When a dye sublimation transfer sheet is heated and pressed onto a substrate, the ink turns into a gas that bonds with the polymers of the substrate. Challenges Specific to SublimationWith dye sublimation, there is another element of the color control process that must be addressed. Color management – or color correction - is the process of adjusting this color transformation so that you can produce the best quality results on your substrate. In digital product decoration, you design in an additive environment (RGB), and then the printer and software has to convert those colors to work in a subtractive environment (CMYK). One is additive the other is subtractive.
![]() ![]() ![]() Best Color Management In Photoshop Driver Will BeCustom Print DriversCustom print drivers are programs that have color correction built into the printer control system. It is necessary to create custom sublimation profiles and print management applications of these profiles to create the correct sublimated color, not the color on the printed transfer. Some blues look like green on paper), and it is, therefore, impossible to judge whether the print is correct or not until it is sublimated onto the final substrate. When a dye sublimation transfer is pressed onto a substrate, the ink turns into a gas, and while in this state, the color properties change.This change during sublimation can be quite dramatic (e.g. Under normal profile creation, when a printer has printed out the color swatch for testing, the profiling software knows how to adjust the colors to print out the correct ones. The profile will be placed in the output stage of printing and the manufacturer’s print driver will be set to ‘No Color Adjustment.’ This setup will color correct the image and then send the data to the printer without affecting the colors further.Color correction profiles for dye sublimation have their own unique challenges. Raster Image Processor (RIP)More technically savvy product decorators may choose to use Raster Image Processing (RIP) software, which includes ICC profile creation capabilities for managing colors. With these custom settings, getting the right colors are very easy. Sawgrass Print Manager makes getting great color output easy with CorelDraw, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Silhouette and CreativeStudio design software for both Windows and Mac OS.The software’s integrated RIP-like tools help streamline production with an advanced array of features, including job and image nesting, hot folders with customizable presets, multilingual user interface, file- and web-to-print workflows and more.Additionally, Print Manager enables you to select specific transfer papers, inks, color modes and substrates, which the software will take into consideration while processing the file from RGB to CMYK. From these data points, the software creates an algorithm that calculates the color space and generates the ICC profile. A spectrophotometer is then used to measure the colors. It begins with printing a linearized color pallet. Easy Tricks of the TradeAs a digital product decorator, there are a few things that you want to make sure you do to ensure your colors will sublimate as you expect: Sawgrass recommends the use of Wasatch SoftRIP with the VJ 628 for users looking for a more advanced color management and production solution. RIPs are available from a number of software companies, including Wasatch and Ergosoft. Format comments in excel for macThey are usually RGB and CMYK. Always Design in RGB: Most design software has a set color mode for the design space of the file you create. Selecting Print Manager as the printer will open the color management software where you can make your selections for paper type, substrate, color mode, etc. For example, if you are printing a design from Photoshop select Print Manager as the printer, not the SG500, SG1000 or VJ 628 option that may be in your dropdown list, when printing your images. Get trained on how to apply them correctly and make sure you do so with every print. The reason for this is that sublimation profiles are built to convert RGB colors to CMYK output, not CMYK to CMYK (unless using a RIP). Because sublimation requires RGB, these files need to be converted upon importing into your design software. When working with sublimation, you need to activate a specific RGB profile to produce accurate colors, unless working with a RIP, which uses CMYK.For example, many graphic artists design in CMYK color mode because this is the most appropriate for commercial printing. It’s necessary to experiment and test until you generate the desired results. These include substrates, sublimation paper selection, pressing time, temperature and pressure, as well as color management techniques. Consistency is Key: Any change in any of the variables in the create, print and press process will impact your final output. The printed chart will show the exact color that is created via sublimation (plus the RGB settings), so both you and your customer have an accurate reference when choosing the proper colors for the image being created.Though the colors may not look the same on the screen as they do on the final substrate, by choosing the desired colors from the chart, you are assured that the output will be a match every time, regardless of what is displayed on the computer monitor. This creates a visual reference that you can refer to and show customers.Sawgrass’ ColorSure palette is included with Print Manager, and those using an ICC profile can create a simple palette of their own to use.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorGregory ArchivesCategories |