The digital color evolution: Shed the limitations of the past

In the infancy of high-speed production inkjet, paper options were limited, to say the least. Not optimized for high-volume, piezoelectric, drop-on-demand inkjet technologies, the papers either absorbed too much ink or not enough. Today, your customers want to use a variety of papers. Your paper mill partners know that and are working with inkjet print technology vendors to better understand the requirements of this rapidly growing marketplace. We are seeing the introduction of new paper types, including recycled, inkjet coated, inkjet treated, and others. The new materials are attractive to customers who want to produce enticing output at affordable pricing on the many new solutions on the market today. The paper industry is also designing papers with specific types of inks in mind. We're nearing the point where its inkjet-specific papers are the most pervasive and can be used even with non-inkjet printing technology. The success of inkjet is driving that change. Users can choose which types of papers they want to print on without having to worry about the substrate being at odds with the color. In many, if not all, of the markets your shop serves, whether direct mail, marketing, book production, or many others, the new paper selections provide opportunities to use color in innovative ways that can help grow your capabilities.

New controllers and workflows offer enhanced color management by side and object type, which lays the groundwork for more accurate color and consistent reproduction. Spot color dictionaries from Pantone and other color leaders enable spot color mapping (for both coated and uncoated stock), custom curves, and linked and unlinked advanced color management.

Ink management tools have also made it more profitable to run high-color applications on production inkjet systems. By simulating printing, these tools can estimate ink usage before printing. While a job is printing, actual ink usage can be tracked through the inkjet system's controller. Some software tools even go so far as to determine how color ink usage can be reduced, while preserving the desired look and feel of the output. With color limitations becoming a thing of the past, the opportunity is at hand to become a valued, knowledgeable partner with your clients.

• Introduce them to the new papers, inks, and processes.

• Help them expand their vision of how they can take color beyond direct mail and marketing applications into the world of customized publishing, versioned textbooks, and more.

• Show them how the possibilities rooted in high-speed production inkjet can help them step out in front of their competitors and generate new revenue streams.

• Introduce them to the latest technologies, like 3D printing and garment printing.

Just as Turner set himself apart with his innovative color techniques, you can help your clients move forward and differentiate themselves in the marketplace with today's innovative color technologies.