What is the difference between a densitometer and a spectrophotometer?
A densitometer reads reflected light through filters of the complementary colour i.e. cyan through a red filter, magenta through green and yellow through blue. The thicker the ink the more light is absorbed and less reflected which is then presented as an optical density readout. Obviously less reflected light is seen as a more dense…
How important really is the print viewing lighting?
Do I need special lights and can Colourhead supply them? The short answer is extremely important and yes Colourhead can supply them. I have often been told, "I don't need any special lighting, none of my clients have it." I would have to say that this is one of the best reasons to have daylight…
What is Delta E?
In the most basic terms, Delta E or commonly expressed as dE, is a way of taking something rather complicated and describing it rather simply. It lies at the very core of colour management and specifically in the print industry it is used to describe the rather complex matter of the difference between two colours…
What is the G7 method?
G7 refers to the American CMYK calibration method created by Don Hutcheson. It is based on grey balance and common neutral tonality. It is not an alternative to ICC profiles but uses curves, often in conjunction with ICC profiles to provide a calibration method which can be used on any CMYK output device to provide…
How do I go about becoming ISO compliant, is it difficult?
I can outline the process here but feel free to email or call me for more details on the subject and what relates more specifically to your needs. ISO compliance of course relates to a variety of standards depending on the process you use and wish to be compliant with. Coated and Uncoated paper obviously…
I can print a wider gamut than the ISO standard so why would I want ISO compliance?
While this is really covered in the previous section I am still frequently asked this. The thing to remember is that it is not a competition to see who can print the widest gamut with the brightest colours. If it was a competition then it would be to see who can most accurately match the…
Why should I want ISO compliance?
When we talk about ISO we are talking about a family or collection of standards. Standards of all sorts provide order, consistency and easier communication of requirements. Imagine for a moment if someone came up with the idea of creating a new power plug. This one had the 3 pins aligned in a vertical row…