This is the first and only book dedicated to this popular and growing segment of the sign and vehicle graphics industries. Craig Campbell offers the benefits of his years of experience with vinyl products, ...
Proper steps to make your vinyl colors
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.
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.
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