The process of metal effect color

Recently, an innovative metal-effect color grading process was born in the printing industry, bringing designers and printers a new palette of colors, enabling them to display a variety of metal spot colors and metallic effects.

This breakthrough technology was developed by the metalFX(R) technology company based in Leeds, England. The company specializes in design and printing technology. The newly launched metal color library and software system can provide more than 100 million metal effect colors. Through a simple printing program, using five types of ink, first print the silver base ink of the MFX(R) system, and then overprint the CMYK four-color inks - red, yellow, blue, black, to obtain various metallic effects. color.

Using metalFX(R) software and recipes, printers can display a variety of metal spot colors and metallic effects. Moreover, metalFX(R) can be integrated with images to produce extraordinary effects, creating special effects such as imitation holograms and hidden text. The metalFX(R) process can broaden the color space and greatly improve the overall print quality, thus making the printing plate more vivid.

In order to open up the market for metalFX(R) systems, metalFX(R) works with its strategic partners. One of the main partners, ECKART, is one of the world's largest metal effect ink suppliers and has a history of 125 years. At the 2003 Japan International Printing Technology Exhibition, ECKART entered into a global distribution agreement with metalFX(R), becoming the first designated supplier of the silver base ink for the metalFX(R) system.

ECKART has developed metalFX(R) silver based inks based on the original ink brands: metaLSTAR(R), TOPSTAR(R), ROTOSTAR(R) and ULTRASTAR(R), and provided metalFX(R) with Two series: One is premium silver, based on innovative physical vapor deposition method to provide exceptionally bright metallic effect; the other is standard silver, produced with traditional metallic pigment technology. Currently, the brands, designers and printers of various products can decide whether to use special grade silver for exceptionally bright visual effects or use more economical standard silver according to their specific use.

ECKART's MFX(R) ink series is available in a wide range of formulations and is widely used in offset and flexo printing, and is sold through print ink companies worldwide. A total of six pages of the ECKART MFX(R) brochure describe the entire ink system in detail.

The metalFX(R) system provides a complete tool kit. The required design tools include a set of metalFX(R) software stored on a CD containing 615 colors of metallic effects, software used, and commonly used designs. Software: Photoshop(R), Illustrator(R), QuarkXpressTM, etc. are fully compatible. A set of 40-page manuals will explain how to use the software in detail.

The kit also includes a set of color cards with 615 standard color blocks for user reference. The metallic effect color in the color card set is named as MFX(R) color and is assigned with the specified code. For example, the name of a green metallic color is called MFX(R) 0052.

Designers can choose from hundreds of metallic spot colors from the MFX(R) color library, ranging from deep, full metallic shades to light colors, light metallic shades, etc., or create over 100 million different colors through color combinations Metal tone. In addition, the MFX(R) system can also produce other special effects, such as anti-reverse text and company logos that appear only when the paper moves or reflects light from different angles.

As another tool, the metalFX(R) Photo Manipulation Software produces metal-effect images that bring cars, jewels, coins, and other photos to life with a more realistic metal look.

Perfect System - Metallic Color Proofing

General printing techniques usually use four-color ink and silver to create a variety of metallic colors. However, there have been many problems with metallic color proofing. With the birth of metalFX(R) software, another strategic partner, Kodak Polychrome Graphics, introduced the Kodak FirstCheck(R) desktop proofing system to designers and the Kodak Approval(R) system for prepress production and printing. Accurate metal color proofing for almost any substrate. This proofing system incorporates MFX(R)'s unique color coding, allowing designers to examine the effects of prints before printing. Designers only need to select the MFX(R) color needed in the MFX(R) software to obtain consistent quality proofing, thus ensuring uniform and accurate printing of color effects.

How metalFX Licensing(R) works

In conclusion, through the metalFX(R) license, system users such as designers and brands of products can obtain consistent guarantees of pre-press and post-print color effects. The metalFX(R) license includes multiple levels. A level 1 license is a printing company level. Printing companies must meet stringent quality control and print testing requirements to ensure color reproducibility. Among them, printing companies must pay royalties for metalFX(R) approval.

The second type of license applies to prepress and design companies. After the company pays the license fee, it will receive technical support for use of metalFX(R) and become an authorized user of metalFX(R).

If the designer only wants to obtain the metalFX(R) kit or MFX(R) color card containing software and design tools, it can also be purchased separately.

Ink companies can sell Eckart/MFX(R) silver base inks without obtaining a metalFX(R) license. However, four-color inks must be approved by metalFX(R) to ensure that the inks will work with the MFX(R) process.

A new milestone in metal effects - the metalFX(R) process

metalFX(R) was first used by the famous dessert brand Sara Lee in 2003. Sara Lee decided to use metal colors in the packaging of high-quality refrigerated food series such as "Fruity Profiterole Dessert." Mixed metal purple and silver packaging design received great acclaim.

MetalFX(R) has rapidly established a market base, mainly because its strategic partners, including ECKART, Kodak Polychrome Graphics, Creo, Gretag Macbeth, M-Real, Komori, and Stehlin Hostag Ink, are actively involved in the promotion. metalFX(R) technology. At present, metalFX(R) has been used by many designers and printing companies in Asia, Europe, North America and South America. They all apply for permits.

At the 2003 IGAS Printing Show, many printer manufacturers have aggressively promoted metalFX(R) technology. In May 2004, at the world's largest printing exhibition (DRUPA) to be held in Germany, ECKART, Heidelberg, MAN Roland, Mitsubishi, Komori, Shinohara and others will focus on promoting metalFX(R).

The revolutionary metalFX(R) metallic color system brings the latest upgrade designs to the graphic design, packaging and printing fields and gradually becomes a global trend. The system helps all walks of life to promote the creative use of metallic colors, brings eye-catching metallic colors and stable color reproducibility to various commodity brands, and brings metallic colors into the mainstream of the industry.

Source: Jiagong Machine Grid