Soft-Touch laminate profile - any success?

[Tricerimotor]

We've been working on an ICC profile for our customer to softproof and edit that projects the color shift from SWOP Coat3 to a soft-touch laminate application. We've worked with some top color specialists but can not lock this in. We scanned our target sheets in after printing to SWOP standards and are within G7 tolerance for heatset web printing. We then laminated the sheets, and scanned that data back in. The profile created seemed to be close but as the background colors each month change, the profile seems to be less accurate. Has anyone had luck with this process, or better yet, have a profile for D&K Diamond Hard Velvet Matte Finish? The manufacturer did not, and I've yet to find another printer that's gone through the process. The color shift is considerable, so I have to believe a solid profile exists. Thank you for any input.

 

[Correct Color]

When you say the color shift is considerable, could you give an example of what colors are shifting?


Mike Adams
Correct Color

 

[Tricerimotor]

Black spectrum is much smaller but the main shifts concerning the customer happen in the magenta and some yellows. It deepens a heavy magenta but can push the highlights especially with some yellow builds more orange, like skin tones. It's almost more of a twisting of the Gamut instead of a change in one direction.
I'm not sure scanning in sheets using an i1pro captures that accurately with the matte laminate diffusing the light, but that's how we've gone about it.

 

[Correct Color]

Okay.

While I don't have any experience with this particular material, I do do laminated profiles for large format printers pretty routinely, with many different types of laminates, so I could probably help. I also have a pretty thorough profile checking routine that I go through before installing any profile, so if it has any anomalies or irregularities, it never gets installed.

It sounds to me like your profile has some weak areas in it and those are causing the issues you're describing. If you'd like to email me a copy, I can look at it and tell you what I think. [email protected].

How thick is this stuff?


Mike

 

[Tricerimotor]

Wonderful Mike, you're exactly who we were hoping to hear from on this thread. I'll have our PrePress manager email you shortly. I think our profile is 90% accurate, but yes, has some weak points possibly stemming from a less than perfect printing of the target sheets.