What our customers say about
ChromaChecker in production.

"I became a G7 Expert in 2006 as one of the first groups ever certified. I began using Chromix Curve1 the day it was released and continued using it through Curve4 to build G7 Curves. I also needed to use SpotOn! Press in order to speed up the process of creating curves on press in a live pressroom environment."

"These two applications served their purpose until I was introduced to Chromachecker in the year 2020. Once I began using Chromachecker to create G7 Curves, I realized I could use their CC84 3 Row Control Strip to generate the curves which is MUCH quicker than measuring a P2P chart in Chromix. In addition, the end results were noticeably better. And to the icing on the cake is that the tools in Chromachecker are just far superior to Curve4 and allow you to quickly and easily dial into super tight color accuracy. And that's just the tip of the iceberg with Chromachecker."

"I have not used Curve4 or SpotOn! since I began using Chromachecker. One web-based application does it all."

What benefits do you achieve by using our product?

ChromaChecker provides a number of benefits to our workflow. We first implemented ChromaChecker Capture to verify proofs and optimize the proofer to target the GRACoL standard and get as close as possible in matching the proverbial "stake in the ground."

Next, we integrated ChromaChecker Uploader and Operator Reports with our offset presses running the X-Rite Intellitrax measurement devices. These new reports provide great feedback instantly to the operator, showing how to quickly adjust the press to get it to match GRACoL and document when the sheet is salable due to the E-Factor — which has decreased our make-ready times. This process has eliminated the subjectivity of press operators having to "eye ball" the sheet and determine if it was close enough. Now using the E-Factor number, all our operators understand what level of match is required and the consistency of production has improved dramatically.

Then, we eliminated dedicated press runs to get our G7 curves built. We have implemented ChromaChecker's G7 color bar with our Intellitrax systems. Every sheet that is measured can be used with ChromaChecker to iterate our plate curve to accommodate the natural mechanical and atmospheric changes that happen to an offset press over time. This has completely eliminated dedicated press runs, while delivering a higher quality product at a much lower cost.

What is the best feature in your opinion of our software and why?

Since we sell color, the ability for ChromaChecker to collect our press data, in real-time, and report the salability of the sheet is probably what we use it for the most. This extends to verifying how any print job ran, with complete reports, that we can provide our customers. This is pretty handy for our salespeople to provide to their customers.

What would you tell a potential customer about ChromaChecker?

ChromaChecker provides a complete manufacturing framework that has helped our company transition from a Graphic Arts printer to a Print Manufacturer. Before, we were using different individual products to attack different aspects of our production. But all products were independent and didn't relate to the entire manufacturing environment. ChromaChecker has the manufacturing framework for assessing, tracking, and correcting proof, press, plate, lighting, and instruments — all in one location. This is unlike any other solution. We are still growing with our use of the software, and haven't implemented all of its capabilities. However, ChromaChecker provides us with a road map to help us understand what we should be doing in order to maximize our capabilities and profitability.

Why did you choose ChromaChecker for your organization?

We have multiple sheetfed offset facilities in the US that print identical jobs and it's critical that the presses match to one another regardless of the location or type of press used. Our ability to assess the color conformance of our processes was hindered by the fact that our data was not centralized, and our reporting tools were limited to single sheets and jobs and were manually collected. ChromaChecker addressed all of these challenges directly by connecting to all presses in real-time using a G7 calibrated color bar which immediately allowed us to see how all the presses were printing compared to GRACoL and more importantly, to one another. ChromaChecker helped us replace our outdated color bar — which had only solids and tints — with a color bar that had the necessary solids and tints but added G7 gray finders which allow us to assess G7 compliance on every job, and iterate plate curves when necessary and never doing another dedicated press run.

What problems did you solve using ChromaChecker?

Data Collection was a huge problem. Before ChromaChecker we would have a press operator save okay sheets and notate which press they came from. Then we would cut the control strips from the sheets and mail them to a facility designated for measuring. Our next step was to sort them into meaningful groups and scan them into a press console, while at the same time using the console for production. From there we would sort the measurements and import them into desktop PCs to evaluate if we needed to update curves.

With ChromaChecker we can accomplish the same thing with no extra effort — the press operators measure their sheets during the production run as always, and ChromaChecker does the rest.

What results did you achieve by using our product?

Remote fingerprints are much easier and more credible than before. Before ChromaChecker, setting targets and tolerances at the press consoles for G7 targeted metrics was tedious and incomplete, and inconsistently implemented. Also, our G7 curves were built on one dedicated press run for each press and paper stock which is very costly and not very credible to how the press always prints. Today, press operators use the ChromaChecker Operator Interface displaying the optimum densities and TVI as a guide for adjusting the press. ChromaChecker can use measurements from multiple jobs over multiple days to create G7 curves that are precise for the given press and paper combinations. Our color expert doesn't have to be on-site to guide the operator — ChromaChecker does it for them, while the color expert is watching from anywhere in the world. Air travel and all associated expenses are eliminated, resulting in thousands of dollars of savings by eliminating dedicated press runs, and paying time and expenses for an expert to be on-site. This alone has saved approximately $3,000 per press condition. Figuring we have 25 presses and 2 conditions per press, the savings are very impressive at $150,000.

