Colour matching systems
The optimal way to find and match custom colours is to develop an in-house set of standard dye sublimation ink colours for the given machine and heat press. A Pantone solid-to-process colour wheel will help match products to customers’ branding, but keeping internal files for those colours is key. Using in-house charts and correcting colours at the front end in the artwork will save a lot of time and aggravation when the same job needs to be produced again in the future.
Most RIP software will allow spot colour replacements to be applied to in-house art files. These can be particularly beneficial for quick jobs or libraries of logos that need to be printed consistently.
Many outside experts doubt veterans of dye sublimation printing when it comes to matching colours, but an understanding of dyes, dot gain and post-heat-press processes can change everything.
Some of today’s dye sublimation printers come equipped with take-up reels, facilitating roll-to-roll workflows and allowing unattended printing.
Technical support
When running a dye sublimation business, a lot can go wrong with the inks, printers and RIPs. The system integrator should send a technician at the beginning to install the system and train the shop staff, who will need to know how to operate the printer, install software, store inks, reset chips on bulk ink systems, create in-house profiles, calibrate the heat press and, of course, troubleshoot.
In the past five to six years, thankfully, the printers, inks, software and papers for wide-format dye sublimation have all become more reliable and consistent. Nevertheless, good technical support and on-site repair resources should be within reach.
Dye sublimation may be a challenging process at the beginning, but if signmakers are willing to take the time to learn about and integrate the technology, it can prove very rewarding. They already have customers who would love to see something different, yielding profits that can quickly pay for the investment.
Syd Northup is inkjet division manager for Gans Ink and Supply. For more information, contact him via e-mail at syd@gansink.com.
