The Color Management Group

#FridayFacts with Color Management Group! Today is International Color Day! It's the day the entire world celebrates the very existence of color. Why you might be asking yourself? Well, here's why the day exists: An international color day (ICD) has been considered as appropriate since color is, thanks to visual perception, one of the most influential phenomena in people’s lives and also one of the channels that contributes most greatly to the perception of reality. All around the world memorable color activities are increasingly being developed during the International Color Day. The adoption of an international day of color was proposed in 2008 by the Portuguese Color Association, whose president, Maria Joao Durao, presented the idea to the International Color Association. The proposal was agreed in 2009 among the members of this society, which is composed of national associations and members representing more than 30 countries. So go out today and celebrate this day of color that is specifically meant to celebrate the very thing many of us painstakingly work on day after day, hour after hour, so that our clients are happy. #ICD #ICD2025 #InternationalColorDay #print #colormanagement

#ThinkTankThursdays with Color Management Group Today we're thinking about Adobe Creative Suite settings. We recently ran into yet another client that had their Adobe Creative Suite set up to the default working spaces of sRGB and US Web Coated (SWOP) V2. Perhaps what's worse is that the default setting is to leave "Profile Mismatches" and "Missing Profiles" notifications turned off. For years the print industry has known that these settings are bad and create poor color performance on press but somehow the graphic arts departments at many universities seem to not teach anything about these settings. This leads us to what we're really thinking about, how, as an industry, do we get things to change? We've been involved in industry organizations that have approached Adobe to get the default settings updated and their response has always been a resounding "no, because our customers aren't asking us to make any changes." The prepress departments at printing companies must be a small percentage of the estimated 37 million users of Adobe Creative Cloud. Now back to your Adobe Creative Suite settings, when was the last time you reviewed your settings to make sure that you're set up exactly where you want to or need to be? And if you need help setting up your Adobe Creative Cloud settings the right way for print production please feel free to contact us and we'll get you the help you need. https://bit.ly/3zOssMX #colormanagement #print #printindustry #graphicarts #adobe

Unlock the Future of Color Management! Join Color Management Group vendor, Alwan Color Expertise's Elie Khoury for an in-depth look at how spectral technology is improving color accuracy and simplifying the printing process. This innovative solution, recognized with the 2024 Pinnacle technology Award, is set to transform your approach to printing. Register now to secure your spot: https://bit.ly/4hWMpFA #PrintingInnovation #ColorManagement #TAGANextGen #PinnacleAwardTechnology #Print #GraphicArts

#TechTuesdays with Color Management Group It doesn't get more technical that the Technical Association of the Graphic Arts (TAGA) NextGen Conference. Starting exactly one week from today it's still not to late to register and learn the latest about what technical advances are being made in the industry. Learn from CMG Member Steve Upton, industry expert Corey Sawatski, and many others about the latest advancements in print technologies. Also, hear from the student chapters on what they're presenting along with several professors from schools such as Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Toronto Metropolitan Univeristy, RIT, Clemson, and more. It's not too late to register if you still want to attend. Find out more here: https://bit.ly/4hWMpFA #colormanagement #print #graphicarts #TAGANextGen

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! We hope your day is filled with luck, laughter, and lots of green! Whether you're sporting shamrocks, sipping green drinks, or just enjoying the festivities, all of us at Color Management Group wish you a day where all of your colors come out perfectly. After all, no one wants to end up with a rainbow of mismatched greens, right? Let’s raise a glass to getting it just right and celebrating the magic of St. Patrick's Day in style! And of course if you need help reproducing that Kelly green correctly feel free to contact us to get the support you need: https://bit.ly/3zOssMX #HappyStPatricksDay #GoGreen #LuckyColors #Print #ColorManagement

