Process Control Is Key to Effective Ink Optimization

Whether it occurs on a particular press during a single run or among different presses, color variation is a natural part of the print reproduction process. It is also anathema to packaging end-users, for whom color consistency on the shelf is a critical element of a product's appeal to the customer. At the same time, increasing cost and deadline pressures have raised the stakes for converters to print jobs quickly and efficiently, match the proof, use as little ink as possible, and generate minimal waste. One of the keys to efficient package printing, therefore, is understanding the source of unwanted color variation and implementing measures to drive those deviations out of the process, eliminating the need to take costly corrective action at the press.