In developing color references for the new platform, the two partners relied on open ISO standards and produced physical samples with high-end inkjet technology converted with conventional coating applications. This allows color matching using readily available inkjet reference swatches. Maxim Siniak, Business Development Manager,  said: “This is the first real cloud platform for open color standardization that provides a comprehensive solution for managing color from brand design to final product. matchmycolor Colibri® software links design with production and enables ink or paint samples to be matched from digital inkjet samples. We are starting out in the print, paint and coatings industries, where Colibri allows color management across industries and quality monitoring throughout their supply chains. And we do expect to see the platform used across different production workflows.”

“DCDM DCDM (Digital Data Color Management). based on open standards for data exchange across industries has great potential not only for digital printing but also for the paint, coatings, plastics and other industries where color reproduction is critical,” explained Jan-Peter Homann, member of FreieFarbe e.V.  and project co-ordinator between freieFarbe  and MMC. “Brand color management bridging different industries is one of the practical applications that the partnership is targeting.”

A wide variety of instruments with different geometries are suitable for use with DCDM Benchtop and portable spectrophotometers from well-known international suppliers, are being used to digitize the colors. Users will be able to take advantage of the instruments they already own as they engage with the platform.

The solution currently offered is based on open standards. It can easily be adapted to any workflow with the aid of color libraries from the print, coatings, paints, plastics or other industries and used to create master and dependent color libraries for cross-industry color communication and matching. A reference created for a printing and packaging could, for example, easily be adapted and applied to a plastics or coatings application for brand color consistency across a wide variety of product, packaging and collateral types.

About freieFarbe e.V. (freeColour Association)
The registered non-profit association was founded by German and Swiss color experts. It promotes digital color communication with open, mathematically defined color models and ISO standards. In cooperation with DIN, the German standards organization, freieFarbe devised DIN SPEC 16699 “Open Color Communication” and published its reference implementation, the CIELAB HLC Color Atlas. This atlas comprises a freely available PDF edition along with color libraries including spectral data, and a highly precise print edition for physical reference. freieFarbe is supported by various companies involved in color communication and output, and anyone wishing to support the free color approach is welcome to cooperate. www.freiefarbe.de / www.freecolour.org