Many customers expect every printed book, catalog or flyer to look exactly the same – regardless of when it was printed. In practice, achieving 100% sameness is impossible. However, this does not mean that the printer has made a mistake. Printing production relies on many variables, and one of the most important is inks. It is these, combined with the paper, machine and production conditions, that affect the final appearance of the print. That’s why even two print runs of the same design can differ slightly from each other.
Inks and the printing process
Printing inks do not behave like paint on a wall or ink in a home printer. During production, they go through a number of processes that affect their final appearance.
Significances include:
- amount of paint to be applied,
- the method of its transfer to the paper,
- drying time,
- the type of substrate.
Each of these elements can subtly change the end result. For most viewers, the differences remain practically invisible, but when two copies are carefully compared, they can be noticed.
Printing inks vs. paper
The same color will look different on different papers. This is one of the basic principles of printing.
Chalky paper reflects light differently than uncoated paper. On the other hand, papers with warmer tones, such as Munken Print Cream, affect color perception differently than the very white Nautilus SuperWhite.
Therefore, the printer always considers not only the inks, but also the material on which they will print.
It is the combination of paper and ink that determines the final result.
Printing inks vs. production tolerances
There are certain color tolerances in printing. This means that slight differences between successive sheets or successive print runs are perfectly natural.
Modern printing machines constantly control the parameters of production, but they cannot guarantee absolutely identical appearance of each print.
Influences include:
- temperature,
- humidity,
- paper properties,
- viscosity of the paint.
Therefore, a professional printing company strives to comply with quality standards, not to achieve mathematical sameness.
Printing inks vs Pantone colors
Even greater precision can be achieved with Pantone colors. Unlike standard CMYK printing, Pantone inks are prepared as ready mixes.
This makes it possible to achieve very high repeatability, especially for corporate colors.
However, this does not mean that there are no differences here as well. Paper, varnish or finishing still affect the final appearance of the print.
Therefore, even with Pantone, inks may look slightly different on different materials.
Printing inks vs. subsequent additions
This is a question publishers often ask. Will a book added a year from now look identical to the first print run?
Most often the answer is: very similar, but not perfectly the same.
In the meantime, things can change:
- batch of paper,
- inks,
- machine settings,
- production conditions.
That’s why professional printers keep color samples and documentation of previous productions. This ensures that subsequent additions remain as close to the original as possible.
Printing inks vs. quality control
Although 100% identicality cannot be achieved, modern printing allows very effective quality control.
During production, operators regularly check:
- paint density,
- color consistency,
- color matching,
- quality of prints.
Spectrophotometers are also increasingly being used to help measure color objectively and keep it within certain tolerances.
As a result, differences from one specimen to another are usually minimal.
Is it worth comparing two copies
In practice, most of the differences can be seen only when two specimens are placed side by side and begin to compare very closely.
A reader looking at a single book will practically never notice such deviations.
Therefore, slight color differences do not indicate a production error. They are a natural feature of the printing process and are within current quality standards.
Summary
Printing inks are just one of the elements that affect the appearance of the finished print. The final effect also depends on the paper, production conditions, machine settings and the technology used.
Therefore, two prints of the same design will never be 100% identical. However, a professional printing house makes sure that all differences are within acceptable tolerances and are practically unnoticeable to the recipient.