Trouble Color Matching

[Mac34]

Hey everyone!

I'm unfortunately having trouble with color matching on a job I'm currently on? I'll admit, I've never been really good at matching colors with my printer, so I've unfortunately stayed with pretty much a small color palette. I recently lettered a customers trailer with Arlon High Performance Medium Green vinyl film. The customer would like me to make some small decals for him as well, and these would need to be done on my printer. I selected the "Arlon Medium Green" profile, but when I sent the job to print the color wasn't even close. My printer is an old Versacamm, and I have an older version of Flexi as well. When it comes to terms like "Relative Colormetric", "Absolute Colormetric", and all of the other buttons that need to be checked or de-checked to get the right color match. Is there an easy way to just go to the profiles of the various vinyl brands, select the color you want, and it the color will print at least remotely close? Any help would be much appreciated!!!

 

[gabagoo]

have you tried printing various colour charts using the color tables available in Flexi? I print the pantone to cmyk coated charts in 720 x720 and 1440 x 720 and 360 x 540 and between the 3, I will come pretty close to most colours needed.

 

[artbot]

put together a file in photoshop of every imaginable similar color variant that you can. it will be about 50 little squares of lime. put them in a long line. triplicate the file so it is now three long rows of lime. saturate the crap out of the top row. keep the middle the way it looks good on your monitor. and darken the bottom one (or lighten). the file will be about 3" x 48" (this way you don't use a lot of material each time).

now print this at the normal setting you are already familiar with. print at some other rendering intents (make sure you choose relative colormetric for one). see if any of those 150 lime squares looks good to you. if not pick one that looks best and see what is different about it. work with this protocol for about 10 minutes between photoshop and the rip/printer. then steal the rgb values from your favorite lime and use it in your graphic.

 

[gbarker]

gabagoo has it right. Print the CMYK swatch from flexi, you will be able to get close.

I've often wonder why vinyl manufacturers don't offer a profile to match their own line of vinyl...

 

[randya]

gabagoo has it right. Print the CMYK swatch from flexi, you will be able to get close.

I've often wonder why vinyl manufacturers don't offer a profile to match their own line of vinyl...

Cost...

$100-400 per profile x every machine on the market x every RIP on the market x every ink set on the market...

Adds up quickly...

 

[bbeens]

Color matching file

Mac34-

I see you are running Flexi, but for the Softrip users out there I thought I would mention the utility 'Color Atlas Generator'. This utility will generate files similar to what Gabagoo is suggesting. I have created a simple PS file with 30x30 patches of different greens roughly 1" by 1". You should be able to print this .ps file in your flexi and then use the data in the file to get a close match. In Softrip you can specify what size and how many patches per page. Saves a ton of time having to set the patches up in Illy or PS. Each patch will display the RGB values used to print. I assume Flexi has the option to spot color replace, once you have found the patch that matches the green you want use the RGB values to replace your spot color.

Bryan