UK-based trade printer Baker Labels has implemented colour management technology from GMG Color, as it seeks to further its commitment to operate at the highest level for its customers.

This has seen Bakers purchase GMG Color’s ColorServer Multicolour, in addition to proofing options, for all of its print applications. This includes labels and packaging digitally printed using a trio of HP Indigo 6900 narrow web digital presses, an HP Indigo 20000, and two Screen Truepress Jet L350UV inkjet engines – one a low migration model –, as well as conventionally produced on a Nilpeter FB-3 flexo press. Bakers operates a workflow environment run off Hybrid Software’s systems, Packz, Cloudflow and Proofscope.

A challenge the company was facing was standardising output across the three print processes operated within its production facility in Brentwood, Essex. The decision to implement GMG colour management technology was based on the requirement to confidently complete any colour matching element as early on in the production curve as possible, and to ensure internal production efficiencies were maximised at all times.

Baker Labels technical manager Jamie Godson commented, ‘As technical manager, I am responsible for the smooth transition of work through every stage of our print production workflow. I was confident that GMG offered us a solution that would complement our existing Hybrid workflow software.

‘The solution is user friendly and, in a nutshell, ‘does what it says on the tin’. No doubt there are many good colour management products out there but the GMG brand is synonymous with colour management. In terms of business, it has helped reduce colour related issues. Using the GMG system, we are accurately and confidently simulating press output within the studio/planning environment. This is helping make our production workflow more efficient whilst simplifying the decision making process with regards to colour.’

With a history dating back almost 50 years, Bakers also needed to ensure any legacy jobs could be managed through a new system, and to assess how difficult it would be to change from one system to another. So far, the GMG software has been successful in producing jobs correctly.

Mr Godson continued, ‘The GMG installation gives the ability to match historic jobs, even if they were originally printed incorrectly for whatever reason. The spot colours are scanned in, verified by outputting an Epson proof, and then sent to press. This technique has proved very reliable with us pretty much matching all spot colours first time when we eventually get to running them up on press.’

GMG Color sales manager, Paul Williams said, ‘We feel privileged to partner with Baker Labels in its quest for colour matching and print room efficiency, in what is a very complex environment with differing print technologies and multiple substrates. Bakers is using GMG ColorServer Multicolour to consistently convert customer-supplied files into the desired output colour space of the various printing technologies, through the integration of GMG OpenColor profiling technology. As the whole process is automated, we’ve been able to achieve significant time savings in data processing for Baker.’