chicago, Ill. Xerox iGen 4 1Atlanta, Ga. Xerox iGen4 1 HP Indigo 5500 1Charlotte, N.C. HP Indigo 7500 2Philadelphia, P.A. Xerox iGen 4 2Sacramento, Calif. Xerox iGen 4 2

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Pleasing color vs. critical color. There’s a definite difference.Color is color, isn’t it? While that may seem to be a true statement, there is a big difference in what is considered to be pleasing color vs. what is critical to match a company’s brand color standards.

Pleasing colors:• Colors that do NOT have a specific color requirement• As an example, all Microsoft Office output is considered to be

pleasing color

Critical colors:• Colors that require matching to a customer’s brand guidelines• All branding colors are considered to be critical colors• As an example, a customer’s Marketing collateral requires

critical color

When managing to a company’s brand colors, getting close is just not good enough.

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All color is not created equal

When light hits an object, some wavelengths are absorbed while others are reflected. The reflected wavelengths of light are then perceived by the brain as that object’s color. Changes to any of the three elements in this equation will result in a change in color.

The apple in the illustration really has no color. Color is perceived by the viewer based on the light that is reflected off the apple. So it can be concluded that color is contained within the light itself. The chemistry and physics of the object determines how much light is absorbed and how much light is reflected, which is then perceived by the observer.

The basics of color.Understanding the management of critical color is easier to grasp with fundamental knowledge of some color basics.

What is required to have color?

Observer

Object

Light Source

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We see in RGB

Although there are 7 colors (Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo and Violet) in the visible spectrum, we see using only three: Red, Green and Blue. The parts of the human eye that permit us to see black/white and color are the rods and cones. Rods perceive images as black, white or shades of gray while cones perceive color.

The physiological attributes of the viewer’s eyes also play an important role in the color that is perceived. Everyone perceives color differently due to these differences. For example, if a person is challenged by red-green color blindness, a red apple would not appear red, but rather another lovely shade of grey.

In addition to the human eye, there are other devices which display color using RGB based on the projection of light:

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What does it mean when a color is in—or out—of gamut?While the human eye and some other devices display color in the same three colors—RGB—there are differences in how many colors they can represent. This difference is best outlined by looking at the “gamut” for each of these RGB sources. The visible spectrum represents all the colors found in the natural world. RGB is one of the subsets of the visible spectrum. RGB devices (TVs, cameras, monitors, etc.) can reproduce fewer colors.

RGB color gamutVisible

SpecturmThe triangle represents those colors

from the visible spectrum that can be captured and/or depicted on

an RGB device. The main categories of colors that are

lost are blues and greens.

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Color printing utilizes CMYK spectrum.Printing in color does not utilize RGB—the colors produced are CMYK and spot colors. What are those and what is the difference?

CMYK Color: also known as process or 4-color process colorIn this printing technique, four process colors are printed on top of each other. Each color uses the same image produced at varying intensities, to reproduce a full color image. This is the method used by printers the world over, and is also a clever way of mixing paints. This is the color reproduction method based on using 4 key pigments: Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black. Using these 4 colors, most other colors can be achieved.

In a perfect world, when printing cyan, magenta and yellow inks on white paper, they would absorb all the light reflecting off the page, and the eye would perceive black. In the real world, though, C+M+Y produces a murky brown rather than black. In order to get decent dark colors, black ink is added.

CMYK cyan magenta yellow black

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How does the CMYK color gamut differ

from the RGB gamut?

The CMYK gamut is shaped differently from the RGB gamut. That means there are colors in the RGB gamut that we cannot reproduce using CMYK technology. That also means there are colors that can be printed with CMYK technology that cannot be displayed on RGB devices.

Visible Specturm

CMYK color gamut

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Although CMYK colors are nice, it would be a much less vibrant world if printing was limited to their use. Fortunately, the Pantone Color System (PMS) defines colors by comparison to a large library of over 1,000 colors. Each PMS color corresponds to specific pigments that are combined to create a specific ink color (using the formula guide). Instead of using a 4-color process (CMYK) to create colors, the pigments are created before the printing process to guarantee color matching and consistency. This is the industry standard for ink colors.

Open up the printed color spectrum with

PMS colors.

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How does the Pantone gamut stack up?When comparing the PMS gamut to the RGB and CMYK gamuts, it is easy to see that the PMS gamut has yet a different shape and color composition to it. That means there are some select colors in the RGB gamut that cannot be reproduced using CMYK or PMS technology. That also means there are colors that can be printed using PMS and/or CMYK technology that cannot be displayed on RGB devices.

The challenge arises when a document is created on a computer (RGB) and then the RGB colors cannot be reproduced when printing that same document.

Visible Spectrum

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ICC profiles bridge the gamuts.How can you bridge the gap between RGB, CMYK and PMS? With another acronym—ICC. ICC is the International Color Consortium, a group created to bring standardization to color reproduction. Each device—such as a monitor or printer—is assigned an ICC profile which is a set of data that numerically describes the color range, or “gamut” of that device.

