Industry veteran adds unique expertise to the preeminent North American and European color “think tank”

Motter and other CMG members to consult with attendees at SGIA Expo, Booth 4570 

Las Vegas, NV - Adding to its already impressive offerings, the Color Management Group (CMG) is announcing at this year’s SGIA Expo that sublimation printing expert Mike Motter is joining the elite consortium of professional color experts. “Of all the specialty print disciplines, sublimation printing is one of the most challenging for those concerned about color issues,” said CMG President Lida Jalali Marschke. “We are privileged to have Mike join our ranks. He brings a powerful, practical voice to those whose business depends on getting color right—every time.”

Mr. Motter will join the team of CMG experts at Booth 4570 at the Las Vegas event, on October 22-24, providing practical advice to those struggling with the unique color challenges of the sublimation printing industry. Other CMG consultants will be conducting demos and discussing the latest technologies for maintaining cost-effective color managed workflows.

“Becoming part of Color Management Group is mutually beneficial,” Motter said. “They have a much broader reach with potential customers and high-end developers and manufacturers than I could ever have as an individual consultant. In return, I can use my hard-won color expertise in sublimation printing to help more companies move forward.”

Kitties vs. Lions

Dye sublimation printing is not a new process, but its color accuracy issues are far more challenging than those of conventional, ink-on-paper printing. “I tell clients that conventional color management for offset printing is like dealing with cute kitties, compared with color in the sublimation world, which is more like dealing with angry lions,” Motter said. “If you’re not careful, the whole process will bite you at any moment.”

In sublimation printing, specially formulated dye inks are first printed on an interim, paper substrate on either offset or inkjet printers. Then, a thermal press is used to convert the solid color image to a gas, chemically bonding it to the fibers of the textile substrate. For garment, banner, and other textile printing, this has decided advantages over other techniques, which simply place a color overlay on top of the material—making it subject to cracking and peeling. The disadvantage, however, is in color control.

“There are so many variables that make color management difficult here,” said Motter. “For one thing, dot gains can top out well over 500%, compared with the 20-50% you see with offset. The interim substrate results are unlike anything a conventional offset operator is used to seeing. Then there are variations in thermal press settings, ink formulations, environmental factors—plus the fact that no two batches of textiles are ever the same color or composition. Sublimation printing is a legitimate business opportunity, but printers who get into it need to make a serious commitment to getting it right.”

Mr. Motter has over 45 years of experience in the printing industry in general, and has been directly involved with sublimation printing since 1994. As the principal of California-based Graphic Resources Unlimited, he specializes in helping digital and lithographic printers adopt and succeed with sublimation printing operations. He has set up many first-time sublimation printing operations within existing printing companies, using a closed-loop color management process. He also consults for third-party ink companies and others involved in the rapidly-changing sublimation market.

Sublimation Printing Inquiries Welcome

Stop by the CMG Booth (4570) to meet Mike Motter and other CMG luminaries, and learn how color management techniques, products, and workflow knowledge can improve the bottom line. For more information, contact Lida Jalali Marschke at [email protected] or call (408) 779-7858, ext. 105.