Fundamentals of color management you need to know
When it comes to product customization, color is as much an art as a science. When you imagine the design to be applied to your product, that's an art. During the printing and pressing process, science takes over.
Understanding how color works in the world of textile personalization is essential to mastering the personalization process from A to Z.
The science of color can certainly be complex. However, with these few basic concepts, you will achieve deep and vibrant colors and thus achieve real success!
What is the purpose of color management?
The colors you see on the screen never exactly match the colors that come out on paper when printed.
This difference is due to the fact that the colours on the screen are generated from a combination of three hues, namely red, green and blue (RGB).
This is not the case with sublimation or digital printers, which use between four and eight ink colors to reproduce the image created on the screen, and in particular the CMYK colors (cyan, magenta, yellow and black), which represent the standard in four-color digital printing.
Computer screens emit colors in the form of RGB light. Although all the colors of the visible spectrum can be reproduced by merging red, green, and blue light, screens are only capable of displaying a limited range (color range) of the visible spectrum: RGB.
Furthermore, while screens emit light, printed products absorb or reflect specific wavelengths of light. Cyan, magenta, and yellow pigments or dyes act as filters, subtracting varying degrees of red, green, and blue from white light to produce a selective range of spectral colors.
As you can see, there is a significant difference between these two types of color generation: RGB is additive, while CMYK is subtractive. In product customization, the designer initially works in an additive environment. The printer and software then convert these colors in a subtractive environment. Color management, or color correction, refers to the process of adapting the color transformation to generate the best possible result on your printed material.
Chromatic challenges specific to sublimation
Sublimation involves another element of the color control process that should be taken into account. When a sublimation transfer sheet is applied to a substrate, the ink transitions to a gaseous state, creating bonds with the polymers of the substrate.
Indeed, under the action of the heat from the heat press, the ink in a gaseous state penetrates the textile fiber and re-solidifies inside the textile mesh.
When ink transitions to a gaseous state, it alters the properties of the colors. This variation in color properties can be quite significant (some blues, for example, may appear green on paper), making it impossible to know in advance whether the colors printed on the final product will be accurate. This is why using Smart Print Manager software is essential, as it generates the correct sublimated color. Color correction is crucial for achieving optimal results.
You may also notice a significant difference between the colors printed on the sublimation paper and the final image created when heat and pressure are applied. This difference is perfectly normal; do not rely on the appearance on the sublimation sheet during printing. The color that matches what you see on the screen will be reproduced on the material during the heat-pressing process.
The software will also allow you to adjust the amount of ink depending on the chosen substrate: polyester, ceramic, wood, plastic…
Today, SPM software eliminates the need to return to managing ICC profiles.
Fundamentals of color management
Now that you know why color management is essential for sublimation printing, let's take a closer look at how to apply it.
Should I choose RGB or CMYK mode?
As a digital product decorator, there are several things you can do to ensure you get the enhanced colors you expect:
Systematic RGB Design: Most design software allows you to specify the color mode of the design space; the options are usually RGB and CMYK. Selecting this mode is called defining the color space. For dye-sublimation applications, you need to activate a specific RGB profile to produce accurate colors, unless you are working with a RIP, which uses the CMYK color space.
Many graphic designers, for example, use CMYK because it is the best option for printing visuals. But since dye-sublimation requires RGB colors, these files must be converted when imported into the design software. This is because dye-sublimation profiles are created to convert RGB colors to CMYK output and are not designed to perform CMYK-to-CMYK conversions (unless you are using a RIP). Therefore, if you try to print a file created in the CMYK space, the conversion will not work correctly and the colors will end up outside the expected range.
Tip for creating a color chart : We suggest creating a color chart by printing and sublimating the entire palette onto a perfectly white background. This will provide you with a visual reference you can refer to and show to your clients.
The printed color chart reproduces the exact colors created via the dye-sublimation process (in addition to the RGB settings), providing you and your clients with a precise reference when choosing the appropriate colors for the created image. Therefore, even if the colors displayed on the screen are not identical to the colors produced on the final product, by selecting the desired colors from the chart, you can be confident that the output will always match the expected result, regardless of what appears on the computer screen.
Consistency is key: any change to one of the variables in the creation, printing, and pressing process will alter your final output. Substrates, sublimation paper, duration, temperature, pressure, and color management techniques are all factors to consider. Therefore, it's essential to conduct several tests until you achieve the desired results. Then, establish a set of reference standards, keeping in mind that any change to these standards can alter the appearance and quality of the final product!
In addition to this article, we invite you to consult our table on sublimation printing conditions in the section "Materials / Training / Printing Conditions Sheet". From this table, you can create your own reference table based on your specific materials and custom substrates!
Need more information on Sublimation? We offer free online training (webinars) on this topic:
- Sublimation
- SG500 / SG1000 Sublimation Printers
- Sublimation: Maintenance and Tips
- Creative Studio Software
- SPM Software
- Enhance ChromaLuxe
- Personalize your Dark Textiles with Sublimation
- EasySubli Paper
- Liberty Subli
- Liberty Patch
- Liberty Patch Satin Effect
Find all the dates of our training courses and register by clicking on this link
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See you soon,
The Créadhésif Team