Because each device has its own specific color gamut—RGB or CMYK—profiles are a consistent method to classifying and measuring that gamut.

When considering the ICC profiles involved in reproducing color, the devices are broken into these three main categories:

1- 2- Input (camera) Display (monitor)

3-

Output (printer/press/monitor)

It is important to remember that when a document such as a direct mail piece is created on a computer, each monitor that then displays that piece will have its own unique RGB color gamut because gamuts are device dependent.

Gamut in, different gamut out.Have you ever viewed a color document on your computer monitor and then wondered why it doesn’t look the same in print? Simple. Each output device that is used to print that document has its own device-dependent color gamut. So if you choose to print a few color pieces on a desktop printer to “proof” the piece, and then they send it to Standard Register to print, both types of printers are using CMYK to reproduce the colors. But because each has its own slightly different gamut, slight variations in color can occur.

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Other critical factors that influence color reproduction.Printing method

Printing Process Used

Spot Color Process (CMYK) Color

Another factor that impacts color in the production print workflow is the actual type of printing used. In this example, the same information was “printed” using two different methods. On the left, a PMS/Spot color was mixed before the printing process, and then applied to the substrate. On the right hand side, the process colors of CMYK were combined in a specific pattern/size/shape to create a similar shade of green.

With digital printing, toner is attracted through the back of the paper by electrostatic charges

With offset printing, ink is “transferred” onto the paper by a roller

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Another factor that impacts color in the production print workflow is the substrate being printed on. Companies will often choose their substrate after design is complete, and without proper guidance, may choose a paper that will have a negative impact on the overall color reproduction ability of their printer. For digital color printing, the smoother the paper, the better the color reproduction will be. For critical work, it’s always best to specify paper made for digital printing.

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How does the printing industry manage color?The industry standard for color management is a term called Delta E (dE) which indicates a single number that represents the “distance” between two colors. The principle is that a dE of 1.0 is the smallest color difference the human eye can see. Any dE less than 1.0 is imperceptible while any dE greater than 1.0 is noticeable.

Perfect color match has a ∆E of zero. ∆E between 3 and 6 is typically considered an acceptable match in commercial reproduction on printing presses. Standard Register has a target ∆E of 3 or less for all brand colors specified in the print file as PMS colors from the agreed upon standard at the start of the job.

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How Standard Register manages color

The Standard Register Color Management StrategyStandard Register utilizes ORIS Color Management software (ORIS Press Matcher and ORIS Certified // Web) to ensure that consistent color reproduction is achieved regardless of printing device or desired final product. This system allows us to monitor and maintain color standards across ALL color devices in ALL locations. The end result is that we can deliver highly accurate, repeatable results from the Standard Register print network. In addition, results can be monitored in real-time and reviewed for data-based troubleshooting by trained professionals.

Oris Pressmatcher and Certified Web

• Installed in 16 centers• Every color device in each center will be profiled• Toner based Color Printers• IGen4• Indigo• 8002• 5000• Ink Jet Wide Format Printers• HP Z6100 & 5500 Poster Printers• Gerber CAT/UV Printers

The color state of every device will be visible to our national control center and production management team.

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The importance of G7® is the industry-leading set of best practices established by IDEAlliance for achieving visual similarity across all print processes.G7 is both a definition of grayscale appearance and a calibration method for adjusting any CMYK imaging device to simulate the G7 grayscale definition. G7 yields a visual match between different printing devices or specifications when additional color management is not available. Individuals are certified as experts or professionals. Devices, locations and companies are qualified as Master Printers. Certifications must be renewed every other year while qualifications must be attained annually.

G7Consists of:• On-site process control and

workflow training• Standard operating procedures• Staff and site assessment• Monitoring• Quarterly reports on print quality

What does G7 certification mean to our customers?Print is often distributed geographically or across different types. For example, a customer may want to purchase marketing collateral, packaging and signage with the same brand imagery. Clearly the substrate, gamut and other print characteristics will vary for different print products. But if all the print products have the same gray balance and neutral tonality defined by G7, they will look remarkably alike to the human eye.

“G7 guarantees print buyer expectations of the closest color match from proof to press, across other methods of printing from offset to digital to large format products.”

Source – IDEAlliance

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Digital color or offset?

Be aware of the drivers.Digital Offset

Best Suited & Most Cost Effective1-5,000 Quantities

(Depending on application and finished size)QUAnTiTy

Best Suited & Most Cost Effective5,000+ Quantities

(Depending on application and finished size)

Digital can achieve the same vibrant colors & high contrast as offset

printing. *New HP Indigo presses offer a 5th & 6th color station of exact PMS matches.

QUAliTyOffset printing allows you to hit exact

PMS colors and can produce more pure consistent solid screens.

Same day – 3+ days depending on quantity and specs. No drying

time so each piece is ready to go as soon as it comes off the press.