#FridayFacts with Color Management Group If you have worked in color management for any length of time you have heard the term "standard observer." Standard observer is the basis for everything color management related in today's modern workflows. Did you know that the "standard observer" was calculated from the color viewing results of 17 people? All of them based in the UK? Yes, the fact is that all of the basis for the 2 degree CIE defined standard observer is based off of the work of two scientists in the UK, W. David Wright and John Guild. Wright's study consisted of 10 people and Guild's study consisted of 7 people. It's hard to find the details of Mr. Wright's subjects but Mr. Guild names 6 of the 7 subjects directly in his paper and there was at least one young woman included in the 17 total subjects. All of this work was done in the 1920s, almost 100 years ago. These studies only account for the 2 degree observer which was sort of upgraded to the 10 degree observer in 1964 but most color management systems default to the 2 degree observer for their mathematical calculations. In Guild's study he reference's Wright's study and even speaks about the small sample size. He asserts that the fact that the two different groups were tested in two different institutions by different methods generating results that agree so remarkably well with each other means that the results are "suitable for standardizing as the 'normal' colorimetric data for technical purposes to correspond with the standard 'normal' visibility data." There are many people who have contributed to the success of color management over the years but these two gentlemen from the 1920's are the basis for everything we work with today, 100 years later. #colormanagement #print #printing #science

#ThinkTankThursdays with Color Management Group This week let's take a look at measurement device aperture. It's one of those specifications that is often over looked but can be critical in getting your color correct. Did you know that different sized apertures measure a different area of the sample, so always use the same or closest sized aperture when comparing measurements. For the highest level of accuracy, X-Rite recommends using the largest aperture you can for the job. Larger apertures capture more of the sample, making measurements significantly more repeatable. However, smaller apertures are more versatile and easier to position around small defects. Smaller apertures also require smaller patch sizes for measurement which could be critical when trying to include patches on printed materials for quality control or color verification. When communicating data, you should always include aperture size. Measurement data will differ between small and large apertures, which is often a problem when designers, specifiers, and suppliers are communicating color using measurements from different instruments. If using the same instrument isn’t possible, using the same aperture size can at least minimize discrepancies. Why does this matter? Well for starters different manufacturers use different sized apertures. The x-Rite i1 Pro-3 has a 4.5mm aperture while the i1 Pro-3 Plus has an 8mm aperture. The Techkon SpectroDens 4 has a standard 3mm aperture but is also available in a 1.5mm aperture. The Barbieri Spectro LFP qb comes with anywhere from 2mm to 8mm aperture depending on the model. Finally, the NIX Spectro 2 comes with either 2mm or 5mm apertures. Being consistent is critical to being able to communicate color accurately. If you need help figuring out what aperture equipment you have or standardizing on one size aperture please contact us here: https://bit.ly/3zOssMX and don't forget to follow our pages across all of social media. #colormanagement #printing #print #color

In case you missed it. Last week Fiery released an updated version of Fiery XF and FieryproServer! The new release brings 30+ new and updated printer drivers, latest PANTONE library support, new operating system support, and more. The updated or new printer drivers include drivers for AGFA Jeti, Canon Arizona, EFI, Epson SureColor T series, Ricoh Pro, Roland TrueVIS, and VUTek printers. Find out more here about this specific release https://bit.ly/3Fhnj5K and if you need Fiery XF experts to help you navigate your printing needs contact Color Management Group here: https://bit.ly/3zOssMX Don't forget to follow us for insight into the world of color management for the graphic arts and allied industries. #print #colormanagement #FieryXF #printing #graphicdesign

#TechTuesdays with Color Management Group Today we want to ask you, our followers from around the world, what's the most technically challenging print job you've successfully completed? And what made it hard? For example, was the job fairly standard but the turn-around time unreasonably short? Or was getting color consistent across a long run for a packaging client where the print had to match a visible product the most challenging? Or maybe it was a die-cut or binding challenge that made it tough to complete. Let us know what you struggled with and upload a photo if you want. We're curious to see what our followers are creating out there day after day. Of course, if you're in the middle of a challenging job right now and need help, feel free to contact us here https://bit.ly/3zOssMX and we'll see what expertise we can provide. #colormanagement #print #printing #color

Don't miss Elie Khoury speaking at TAGA NextGen about Hydra-based color solutions that get color under control much faster and much easier, with unmatched accuracy and significant cost savings. Here’s what Daren Cook, Print Manager at Horizon RMS, says about Hydra: “We struggled with color management. We'd invested in a slow and difficult-to-use high-end solution. After replacing it with Hydra, our color profiling is absolutely spot-on. The results are impeccable. Plus, it's super-fast and easy to use.” Contact us to find out more about Alwan Color Expertise's Hydra Profiling solution or to register for the TAGA NextGen conference here: https://bit.ly/3zOssMX #colormanagement #print #TAGANextGen #printing #color