Get the best from your see-through window graphics

Making sure your printed colours match your design

Every designer knows that sometimes it can be tricky to get the colours in your printed job to match those on your desktop. Modern digital printing techniques and presses have greatly increased the accuracy of colour reproduction but it’s still important to be aware of the issue, especially if when creating high impact large format print like outdoor poster or see-through window graphics. There are a few simple steps you can take to ensure that your printed job matches your design.

 Use a good monitor

With monitors, as with most appliances, you get what you pay for. However, you don’t necessarily need to pay thousands to get accurate colour. Ideally you’ll use a 4K monitor with a resolution of 3840 x 2160. When designing window graphics you’ll want a decent size too as scrolling across small displays can become very tiresome and lead to errors as you won’t see the whole job well. There are plenty of cheap monitors but they’re not designed for design and accurate colour work so do some research before you buy.

Calibrate your screen

There are a number of ways to calibrate your display but the best is to use a calibration tool. These measure the light in the workspace as well as the light emitted by your monitor before adjusting the colour space. Some desktop printers include calibration tools that allow you to print colour blocks and adjust colours until they match those on screen but only with that specific printer. Remember that large format artwork like see-through window graphics will be seen from distance as well as up close so it’s important your printed colours match your design.

Think about your monitor’s position

Avoid working in conditions that are too dark, too bright or that create glare on your monitor. Make sure you’re looking at your screen face-on as even seeing it from a slight angle can greatly alter the colour you see.

Talk to your printer

Make sure your printer uses high quality printing presses to produce accurate colour and image reproduction. Build a relationship with your printer and avoid using printers who print many jobs at once in bulk. It’s unlikely your job with get the attention you require unless your printer works on each job individually, so ask about their practices and production processes.

TradeDigitalPrint.co.uk supply high impact, see-through window graphics and other large format products to a wide variety of trade customers. We pride ourselves on a professional, personal service and our UK based team of expert printers is always on hand to offer help and advice. We use market leading high definition presses for our large format work and HP Indigo digital presses for all of our printed marketing products. Our website lets you get prices, upload artwork and order online. When you register with TradeDigitalPrint.co.uk you can be sure you’re working with a trusted, professional trade printer. You’ll also enjoy exclusive prices, regular special offers, benefits and rewards. To find out more and see examples of see-through window graphics and other products visit www.TradeDigitalPrint.co.uk.