PARSIPPANY, N.J., USA - October 16, 2007 -- Now brand owners can predict how their corporate spot colors will reproduce on a wide variety of substrates, from brown corrugated to clear film to white polypropylene, with the SmartColour portfolio of color management tools from Sun Chemical. At the Packaging that Sells conference in Chicago today, Sun Chemical conducted the first North American demonstration of the SmartColour software system and announced limited sales release of the new solution.
SmartColour takes the guesswork out of predicting the outcome of spot color on a given substrate to provide the consistent, predictable color brand owners require—the critical match that can mean the difference between a vibrant corporate identity and a faded image. SmartColour allows packaging developers to see real color end results anywhere in their workflow, by displaying real ink color on the chosen substrate and matching the desired color with the ink that will deliver the brand color on retailer shelves.
“Every brand owner knows that accurate reproduction of brand colors on product packaging is critical not only to the integrity of the brand, but to product sales,” said Iain Pike, business leader, Color Management, Sun Chemical North American Packaging. “Brand owners often have to manage wide portfolios of spot colors to maintain consistent brand color on labels, pouches, metallized surfaces, cartons and any number of additional packaging structures. SmartColour reduces the need for lengthy, error-prone color matching and management processes. The result is improved brand integrity, which translates directly into faster time to market and improved sales at the consumer level.”
In research conducted by Sun Chemical, 77 percent of brand-owners surveyed indicated key color identities had gone awry in the production process on two or more jobs in the past year. SmartColour puts an end to these costly errors with a suite of components that complement and support one another at every point in the package design and printing workflow.
The SmartColour system lets brand owners, designers, prepress companies and converters organize, standardize, digitize and integrate brand color management into their packaging and production workflow. The system brings together a combination of consulting support, customized brand color standards, software and database systems, and online collaboration tools to create a user friendly and truly revolutionary approach to managing spot colors.
SmartColour allows everyone in the package design workflow to view the predicted spot color at every stage of the process. The suite of products provides true brand color on the computer screen, in design mock-ups and prepress proofs, and on press—which virtually guarantees that customers will see the exact brand colors on store shelves.
SmartColour Consulting provides brand color organization to create a consolidated palette brand owners can use in packaging design and manufacturing, streamlining the system of colors many brands use to maintain consistency. SmartColour Standards assists brand owners by creating a set of physical references to be used by product designers, packaging developers and marketing professionals to communicate and apply the brand’s specific color identity consistently.
To assist in the accurate reproduction of color, there are SmartColour DigiBases, DigiGuides and DigiProofs, three tools that create a digital database of brand-specific colors, digitally printed color references for service provider color standards or the creation of product prototypes, and the ability to print hard copies from digital references in the exact brand colors specified.
The fourth component, SmartColour iVue, takes the guesswork out of matching the spot color with the substrate on the computer monitor to get the exact color brand owners require in the earliest design phase. Operating as an Adobe Photoshop plug-in, SmartColour iVue allows packaging developers to see real color end results anywhere in their workflow. iVue relies upon the massive Sun Chemical color database of real ink colors, on common packaging substrates printed by relevant printing processes allowing users to consider multiple alternatives to deliver a specified brand color on one or more packaging materials.
“Variations in brand colors can be detrimental and costly to a product’s reputation and integrity,” said Patrice Aurenty, business leader, Color Management, Sun Chemical Europe. “When packaging developers and printers miss the mark in attempting to match a brand’s spot color, the error may appear at the proofing stage—leading to multiple proofs and adjustments before the customer approves the job. In the worst cases, the mismatched color may not come to light until the job is printed, forcing packaging printers to reprint the job at their own or the brand owner’s expense. Such mistakes are not only expensive, but they also lead to delays in product release and order fulfillment, mounting up losses in sales.”
More information about SmartColour is available at www.SmartColour.com.
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