Why printing companies are adopting G7

G7 as it relates to printing companies and buyers

A few years ago, I wrote a Newsletter called “Why G7 matters when shopping for commercial printing services” on the important subject of G7, which helps printing companies deliver a repeatable color product as efficiently as possible. G7 accomplishes this by enabling a high level of efficiency and predictability through standardization and process control practices. This in turn allows printers to offer buyers consistency in 4-color printing.

The subject of G7 is so important that I’m writing about it again. It’s even more crucial because many marketers are selecting printing companies with various types of presses printing on a growing number of substrates. These must all conform if buyers hope to get print consistency in color. Another reason why I believe G7 is critical is because I run into more and more businesses that need marketing materials printed overseas. When you stop and think about it, various types of presses and numerous types of substrates all being printed around the world is a recipe for inconsistent color printing. This can do tremendous harm to the integrity of a company’s brand.

A refresher course on G7

The name G7 stands for “Gray”, plus the 7 primary and secondary solid ink values: Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black (CMYK), and Red, Green, and Blue (RGB). These 7 elements must be controlled by printing companies in order to precisely control production color. As I just stated, G7 creates more consistent printing conditions across different printing machines, printing technologies, and materials. For buyers of print, especially those doing business across the globe, that means greater sourcing flexibility across the print supplier base. For printing companies, that means greater flexibility in selecting the right tools and processes to meet the client’s price and performance requirements.

G7 has been around for over a century

Gray scales, which is what G7 is all about, is a system that’s been used in photography for more than 100 years. As the world’s first gray management system, G7 ensures consistent neutral tonality and gray balance. Today, it’s used for a range of printing types such as offset, flexo, gravure, newsprint, wide format, inkjet, digital, screen printing and dye-sublimation. Basically any CMYK printing process.

For better consistency go with printing companies that are G7 certified 

Benefits for print buyers include easier and cheaper file sharing between different print sites and technologies. There’s also less danger of accidental re-purposing with G7. And, of course, print buyers get the most consistent repeatable work. As great as G7 is, it doesn’t guarantee perfect color. Frankly, nothing does. And, it won’t compensate for inconsistent materials, unstable processes, bad process control and limited color gamut, either. But it still is the best system buyers of print have to get the highest quality product from printing companies.

To learn more about G7 visit http://www.idealliance.org/ and The Official Directory of Idealliance Certified Experts, Professionals and Qualified Masters http://services.idealliance.org/PROD/iCommerce/G7/Directory.aspx

Best of Days to You

Audrey Ferrante
Ferrante & Associates, Inc.