TURn TiMe

5+days depending on features and availability. Offset printing uses inks that

require drying time. However, offset is faster for large runs because it can

produce multiple pieces at high speeds.

Digital presses can easily run all text stocks and cover stocks

up to 130lb cover.STOCkS

nearly all stocks. Offset presses can print on most stocks including

magnets, heavy cover stocks, labels, translucent stocks & more.

Unlimited. Digital presses can create completely variable pieces in-line.

PeRSOnAlizATiOnlimited. Your best bet is to create a

shell that can later be personalized on a laser or inkjet printer.

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Standard Register resources for brand color management.

HAVE CRITICAL or BRANDED COLORS?Standard Register professionals can assist with ensuring the integrity of your brand presence. We will:

• Educate your team about the importance of color and brand management

• Conduct a color evaluation of your brand and provide an assessment and recommendations

• Review critical or branded color files• Provide color profiles for viewing production output

on your computer monitor• Provide design and print guidance for digital printing

PMS 320 PMS 220

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DIGITAL COLOR is a core component of

Standard Register solutions.

Digital color plays an important role in our ability to deliver quality applications within the context of each Standard Register core solution.

HC = Healthcare BUS = Business

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The Color of Success

LOCAL MARKETING

color management strategyAllowing for customization, improved speed-to-market, and optimized freight and distribution costs across a decentralized network of users, means that production of the same material can occur in multiple locations across multiple devices. Our ability to guarantee color consistency across locations and devices ensures the integrity and quality of the brand is maintained.

MARKETING SUPPLY CHAIN

color management strategyWhen we take on production and sourcing of branded materials for a client, we assume ownership of maintaining the quality and integrity of our client’s brand. Color quality and our ability to deliver flawlessly across a network of locations and partners is a critical component of this solution. Our ability to convert materials from offset to digital provides our clients with better flexibility and reduced obsolescence, freeing up money to reinvest in their marketing strategy.

DIGITAL DIRECT MARKETING color management strategyOrganizations go to great lengths to ensure the message, creative, and personalization tied to a direct mail component of a single or multi-channel campaign will yield the desired response. As a form of nonverbal communication, color is one of the most powerful elements of that design. Research has shown that color increases brand identity, assists in memory, increases participation, and improves readership, learning, and comprehension. Our ability to support an organization’s initiative by providing high color quality is a critical component of our Digital Direct Marketing offering.

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CELEBRATE HEALTH color management strategyHealthcare marketing and human resource professionals use Celebrate Health to quickly, easily and cost-effectively customize and order communication and educational materials tied to National Health-Related Observances and Employee Recognition Days.

CUSTOMER COMMUNICATIONS color management strategyStandard Register is a full-service provider that integrates customer loyalty and marketing processes with transactional billing and communications initiatives – including data protection & management, content integration across the enterprise. Transpromo would require ability to match colors on high speed variable inkjet devices, set up to run programmatically at the end of the month. May require spot colors or color match of logos .

TRAINING SOLUTIONS color management strategyTraining Solutions is a solution in which customers contract with Standard Register to manage the process for the management, production and distribution of materials used for instructor led or on the job training programs. This may also include events, meetings and conferences where published materials, including high quality digital color, are required. Common examples of materials in a training program include leader guides, participant guides, user guides, posters, job aids, handouts and more.

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ON-DEMAND PRINTING color management strategyStandard Register On-Demand Printing is a flexible, scalable solution for managing print-related programs and processes for an organization. This means that at Standard Register we assess and assume responsibility for an in-house print shop—and either continue management onsite or transition support offsite. We can leverage our web-to-print technology platform, expertise of an onsite or near-site Print Concierge and our nationwide network of secure print and distribution centers.

PRINT CENTER OUTSOURCING color management strategyIn-house print centers are on the receiving end of requests for marketing materials, training materials, patient education materials and more, most of which reflect the organization’s brand. Standard Register can far exceed the level of service delivered in an onsite print center. Our digital color investment and expertise will catapult a company’s capabilities and brand care.

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BEGIN THE

COLOR CONVERSATION.

How do you get started with digital color? How critical is color to the protection of your brand? How involved is the digital migration? Ask yourself these questions and more to begin the digital color transition.

• How do you manage your brand standards? • How important are color quality and consistency to you? • Are you confident that materials ordered and printed via different channels maintain

color quality and consistency? • Have you ever had any problems with color quality before? • Do you find yourself having to order larger quantities

of materials and storing them in order to get the best price?

• What portion of your materials are printed offset vs. digital? What did you consider when making that decision?

• Knowing that the quality gap between digital and offset is closing, would you be interested in converting some of your offset materials to digital?

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BEGIN THE

COLOR CONVERSATION.

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600 Albany St., Dayton, OH 45417 • 1-800-755-6405 • standardregister.com • ©2012 Standard Register • Form No. 5850-POD (04/12)

Date post:	12-Jul-2015
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