Spectral Data: Speaking the Language of Color Th e pressure is on for printers. In today’s competitive printing markets, where buyers are requesting more creative solutions, and printers are juggling diff erent print technologies, eff ective color management is a core enabler for brand owners and converters to deliver consistent, reliable color across the various types of print. Color management has continuously evolved over the past 40 years, but it has surged forward in recent years through the use of spectral data to predict and transform color more accurately. Spectral data is sometimes called the “DNA” or the “fi ngerprint” of a color; it describes not just the appearance of a color in one lighting condition, but the appearance of that color in all lighting conditions. It can also be used to ensure a color produced on two diff erent materi-als will match precisely — even when the lighting changes. Finally, because spectral data includes many more data points than traditional LAB color defi ni-tions, it allows spectral-based color management to be more accurate. Th e use of spectral data in printing and prepress is still relatively new. But, as the software solutions that use it become more scalable, aff ordable, and easy to use, printers and converters can expect to see spectral data as an increasingly common approach to managing color. To unleash the power of spectral-powered predic-tion, and to communicate color in the most fl exible way, brands and their partners should adopt use of spectral data as early as possible in the supply chain — even from the very beginning where color is initially specifi ed, color should ideally be spectral. Fortunately, the International Standards Organization (ISO) pro-vides ISO 17972, a series of documents that describe how to package spectral data into a digital color exchange fi le (CxF), making it easy to use spectral data across diff erent software applications. Th e tools to use spectral data within color proofi ng and separation workfl ows have never been more accessible to the print supply chain. Understanding the signifi cance of spectral data in optimizing color workfl ow for all types of print is essential. With accuracy and consistency being such a core priority for brands, printers, and premedia companies, advanced spectral-based color prediction is a clear path forward for the market. So, what is spectral data? Remember in high school science class, look-ing into a plastic wedge-shaped box (it was called a Credit: Srinophan69, Getty Images By Marc Levine, Director of Business Development, GMG Color Americas 50 | PRINTING United Journal December 2023 Visit us at printing.org
Printing United Journal December 2023: Page 50
