Print Analysis and Colorimetry of North American Commercial Printing

The North American Commercial Print Survey was designed to examine methods used widely by commercial printers. The printing characteristics of a large number of press sheets submitted were analyzed using densitometry and colorimetry. Solid ink density, dot gain, and print contrast results showed a broad distribution for the commercial segment. A spectrophotometer was used to measure the ink color properties. A broad selection of process color ink hues was found. The survey results show there is little standardization in the commercial printing segment.