Colour Testing Services for Print Managers
Print Management organisations are increasingly facing more demands for colour management from their customers. Brand owners are very sensitive to colour variation and want the first impression of their printed materials to look exact.
The economic case for colour managed production for a Print Management company is very simple. Profitability can no longer absorb substandard colour. The cost of colour quality failure and rejection has the potential to be very serious. Therefore the subcontractor/supply chain has to be geared up to deliver this for Print Management companies.
For these suppliers, the savings available in terms of production set up, make ready times, waste minimisation, reductions in customer colour complaints and improved delivery performance are profound for a well operated colour quality system.
Print managers increasingly need to assure themselves of the quality of printed colour from their suppliers, and yet reliance on suppliers’ own claims of compliance is not a realistic or effective method of quality assurance, exposing the print manager to the risk of non compliant products.
PMC’s service for print managers provides colour quality assurance on an ongoing basis as an independent third party certification body. With PMC print management companies avoid the time and costs involved in training and resourcing in-house personnel to deal with colour quality compliance testing of suppliers.
Download our factsheet here.
There are five services available for Print Management organisations from Print and Media Certification:
1. Certification of the Print Manager to 12647 with outsourcing to 12647 certified suppliers.
2. Training Print Managers and their suppliers on 12647 colour management
3. The PMC annual 12647 product compliance scheme for the supply chain.
4. Capability testing to confirm that suppliers are able to produce to 12647
5. Outsource inspection of supply chain production.
1. Certification to ISO 12647
Print and Media Certification Ltd can issue certification to Print Management companies for the BPIF ISO 12647 colour management scheme. Print managers are now able to make valid and independently verified claims that the products produced for customers are compliant with ISO 12647. Print and Media Certification Ltd can be a strategic partner in ensuring that the supply chain is properly certified for colour management.
2. Training
PMC can offer our Certified Colour Champion programme for print managers’ colour specialists. This is a comprehensive, wide ranging and detailed professional qualification tailored to companies and industry members who need to be at the leading edge of colour quality management. The programme consists of a series of individual training modules covering:
- ISO Colour standards
- The BPIF Colour Quality Management scheme
- Internal auditing for Colour Systems
- Introduction to colour theory and practice
- Pre-press colour management – colour workflows and proofing
- Colour Management on press
- Colour conformity and the use of spectrophotometers
The modules can be run as part of the Certified Colour Champion Programme or separately, either in company or at our scheduled public courses.
The courses will prove invaluable for print managers looking to raise the colour competence levels of their own staff, or of those in their supply chain, to ensure greater colour control and quality, and the consistent ability to meet customers’ colour quality expectations.
For prices and more details of training courses, visit the training page in the Colour Centre or contact PMC direct.
3. Annual audit 12647 product compliance scheme.
Print and Media Certification Ltd can offer the first ever independent product compliance testing for printed products. Print Management companies can now have confidence that product testing is done in a way that is unbiased and impartial, and that it is done with a UKAS accreditation. All other product testing currently available is not independent or UKAS accredited, and therefore not internationally recognised.
This service is for those Print Managers who want to confirm 12647 colour capability in the supply chain. In this case the annual audit compliance scheme is the option of choice.
The scheme runs for 3 years and gives you total confidence that your Print suppliers remain capable of printing to ISO 12647. Testing is done on site for those suppliers in the scheme, under full audit conditions.
The scheme enables Print Managers to make a specific verification claim to customers, and use PMC’s compliance mark. The scheme will:
· validate the colour capability of the supply chain
· enhance your reputation as a professional print management business
· provide independent evidence if a dispute arises with a customer
4. Capability testing
This is an off site product compliance test which is tailored for those Print Managers who want to gauge their supplier colour performance to ISO 12647. This test is conducted with the aim of providing information to the company for information and internal use only.
It is ideal for those companies who wish to get independent, impartial information on the compliance of their products, and avoid the costs of testing themselves, whether it be software or equipment.
The test does not require any auditor on site, and so is not conducted under the audit conditions of the certification scheme. Companies being tested in this way cannot claim verification of compliance to their customers, or use of the PMC product compliance marks. PMC provide a test forme, the client prints this and then returns to PMC for testing and a report is issued.
5. Outsource inspection
This is suitable for long production runs where the Print manager needs definite information on the colour conformity of the run. It is less suitable for smaller runs since this is less cost effective. Simply arrange for production samples to be taken, sent to Print and Media Certification for an independent test using accurate and calibrated spectrophotometers. We will issue a compliance report.