Colour management in focus at X-Rite-Pantone seminar

Felix Pinto, general manager for South Asia, South East Asia, and ANZ at X-Rite, opened the seminar by emphasising the importance of collaboration in streamlining the colour journey. "Today, we are discussing understanding how we could collaborate to make this journey a little smoother," Pinto stated, highlighting the need for mutual learning between the organisations and delegates.

Pinto underscored the pervasive nature of colour in brand identity, noting, "Colour is fundamental to brand recognition." He acknowledged the inherent difficulties in achieving colour accuracy across diverse applications, describing it as "pretty challenging to be right on target." 

Pinto also provided a brief history of X-Rite, tracing its evolution from its 1958 origins to its prominence in colour technology, including its strong association with Pantone's Colour of the Year. He touched upon the recent spin-off of the Veralto Corporation (X-Rite's parent corporation) from Danaher, which consolidated colour manufacturing and maintenance.

Puvaneswaran Jsu, strategic account manager at X-Rite, attributed colour variation to several factors: design intent, substrate variety, physical sampling, print technology, different people, different suppliers, lighting, and supplier locations.

Namasivayam S, pre-sales solution consultant for SAPAC at X-Rite, spoke about why colour should be measured, explaining concepts such as retina fatigue, colour deficiencies, and colourimetry.

Shruti Ramanujam, content marketing manager at Esko, addressed the causes of delayed launches. She stated, "Artwork delays aren't creative problems; they are workflow problems. In 2025, new regulations and more SKUs demand better workflows to reduce errors."

She added, "Having an entire team on a single workflow platform helps companies steer clear of version confusion. Esko's Artwork flow helps you get on shelves faster. We have a proofing tool, AI, that allows you to leave comments on the same platform. Packaging for 9 out of 10 leading consumer brands is produced by Esko customers."

Jose Thomas, principal consultant at Future Schoolz, highlighted the inconsistencies inherent in printing, stating, "One thing that is consistent about printing is its inconsistency. FOGRA says that if 70 out of 100 samples pass the test, then you have good standardisation in place." Thomas explained that two issues needed to be dealt with: deviation and variation. "Your brand colour deviates from the original and there are multiple variations from the original target." 

Thomas emphasised, "Brands tend to focus on printing, where they have control over the process, and ignore the 18 steps that come before it. Even with PDF creation, many things can go wrong. For every step, there needs to be a set of standards. Proofing conditions and inks also make a huge difference. Measurement on non-calibrated devices, lighting, plate, paper substrate, and cylinder making also make a difference."

Sam Shalgaonkar, senior sales manager at Pantone South Asia, discussed colour perception, the challenges in using technology or colour spaces, colour gamuts, the evolution of colours in our surroundings, and the advantages of the Pantone colour system. He highlighted various colour management tools, including super chips, lighting indicators, the Munsell Hue test, light booths, and simulator prints.

Namashivayam S, pre-sales solution consultant for SAPAC at X-Rite, stressed the importance of protecting brand equity. "The first impression of any product comes from the design and colour of the packaging. Colour accounts for 60% of acceptance or rejection." He explained that the first step in creating a connected colour solution was focusing on introducing a digital colour language. 

This marked a shift from relying on physical master colour standards towards adopting achievable, dependent standards, offering seamless integration with existing formulation and quality control software. He highlighted a spectrophotometer as an important step towards a connected colour system, recommending regular servicing, calibration, and Net Profiling of the machine, which allowed users to print colour consistently by quickly identifying colour data.

Namashivayam elaborated on X-Rite Pantone's ColorCert software, explaining, "For converters, X-Rite Pantone's ColorCert software helps manage complex colour workflows, streamlines communication, produces real-time data, and confirms compliance, potentially reducing the need for onsite press checks. For premedia, it offers enhanced control and tracking of colour performance, guidance for adjustments, and improved customer service." 

He also spoke about the ColorCert Scorecard Server, which provided a global view of production, leveraging a consolidated, web-based dashboard to communicate print quality via a single-number score. It ensured visibility, quality management, control, a cloud-based performance dashboard, and cost and time savings. He concluded by asserting, "If you can't measure something, you can't control it."

Raj Shah, vice president, marketing at X-Rite, concluded the day-long seminar on colour management. He suggested, "The best way a brand can begin is to set up a pilot, to see for yourself if you can manage the print quality better."

The conference aimed to provide a platform for delegates to gain a deeper understanding of the tools, technologies, and variables involved in achieving consistent and accurate colour across different industries.