Offset Printing

Brand consistency leads Positive Images into the Heidelberg Colour Club

Friday 21. June 2013 - Positive Images is the 17th company to be Heidelberg ISO 12647-2 certified, proof that it is able to consistently match colour throughout a run and from job to job.

The company handles work for a number of household names, in sectors as diverse as health and retail. It was the client focus on brand and its consistency that was the motivating factor behind Positive Images’ decision to undertake Heidelberg ISO 12647-2 certification.
“We put in our Speedmaster XL 75-5+L with Axis Control spectral measurement and Pressroom Manager two years ago and we have been impressed by the reduction in makeready times and the sustainability benefits, running with virtually no alcohol and remarkably few start up sheets. So we were surprised and pleased that we made further time and waste gains still by undertaking this colour certification process,” says Mike Sullivan, production director of the Mitcham firm.
For its clients the colour, quality and consistency are critical elements in protecting the brand and certification underlines that. The company had previously undertaken an internal brand consistency review exercise for a client across litho, digital and wide format for a client but Mr Sullivan believes that having the XL 75 calibrated and the company certified will give all its customers greater confidence still.
“The process was relatively painless. Heidelberg expertise is invaluable. Their ISO 12647-2 certification process started with a consultation to review our approach and the state of repair of the press. Engineers then visited and spent a day ensuring the prepress curves were right and calibrating the equipment up to, and including, the press. The second day was focused on testing and outputting sheets to send to Germany where they are examined against the criteria of the ISO standard. Although certification renewal is every two years, we will supply test sheets to Steve Fowler of Heidelberg every six months to ensure we are retaining top colour standards.”
Steve Fowler is Heidelberg’s colour specialist and he says: “Colour quality sells. Print management companies were the first to demand provable colour standards but this has become a requirement for a growing number of tenders. Print Colour Management focuses the mind on production processes and so has the side benefit of reducing variables and with that, cutting waste as well as minimising the risk of disputed or rejected jobs Printers can even supply their customers with documentation to prove that the colour quality was produced to the tightest paramaters.”