Best GmbH, solution provider for the print and publishing industry, and HKS Warenzeichenverband e.V. have concluded a cooperation agreement to enable precise communication and control of digital color data. The problem so far All applications, such as Adobe Photoshop or Quark Xpress, convert HKS tables into different CMYK values. This often results in colors not matching the required HKS color swatches when printed. Those that suffer as a result are often creatives who, when presenting packagings or logos for example, have to point out differences between the presentation and the final print. By integrating color table values into their software solutions, Best has now made it possible to maintain color accuracy when processing HKS values. Best can therefore also use the values for special colors outside the CMYK color space, since these are used as LAB values and are not limited to the CMYK color space. Cooperation HKS provides Best with values of its color swatches in digital form. Best then integrates these into its software solutions, thus enabling true-color reproduction of HKS spot colors in digital proofs. The benefits The advantage for the user is the opportunity to check the HKS spot colors in the digital proof of the original document with complete color accuracy. The printed HKS color swatches provide a further means of checking the proof. HKS will become more widespread as a result of integration into a de facto standard proof system, while Best can now provide HKS customers with the means to communicate and monitor their colors. Information on HKS HKS was founded in 1968 and today is represented worldwide by the companies Hostmann-Steinberg, K+E Druckfarben of BASF Drucksysteme GmbH, and Schminke. HKS is the only corporate design color system which can be applied from the original idea right through to the finished product, i.e. from the initial draft right through to the print. HKS has become an industry standard in Europe and is Germany's market leader. All swatches and materials are produced with practical needs in mind. This makes HKS No. 1 for color identity. Information on Best Founded in 1994, Best GmbH is a software company headquartered in Krefeld, Germany. The company has subsidiaries in the USA and Malaysia, branches in Shanghai, Hong Kong and Latin America and a worldwide sales network. A solution provider for the print and publishing industry, Best is the world market leader for inkjet-based software RIP solutions. Price and availability Integration into Best software solutions will be completed in 3Q this year. Updates can then be downloaded free from the websites of both companies.