COLOR DEPOSITING
Color depositing is the production method we use to produce color cards.
Using special plates to apply color matched lacquer directly to the base sheet we eliminate the need to coat paper, cut it into “chips” and glue it on.
Color Accuracy
All our customers sell something whose color is an important factor in the decision to buy. That’s why accurate, consistent and creative portrayal of those colors on paper is so important.
At the foundation of all our projects is matching our customers’ colors and this starts by reading the colors with an instrument that helps us know what choice of pigments in our inventory will best match the color standards under different lighting conditions. The resultant colors are opaque and will also match the gloss level of the color standards. The color matches are submitted for approval prior to production – we strive to achieve a dE of .5 or less on our color matches.
Of course, matching the colors is of no use if the application of those colors onto the paper is not a faithful reproduction. By depositing a thick, opaque “puddle” of color matched lacquer, we achieve accurate and consistent color on paper.
Timeline - allow 6-8 weeks
1. Artwork – every project begins with producing clean, professional art. Most of our customers rely on us to provide the art for their color card project, however we do occasionally work with customer supplied art as well. How long it takes depends a great deal on the starting point (is content determined, are there any electronic files available, etc.) and complexity of the project – a full color, six page brochure will take longer than a single letter size card. Allowing 2-3 weeks to complete is a good estimate.
2. Color matching – all the colors on a project are matched in our proprietary lacquer using pigments we inventory. Reading the colors, obtaining a reflectance curve and formulating the pigment proportions is part art and part science. The final arbiter is our customer and the human eye because a good “by-the-numbers” match isn’t necessarily the best match. Allow 2-3 weeks for color matching which can be done at the same time as the artwork.
3. Proofing – The next step is to send proofs of both the printed sheet and the color matches. For the print proof, we normally send a hard copy after the preliminary pdf is finalized. Proofing a hard copy is much better than just looking at a pdf on a screen. The color matches we send are drawdowns of the actual color matched lacquer that will be used on your job. To avoid any ambiguity, each color is labeled with the color name as it appears on the printed sheet along with any unique customer codes.
4. Production – production time varies depending on the number of cards we’re doing and how complex the project. Most of the projects we do take 3-5 working days of actual press and post-press production. Three quarters of the work is preparing to do the work!
Cost
The cost of a color card depends primarily on three things: overall format (single page, 4-pages folded, etc), number of colors, and quantity. The per piece cost of a color card decreases with increased quantity. We usually quote a range of quantities so you can determine what makes the most sense for your specific situation. Fill out and submit the quote form below and we’ll send a quote.