Process improvement, new business among benefits of certification

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – X-Rite Incorporated, a global leader in color science and technology, and its subsidiary Pantone LLC, today announced that Think Patented, one of Ohio’s leading commercial printers and a Marketing Execution Company, is now a PANTONE® Certified Printer. As a PANTONE Certified Printer, Think Patented has gained new business, increased its credibility and improved overall processes.

The PANTONE Certified Printer Program reviews and analyzes every aspect of a commercial printer’s color operations – from preflight, to file preparation and proofing, to ink formulation and mixing, and to process control in the pressroom. X-Rite Pantone experts evaluate, establish and document standard operating procedures (SOPs) for more effective operating processes. As a PANTONE Certified Printer, Think Patented uses a CxF color exchange workflow and is PantoneLIVE enabled, instilling new confidence in customers that color will be right the first time and every time.

“We became interested in the PANTONE Certified Printer program when we had a high-end business opportunity that required us to demonstrate that we were process-oriented,” said Niels Winther, Chairman and Managing Partner, Think Patented. “Not only did we gain that business as a result of the certification, but it has helped us win additional new customers.  While we had processes and procedures in place before undergoing the program, they were not always documented.  Now that we have a documented end-to end process in place, we have improved our color consistency and overall quality as well as grown our business.”

“We were the first in our market with G7 certification, and we took that to the next level with G7 Process Certification,” adds Ken McNerney, Think Patented Managing Partner and Owner. “Now we have added the PANTONE Certified Printer tag to our name. This differentiates us in a competitive marketplace and showcases our commitment to color consistency in the manufacturing process.”

According to Mark Gundlach, a G7 Certified Process Control Expert and X-Rite Color Services trainer and consultant, “Printing has increasingly become a global function. Many companies have widely dispersed printing plants under a single ownership or operate in partnership with other printers around the globe. More commonly, it is the buyer of print who must deal with inconsistencies in color across the supply chain.  A job might start with a brand manager in New York, move to a designer in London and then parts of the same packaging may be printed in Ohio, New Jersey and Texas on different substrates. At each step of the process, color specification can become ambiguous.  This can be the result of using different physical standards or looking at color in the wrong lighting. Or it can be the result of an owner or manager assuming that proper procedures are being followed across all shifts and locations. The PANTONE Certified Printer program can help printing operations overcome all of these challenges.”