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Trying to color match a metallic

raw191

New Member
Ok. Let me first preface this by saying I don't do any digital printing here at my shop. I outsource it all. However, I do all the designing which means I have to colormatch colors and output them as cymk in the files, without having a printer here to try it out on. Is there an easier way to match calendered vinyl colors than trial and error?? like a chart? For instance, Oracal 651 Orange is c...m...y...k... Right now, I'm trying to match Oracal 951M (metallic) 926 Pyrite. I do the cut vinyl in house, but they have digital stickers to match. Without having a printer right here, I can't afford to much trial and error. I have a cmyk color chart, but the blocks of color are soo small it's hard to see. HELP!!!
 

Sign Eagle

New Member
In order to match a metalic vinyl, you will need to find someone with a printer that prints silver, such as a Roland.
 

Smacka

New Member
Download Colorschemer, It will help with just about any color values you need. Also I use X-Ref app for my iphone. I literally put my sample color swatches on my phone screen and scroll the pantone color values until I match it up, then I just plug in the numbers. Sounds kind of a weird but it works pretty good. Especially when you are offsite with a customer and you need a quick reference.
 

artbot

New Member
not sure about the nature of your mathing issue. keep in mind a few things. if your monitor is well balanced, in photoshop you can create a gradient of white to a dark gray. then lay the color over that layer and put the color you are matching set to "multiply". this will give you a good idea of how this color will look at different angles and refractions. for that matter, you can download a photo of chrome, brushed aluminum, etc and do the same.

also with metallics you will get more metamerism than usual. a gold/taupe might have a green shadow from an angle. this is because the light is bouncing off the cyan pigment dots and the yellow is absorbing.
 

heyskull

New Member
Choose some similair colours, print a large enough block, get customer to choose one.

Simples.......

I reckon it's pointless trying to match a flat colour to a metalic as even viewing from a slighly different can change the colour.

In this case let the customer decide, just don't print too many different variations or you will never get them to decide.

SC
 
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