There appears to be a belief in the industry that with all the digital workflow systems that device independent color management is a “done deal.” I am afraid to say that while we have excellent ICC color management approaches with profiling and characterization of devices throughout the workflow, color management is not a done deal as yet. Most approaches we see are excellent for the four process colors, but when we get the requirements for handling a range of customer specific spot colors we still have a way to go. Obviously there are solutions where one company supplies the total workflow from creation to finished print delivery that work, such as systems from EskoArtwork in packaging. However where elements from other suppliers are part of the workflow, or output on a non-print media are required then we still have a way to go in color management.

I believe that one way to getting color management to be this done deal will be developments from the coming together of X-Rite and Pantone. It is interesting to realize that hardly anything that happens in color within this industry does not involve some part of the X-Rite operation. X-Rite is perhaps the key to almost all color developments to be seen in future.

Today Pantone is a full new business unit within X-Rite. In the press release earlier this year from X-Rite announcing the completion of the acquisition, the following statements were made concerning anticipated strategic, operational and financial benefits of the acquisition: