Due to limitations of the achievable colour gamut of the standard process colour CMYK, designers will sometimes opt to use special premixed inks. These inks, which usually contain special colorants or additives, can be used to reproduce colours that are unobtainable through standard process colours. These colours could be corporate colours or a design element that highlights are certain aspect. Unfortunately, these specialty inks can often be very expensive, and in some cases they may be useless outside of the job for which they were purchased. Ink mixing, therefore, can be a cost effective way to reproduce colours that would normally only be available as pricey premixed inks, but mixing special colours in the pressroom can also have its traps.
How does it work?
Many ink providers offer systems for matching custom colours. The level of automation and overall sophistication of these systems or pieces of equipment varies, but all of them are designed to create mixed inks that will produce the specific colour requested by your client when printed. Most of these automatic mixing systems work on the basis of the Pantone Matching System with its 14 base colours and provide already to use Pantone colour.
If the special colour is not in the Pantone swatch book the print company has two options. The first one is try to mix the special colour themselves or send the colour swatch together with the paper that will be used on that specific job to their ink supplier and have them create a custom ink mix. With regards to ink mixing, it is also important to consider any special requirements for rub resistance, fade resistance, alkali resistance and laser resistance.
If you have sent a colour swatch to your ink supplier you will receive a printed swatch on the actual stock back, so it can shown to the designer or art director for approval. If necessary, adjustments can be made.
The first pages of the Pantone book contain a disclaimer explaining why the chosen colour could look different on the job stock than it does on the swatch. Take your time and read this disclaimer. It explains the many factors that influence colour reproduction on press. Many people don’t know that the Pantone book is only a guide to colour, and not absolute colour. The next time a critical Pantone colour is chosen for a job, ask any staff involved in production to bring their Pantone book to a meeting and compare the same colour swatch. You will see slight differences—even though all books are printed exclusively by Pantone.
Although the Pantone Matching system has its weaknesses, it is used around the world to communicate colour. In recent years Pantone has come up with the Pantone GOE and the Pantone Plus system to overcome the weaknesses of the original Pantone Matching system.
There are many benefits to ink mixing beyond simple cost savings. The ability to match a custom colour, and then mix ink on the fly can be used as a competitive advantage. Proficiency in ink mixing would be particularly useful for jobs with short turn around times that leave no time to order a premixed ink from an ink manufacturer. Ultimately, the decision to mix ink instead of purchasing it will depend on the circumstances and requirements of the job at hand. Purchased inks that come premixed will often reproduce colour more reliably than one mixed in-house, so if colour accuracy is of high importance it might be worth the extra cost.
The difference between an acceptable print job and one that delights a customer often relies on the skill of the printer; therefore, any technique that improves a printer’s color-matching capability is worth evaluating.
About RYETAGA
RYETAGA (Ryerson Technical Association of the Graphic Arts) is Ryerson University’s official Student Chapter of TAGA (Technical Association of the Graphic Arts). As Canada’s only TAGA student chapter, RYETAGA student members take part in every aspect of our journal production. We will be submitting our student journal publication to be competing at the TAGA Annual Technical Conference this March 2011. The TAGA conference provides industry and student members the opportunity to learn about the latest research and technology in the graphic arts industry, through seminars and networking. RYETAGA’s student journal publication will be competing to keep the Grand Prize, the Helmut Kipphan Cup for best overall student technical journal and Harvey Levenson Undergraduate Paper, won last year.
