Need Help With 3m Color Matching

[Propmaster]

Hello All,
I'm somewhat new to digital printing. My first large order requires that I match 2 3M colors my client gave me. The colors they gave me are 3M RED - 9827 and 3M BLUE - 9882. I have searched everywhere and can't find the color code or a FlexiSIGN color swatch. I need to be able to print these 2 colors. Your help is urgently needed.
Thanks!
Tim

 

[Bly]

I don't have a 3M swatch book but some reds and blues just aren't possible to match exactly with digital print.

 

[GAC05]

Looks like they are asking for 3M 9800 series UV spot color inks
http://multimedia.3m.com/mws/media/381380O/3-20-screen-printing-with-ink-series-9800-line-color.pdf
Might not be any CMYK info on them.

 

[iSign]

If you are new to digital printing, I'll offer a suggestion that might seem excessive, in response to just today's color matching issue... but it may well help you with that, AND will most certainly come in handy again & again for reasons I'll get into below.

My suggestion is to locate a cmyk color chart that you can print a very good sized resource on your printer, to help you with color matching on into the future.

I just went and found one such chart available for download, and you can easily find many more, but here is that link:
http://www.ocp.de/documents/OCP_CMYK_Chart.pdf

Be sure to note all the setting that might change from day to day, like how many passes, or ink layers, or speed, resolution, profile or whatever setting your equipment and software offer... not those settings (perhaps incorporating them onto the header of the print, so it's always right there,,, and not the media you choose to print this chart on. If like me, you primarily print Orajet 3651, banner media, and 3M 180C.... you could eventually find value in printing a chart on each of the common media you may use...

Then I guess it's pretty obvious that you can get a swatch of 3M vinyl, and compare your clients desired media, to YOUR chart, printed on YOUR printer, with all the settings noted... so if you do find a match, you can just use that color from the swatch...

The other type of benefits I said I'd get to, is that if you have a showroom/shop where clients come in and order signs... when they don't have pantone swatch numbers (of vinyl color codes) you can just have them choose off your chart & then you should be able to give fairly consistent matches

 

[Malardalensbildekor]

I thing you need to buy a PANTONE Color Bridge to start with, then you can try to match the color swatch you have with CMYK colors in the color bridge, if the customer have a PANTONE color number you can convert it to CMYK with this one aswell, but just remember that when it comes to printing you will most likely not get 100% PANTONE colors, PANTONE color bridge give you the closest CMYK color to use in your printer.

 

[heyskull]

Sometimes it just isn't possible to match some colours with a palette that only consists of 3 colours and black!
We all struggle with reds, blues and greens.
In fact you really need to educate your client with the limitations of digital printing and sometimes trying to colour match a certain colour is impossible.
Yes their will be lots of people insisting that profiling and careful calibration is the way to go but mainly it is about how many colours you have to mix with in the first place, which is a ridiculous low amount.

SC