Photos courtesy ColorMetrix Wide-format Printing Understanding Colour Management By Jim Raffel Many variables need to be understood and controlled. W hen professionals in the wide-format printing sector hear the term ‘colour management,’ many immediately think of the process of creating custom International Color Consortium (ICC) profiles. The entire colour management process involves much more than that, however, including many variables that need to be understood and controlled. For most shops in the industry, the goals of colour management include matching colours between devices, achieving accurate spot colours, repeating the same job over time and establishing a sufficiently wide gamut to produce enough colours to satisfy customers’ requirements. These goals, which all relate to colour consistency, can be reached through the following three-step process: 1. Printer calibration. 2. Colour verification. 3. Process control. With this process, it becomes easier to create customized ICC profiles that will continue to work well over time—but the ease of the process does not mean it is a simple one, as there are many concepts that need to be understood, proficiently managed and mastered. SIGN MEDIA CANADA SM_Feb2016.indd 59 February 2016 59 2016-01-26 12:50 PM