The printing industry has long relied on conventional color reproduction methods, particularly the CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black) color model. However, with the increasing demands for vibrant, high-quality prints, industry professionals have sought better ways to replicate the wide range of colors that the human eye can perceive. One of the most promising advances in this field is the development of the Extended Color Gamut (ECG) profiles.
Idealliance, a global think tank for printing standards, specifications, and workflows, is at the forefront of developing a new ECG profile that has the potential to transform the industry. This article explores the benefits of ECG, the ongoing development of Idealliance, now PRINTING United Alliance, ECG profile, and its potential impact on the printing industry.
What is Extended Color Gamut (ECG) Printing?
Extended Color Gamut (ECG) printing refers to the use of more than the conventional four-color process (CMYK) to reproduce a wider range of colors. Typically, ECG uses additional inks such as Orange, Green, and Violet (OGV) to extend the range of colors that can be printed. By incorporating these extra inks, ECG printing allows for the reproduction of colors that were previously difficult or impossible to achieve using CMYK alone.
ECG offers several advantages over conventional printing methods. It can produce more vibrant and accurate colors, reduce the need for spot color inks, and improve efficiency in terms of both cost and time. Moreover, ECG enables printers to meet the growing demands for brand colors, where consistency and accuracy are crucial, especially for packaging and brand identity applications.
PRINTING United Alliance and the Development of a New ECG Profile
PRINTING United Alliance, through the work of Idealliance, has long been a leader in developing color management standards, including GRACoL, SWOP, the G7 methodology, which has become an industry benchmark for grayscale calibration and color reproduction, and much more. Over the past six years, the Print Properties Committee (PPC), as part of Idealliance, and now a division of PRINTING United Alliance, has focused on the development of a new ECG profile and tools aimed at further advancing 7 color print.
"This idea of the ECG profile is to do for 7 color printing what GRACoL did for CMYK print. This new ECG profile is a standard 7 color space that printers can easily print to, and designers can proof and create with knowing printers can hit these colors. The Alliance’s new ECG profile comes with guidelines to help professionals implement it in their workspaces." says Ron Ellis, Chair of the Print Properties Committee.
The new ECG profile developed by the PPC is designed to standardize extended color gamut printing and ensure consistent, repeatable results across different printing platforms, substrates, and devices. While there are existing ECG workflows in the market, many of them are proprietary or limited in scope. The Alliance’s new ECG profile will be an open specification, making it accessible across the industry, from design to print.
This profile allows printers, prepress operators, and designers to work within a standardized framework, ensuring that the colors they visualize during the design process can be accurately reproduced in the final print. By creating this profile, Idealliance is working to reduce the variability and guesswork that can often plague color reproduction, especially when working with extended gamut.
Benefits of an ECG Color Profile for the Printing Industry
The development of a standardized ECG color profile offers a multitude of benefits for the printing industry, addressing several pain points and opening new opportunities for innovation and growth.
1. Enhanced Color Accuracy and Vibrancy
One of the most significant advantages of using an ECG profile is the ability to reproduce a wider range of colors with greater accuracy and vibrancy. Traditional CMYK printing is limited in its ability to reproduce certain colors, particularly bright oranges, greens, and purples. By adding extra inks such as OGV, ECG printing can produce these difficult-to-replicate colors with greater precision.
This is especially important for industries where color fidelity is critical, such as packaging, branding, and fashion. Brand owners often require exact color matches to ensure consistency across various marketing materials and products. The new Idealliance ECG profile provides a standardized way to achieve these color matches, improving overall color quality and consistency.
2. Reduction of Spot Colors
Traditionally, printers have relied on spot colors—premixed inks that are used to achieve specific hues that CMYK cannot reproduce. However, spot colors can be expensive and time-consuming to manage, as they require additional ink stations, storage, and setup time.
ECG printing reduces the need for spot colors by using a fixed set of inks to achieve a broader range of hues. With the new ECG profile, printers will be able to more accurately reproduce spot colors using only a combination of CMYK and additional ECG inks. This not only reduces costs associated with spot color management, but also increases production efficiency by simplifying the workflow.
3. Improved Efficiency and Sustainability
The PRINTING United Alliance ECG profile will streamline the print production process by reducing the need for multiple runs or spot color formulations. With ECG printing, operators can run jobs more efficiently, since the fixed ink set covers a wide color gamut. This translates into fewer changeovers and shorter press downtime.
Moreover, by reducing the reliance on spot colors and the number of press runs, ECG printing is also more sustainable. Less ink waste, reduced energy consumption, and fewer emissions from multiple press setups contribute to a more environmentally friendly printing process. As sustainability becomes an increasingly important factor in business decisions, the adoption of ECG printing with a standardized profile can provide a competitive advantage for print service providers.
4. Consistency Across Devices and Substrates
One of the primary challenges in printing is maintaining color consistency across different devices and substrates. Factors such as paper type, ink absorption, and printing technology can all impact the final output. Without a standardized color profile, printers often struggle to achieve consistent results across different jobs or even within the same job run.
The PRINTING United Alliance ECG profile provides a standard profile that allows for the design and proofing of expanded gamut colors across numerous machines and print facilities. This consistency is critical for brand owners who require uniformity across various materials, such as packaging, labels, and promotional items.
5. Innovation and Creativity
The adoption of ECG printing encourages innovation and creativity in design. With the ability to reproduce a wider range of colors, designers are no longer limited by the gamuts of standard CMYK print color model. This opens up new possibilities for creating visually striking and impactful designs that stand out in the marketplace.
For example, the fashion industry, which often requires bold, vibrant colors, can benefit significantly from ECG printing. Designers can experiment with new color combinations and achieve a level of color vibrancy that was previously unattainable with CMYK alone. The Alliance ECG profile will ensure that these colors are accurately reproduced, providing greater creative freedom for designers across industries.
The Future of Printing with ECG
As the printing industry continues to evolve, the development of standardized color management tools like the Idealliance ECG profile will be crucial for maintaining competitiveness and meeting the demands of modern consumers. With its ability to enhance color accuracy, reduce costs, improve efficiency, and promote sustainability, ECG printing has the potential to become the industry standard for high-quality color reproduction.
The ongoing development of the new Alliance ECG profile represents a significant step forward in this direction. By providing a consistent, repeatable framework for extended color gamut printing, Idealliance is paving the way for a future where vibrant, accurate colors can be reproduced more efficiently and sustainably than ever before.
The new ECG dataset has the potential to revolutionize the printing industry by providing a standardized solution for extended color gamut printing. This will benefit printers, brand owners, designers, and consumers alike, leading to more vibrant, accurate, and sustainable print products across a wide range of industries. As the profile continues to be developed and adopted, it will undoubtedly play a pivotal role in shaping the future of printing technology.
Download the new PRINTING United Alliance ECG Profile here.
ECG Beta Dataset (outer) compared to GRACoL 2013/CRPC6 (inner). Image prepared by ColorThink.
Read about the Idealliance/PRINTING United Alliance ECG project here.
Download the free ECG 7-Color Characterization Test Chart here.
Idealliance and PRINTING United Alliance would like to thank the contributions of industry experts and organizations spanning print technology and print production who actively support the Print Properties Committee ECG project, including (listed alphabetically):