Features Colour Control Premedia
X-Rite Unveils PantoneLIVE Private Cloud

Building on its PantoneLIVE initiative, X-Rite Inc. and its subsidiary Pantone LLC introduced the new PantoneLIVE Private Cloud, as well as a new PantoneLIVE Rationalization Service.

PantoneLIVE Private Cloud is described as a secure, cloud-based repository that allows packaging converters and commercial printers to store and share existing proprietary colour libraries across the colour supply chain. The PantoneLIVE ecosystem itself is designed to digitally communicate colour between brand owners, designers, premedia, ink suppliers and printers. The model is meant to ease the workflow process and ultimately deliver consistent colour and to meet customer expectations.
 
“In addition to the Pantone Matching System, many converters have invested time and resources developing their own colour libraries and standards for specific customers,” said Adrián Fernández, VP, PantoneLIVE, X-Rite Pantone. “Leveraging the benefits of the PantoneLIVE model to streamline colour specification and communication, we are now enabling printers to publish proprietary colours in a private cloud infrastructure.” X-Rite explains all colours published in PantoneLIVE Private Cloud are available for selection within PantoneLIVE-enabled prepress systems such as GMG and Esko.

X-Rite has also expanded on its PantoneLIVE initiative with its new PantoneLIVE Rationalization Service that is designed to analyze and consolidate a printer’s colour library to improve colour consistency, increase production efficiency, and avoid wasteful duplication of colour.
 
Over time, X-Rite explains a printer’s colour library can grow substantially, including potential issues of duplication, which can become unmanageable or inefficient in ink matching and production planning. “Printers and converters can benefit from the PantoneLIVE Rationalization Service by analyzing and consolidating colorrs that are so close together in the colorr space that they are effectively the same,” said Chris Halford, Technical Director for PantoneLIVE Services, X-Rite Pantone.

“We have worked with a number of converters who have seen a 30 percent to 45 percent reduction in their colour libraries,” continued Halford. “This creates a leaner colour palette with fewer colours to manage and a smaller inventory of inks. This saves time, budget and reduces errors. The remaining colours in the digital library can be easily accessed, giving the printer and the brand owner the confidence that their colours are consistent, no matter where the item is produced or what substrate is used.”
 
Color Mapping is another service included in the PantoneLIVE Rationalization process, whereby client colours are mapped to standard Pantone Matching System (PMS) colours and to PantoneLIVE dependent references. With this mapping, X-Rite explains a converter’s entire packaging supply chain can make use of both Master and Dependent Libraries within the PantoneLIVE ecosystem.