TR Trades has been involved helping our customers produce the best colour possible from their files for many years.
Buying the best hardware and software available to capture, modify and print colour images is where our commitment to excellence begins. Contrary to popular belief, however, it doesn’t end there. We actively seek out bright and intelligent people and train them to get the best from the tools we provide.
Four years ago we conceived and implemented a Colour Management (CM) strategy at TR Trades. Characterizing (i.e. creating ICC profiles of) our printers and media in our large and small format printers was a time-consuming, but necessary first step in this process. This left us in the enviable position of knowing that our devices were outputting colour accurately! It quickly became apparent that this was not going to “fix” the files we were receiving from our clients, but at least we knew where the challenge lay.
The solution was obvious - we had to help our customers understand what colour management was, and then help them to take advantage of this technology. The most common question we were asked was, “Why doesn’t my print look the same as it does on my monitor?”
We set out to help them understand why, and to give them some tools to help them achieve the desired result. We had purchased a colour spectrophotometer from Gretag Macbeth that was capable of profiling output and input devices (e.g. scanners, monitors, cameras). It worked brilliantly at TR Trades and would also allow us to profile our customers’ monitors. We purchased a second unit exclusively for this use.
Okay, so now the monitor was displaying colour accurately. The next step was to have the customer create files that had the best chance of being viewed and printed accurately. This was and is the hardest part of the process! Some software is very CM savvy while other programs don’t offer even the most rudimentary CM tools. Operating system software for both Mac and PC allows users access to at least some aspects of CM. To take best advantage of this technology, however, the customer should be using software packages that embrace these concepts and offer the appropriate tools.
We offer FREE seminars where we discuss these ideas in more detail, leaving you with a high-level understanding of colour, colour spaces and colour management and how you can leverage that knowledge for your own benefit. We will show you how ICC profiles work and why they work. Our presenters will suggest software packages that can help you implement a CM strategy in your office. We can even arrange to come and profile your monitors to help get you started.
TR Trades Reproduction is your colour management partner. Call your account representative to set up your own Understanding Colour Management seminar.
