What you see on your computer screen isn’t always what ends up on the printer’s press. More often than not, the color on your monitor isn’t what ends up being displayed on the printed page. Even in cases where systems have been calibrated to display true and accurate color, there can still be problems when production begins. Fortunately, a print broker can step in and improve the final results.

A print broker will use the Pantone Matching System. This book offers color swatches they will provide to the printer to better define the colors being printed. This makes certain the colors you want to use on the screen are what you are getting when the printer receives the information. Since matte, coatings and styles of paper can also impact the print job there are Pantone Matching System books that cover these variances also. Your print broker will take the time to go
through the formula guide and make certain you get the best print each time. More importantly, the print broker will also take the time to make sure they upgrade the book as printers, ink manufacturing and paper styles change.

To be certain there are fewer problems in this process, your broker will sit down with you before the print job begins to explore all the colours in the project. This way, they can make certain your design will meet your needs and they will touch on the various elements on the page and inspect photos to make sure you get a precise and clean print on the page. They will also provide you with a proof so you can see a sample and let you see if it will meet your needs.

With the definition in place, the print broker will sit down and go through the file you provide them, open their graphics software and then adjust the swatches to be sure the final project prints
according to your specifications. In most cases, it will look very different on the screen, but the printed piece will resemble what you originally intended on the screen.

Once this is done, the print broker will then run a couple of test prints to show you and make certain you like the final page. Then once you sign off on the proof, you can approve the colours and have your project mass produced by the print broker.

As you can see, there is quite a bit of work in getting the image you want on the screen turned into the images printed on paper. Since this process does take time and some understanding to make the right adjustments, it is always best to work with a qualified print broker. They will make sure you always get the results you need.

Comments are closed.

Post Navigation