Color Matching & Proofing

Professional Color Matching for Custom Printed Products

Accurate color reproduction is essential for professional results, particularly when printing corporate branding, matching existing décor, or reproducing artwork. Our comprehensive color matching process ensures your finished product meets expectations, whether you need exact Pantone specifications, visual color matching to physical samples, or consistent reproduction across multiple products.

Color matching for printed substrates presents unique challenges compared to traditional printing. Window shade fabrics, acoustic panel materials, and specialty substrates each interact with ink differently. The same ink formulation produces different visual results on different materials. Our expertise in substrate-specific color management ensures accurate results regardless of product type.

Understanding Color Perception

Color isn't an absolute property—it's a perceptual phenomenon influenced by light, viewing angle, surrounding colors, and even the observer's individual color vision. A color that appears perfect under daylight may look distinctly different under fluorescent office lighting or incandescent lamps.

This variability makes professional color matching both science and art. We use calibrated instruments to measure color objectively, but we also rely on experienced eyes to evaluate color appearance under realistic viewing conditions. Understanding that color perception is contextual helps set appropriate expectations for matching applications.

The Physics of Color on Different Substrates

When we print on window shade fabric, the weave pattern, thread color, and surface texture all influence how ink appears. A perfectly smooth substrate produces different results than a textured one, even with identical ink. Translucent materials viewed with backlighting appear fundamentally different than the same materials viewed with front lighting.

Our substrate-specific ICC profiles account for these differences. We maintain calibrated color profiles for every material we print on, enabling our color management software to adjust output for consistent visual results. This scientific approach, combined with experienced judgment, achieves color accuracy that generic printing services cannot match.

Pantone Color Matching

The Pantone Matching System (PMS) provides standardized color specifications used worldwide in graphic design, printing, and manufacturing. When you specify a Pantone color, you're referencing a precise color definition that we can reproduce reliably.

Our printing systems can reproduce over 90% of the Pantone color library—one of the highest coverage rates in the industry. The remaining 10% typically consists of extremely vivid or fluorescent colors outside the gamut of most printing technologies. When you specify a color we cannot reproduce exactly, we'll notify you and provide the closest achievable match for approval.

How Pantone Matching Works

When you provide a Pantone reference (like "PMS 286 C"), we cross-reference this to our measured color data for each substrate type. Our color management software calculates the precise ink formulation required to achieve that color on your specific material. We then print a test swatch and measure it against the Pantone target to verify accuracy.

Keep in mind that Pantone colors appear different on coated versus uncoated paper, and similarly vary across our substrates. We recommend specifying the Pantone color that represents your visual target, and trust our color management to achieve the closest match possible on your chosen material.

Physical Sample Matching

Sometimes the color you need to match doesn't have a Pantone reference—it might be an existing fabric, paint color, or another printed product. In these cases, you can send us a physical sample and we'll match it as closely as substrate differences allow.

Physical sample matching uses spectrophotometry to measure the sample's color scientifically. We then formulate a print that achieves the same measured values on your target substrate. However, because different materials reflect light differently, a "perfect" numerical match may not appear identical to human eyes. We provide proof samples for approval to ensure you're satisfied with the result.

Factors Affecting Color Appearance

Even with precise color matching, various factors influence how colors appear in the final installation. Understanding these factors helps set appropriate expectations and achieve satisfactory results.

Lighting Conditions

Different light sources have different color temperatures and spectral compositions. Daylight varies throughout the day and with weather conditions. Incandescent, fluorescent, and LED lighting each affect color appearance differently. This phenomenon, called metamerism, means two colors that match under one light source may appear different under another.

For critical matching, specify the lighting conditions where the product will be viewed. We can evaluate colors under standardized lighting conditions that simulate various environments. When possible, we recommend evaluating proof samples under actual installation lighting.

Substrate Influence

The base color and texture of your chosen substrate affects the final appearance. Printing on bright white material versus off-white produces different results. Smooth surfaces versus textured surfaces interact with light differently. Translucent materials appear one way with front lighting and another with backlighting.

We account for substrate characteristics in our color formulation, but some variation is inherent in the materials themselves. Production lots of the same material may vary slightly in base color. For projects requiring absolute consistency, we can source material from a single production lot.

Digital Screen Limitations

Colors viewed on computer monitors or mobile devices are displayed using RGB light emission, while printed colors are viewed as reflected (or transmitted) light. These fundamentally different physical processes mean that screen colors can only approximate print results. We provide soft proofs to show expected results, but physical proofs on actual substrate remain the only definitive preview.