Color consistency between different Printing Factory

[AlexT]

Hi,

To introduce myself, I am a graphic designer in China working for an Import/export company.
I am designing the visual on the packaging for some Brand own by a company who are extremely picky about their colors guidelines. My problem is, as we are buying items from different factories in China and those factories being the one printing the packaging, none of the color on the packaging in the range match each other. I sent detailed graphic guidelines with color references and samples to the printers, and visit the closest to my office (china being a big country) I can't get those people to print accordingly to my design. And i can't understand if it is a technical problem, a communication problem, a simply a competence problem, even a combination of all

If some of you have meet a similar situation, do you have any tips about how to deal with it?

Thanks

Alex

 

[Greg_Firestone]

Hi Alex,

Just a few questions - are the products CMYK or are you using Spot colors? Also, do you use any particular ICC profile? Lastly, is each printing plant printing on the same material or paper?

Greg

 

[AlexT]

Hi,

The product are CMYK, I am not using any specific Profile and we are printing on the same material in each factory.

Alex

 

[Greg_Firestone]

Hi Alex,

It's good that you are printing on the same material in each factory. If you're providing color samples and references, the printers should have some tolerances to meet. How are the proofs and samples you've provided generated? Do the printers provide color proofs to you? If so, are they hard copy or soft proofs (on screen)? They should also be able to measure the spectral data after they print and compare them to the originals.

Printing at multiple locations is a challenge especially if the companies don't have a standard they can follow. For publications printing, the type of paper and inks can be narrowed down so it's easier for them to create standardized profiles and proofing. Packaging is much more challenging because of various substrates and inks.

Ideally, each printer should create a color profile for their device and provide that to you. This would help achieve the best color per device. The other option is if each printer had their own color profile and software to do a device-link color conversion, you could supply one file to each printer with the correct values and they should be able to convert/translate those colors on their own to the appropriate values.

You may not have control over this, but if the printers are not printing to the quality standards you need, your company should look into different providers. If the printers are not willing to work with you to help improve the process, it's time to go somewhere else.

Greg

 

[AlexT]

Thanks for your advices. Most of this I am doing it. I was looking for tip to improve it.

My reality here in china is a bit different from the one we have in Europe or US. Most of the time I do not work directly with the printer but with the factories which are providing us the items we are exporting. These situation is happening because those companies are 2 or 3000 km away from our headquarter,I can't run around the whole country to QC the pack, so we have to trust those guys with our packaging printing, and it it is quiet difficult to get some print proof. Sometime the factories often changes of suppliers or work with two printers on the same pack to reduce production time. We can't always refuse due to our tight schedule, this is why I need to find a way too tight things before beginning to print. It is a logistical nightmare.

Thanks

 

[OkiTech]

You must have done printing where you liked the color, keep dozen or two of samples. If new company takes on printing order, mail it to them as a benchmark and tell them that they can keep it if is not the same.... Rather than fetching proofs and asking what can they do and what is their process, simplify - say this is how it must look like can you do it? Or I am off to the next printshop.

 

[AlexT]

I wish it could be as simple as that. You have no idea what the "Chabudao (so so) " culture is in china.
At first it make you laugh, but after a while you wish to not get your hand on a shot gun.
what is chabudao? ... it is when Orange is the same as Yellow, when a 1 ply is as good a 3 plies and when an Arial font is replace by a Garamond because fonts doesn't matter...go figure

I love this country anyway.

 

[OkiTech]

Wow, so printing industry in USA is safe from being outsourced to China, cool.

 

[Greg_Firestone]

I wish it could be as simple as that. You have no idea what the "Chabudao (so so) " culture is in china.
At first it make you laugh, but after a while you wish to not get your hand on a shot gun.
what is chabudao? ... it is when Orange is the same as Yellow, when a 1 ply is as good a 3 plies and when an Arial font is replace by a Garamond because fonts doesn't matter...go figure

I love this country anyway.

Yikes... Sorry to hear that. That wouldn't fly here unless a shop wanted to be out of business. I would go back to the manufacturer and tell them they need to revisit their printers. It's the only way it's going to change. They probably go for the least expensive option but that's not always the best option.

Greg