Would you recommend us to others and why?

Yes. Anyone still doing dedicated press runs is throwing money out the window. With ChromaChecker we can qualify that our presses are within G7 alignment on every job, and if the mechanics of the press change, we can instantly iterate a plate curve to bring the press back into alignment — all with no extra work, paper, or ink and far superior results. Spending our time collecting and mining data is not an efficient use of our employees' time and costs a lot of money. Now we have more time to evaluate press results and take action to ensure our printing meets customer expectations.

Using the G7 color bar iteration capabilities, our presses are always printing G7 and we know it and can prove it. No need to wait for a dedicated press run when we change plates or substrates — it is all instantaneous and done at the plant level within hours, saving a lot of time and money and delivering a higher quality product.

Challenge

With increasing demands for efficiency and accuracy, we needed a more advanced and efficient solution to manage our color processes that make the entire organization aware. The primary challenge was to find a system that provided centralized visibility and management, enabling our entire team to access and act on critical data from a centralized platform.

Solution

After extensive research, we chose ChromaChecker for its comprehensive tracking capabilities, production tools, and user-friendly interface. The decision was straightforward for our executive team, who was immediately impressed by the platform's ability to support the vision for customer satisfaction, strong metric-driven decisions, and organizational success.

"This implementation is directly supporting the Grafika brand for quality." — Michael Hartman, Color Manager, Grafika Printing

Implementation & Support

The support provided by ChromaChecker has been exceptional. Attending the ChromaChecker Color Quality Conference 2024 was extremely valuable, offering resources and expertise in color management. It provided 3 days of learning alongside other professionals and customers, making it a worthwhile and affordable investment. The timing of the conference was perfect for our implementation as I had completed the initial onboarding and was ready to perform analysis and extend to additional use cases throughout the organization.

ChromaChecker's responsive support team and developers have continually advanced the product, ensuring it meets our evolving needs. Their high level of expertise was crucial during the initial stages of onboarding and addressing our questions, which made the process much smoother.

Conclusion

Comparing ChromaChecker to other tools we evaluated, it became clear that no other solution addressed our needs as comprehensively. We found them to be limited and lacked the comprehensive tracking and quality management that ChromaChecker offers. Its ability to track variables and ensure quality with one application made it the clear choice for us.

Practical skills, immediate results

The program developed practical implementation skills that I used immediately in live production workflows, not just in theory. I created repeatable processes, established meaningful tolerances, and built SOPs that operators and management teams could actually follow.

Confidence in objective decision-making

One of the biggest impacts on my career has been the confidence the program gave me in objective decision-making. Instead of relying on subjective visual opinions, I now have a framework built around measurable expectations, reporting, and data-driven evaluation. That improved color communication across departments and created strong alignment between production, quality, leadership, and most importantly our Print Buyers.

The E-Factor exercises were eye-opening

Understanding how differently people evaluate color helped me become a better communicator and process leader. It changed the conversations we have internally and improved the way teams collaborate around color quality.

A global network of industry leaders

Professionally, the certification connected me with highly respected color experts and industry leaders focused on standards, automation, workflow optimization, and continuous improvement. That exposure has advanced my career significantly and expanded the value I can bring to customers and organizations.

What it means for companies

For companies, the program creates a foundation for turning color quality into a repeatable business process instead of a subjective approval cycle. It supports automation readiness, improves consistency, strengthens accountability, and provides organizations with the structure needed for long-term operational success.

What benefits do you achieve by using ChromaChecker?

Using ChromaChecker to generate G7 curves has really simplified our calibration process. We can check the press's current state and build a new correction curve from that same measurement, no need to print a separate target. That saves time, materials, and keeps our make-ready short without needing me to step in every time.

Checking the press before every print run gives our team the confidence that we're not just meeting ownership's expectations but also hitting industry standards, so we know we're producing consistent, high-quality work.

Having scan data over time has helped us shift from reacting to problems to preventing them before they start. It's made maintaining our presses more predictable, which means fewer surprises — and a lot fewer headaches for me.

Other reasons we rely on ChromaChecker

For us, it's not just about cutting waste, though that's a big part of it. Since we run a pretty lean team, one of the biggest benefits is how it helps save on labor costs. ChromaChecker empowers our press operators to take the lead on quality, which means I can spend time on other responsibilities instead of being hands-on all the time. It helps us spread out the responsibility without needing to add staff.

Overall, ChromaChecker helps empower our press operators, saves time and materials, and creates a more stable, predictable workflow.

I was unconvinced…

With our national scope of print locations and the idea of having to implement new processes and procedures across all locations, I had my doubts about ChromaChecker's potential success. I was unconvinced that the juice was worth the squeeze with integrating this technology into a process that already seemed to be successfully supporting the business. What I didn't know at that time was how ChromaChecker would provide a means to protect that business and distinguish our abilities from our competitors.

ChromaChecker has allowed us to establish rigid color standards that not only satisfy but proactively define our customers' color expectations from the outset. By synchronizing the color management process across every single piece of equipment and at every facility location across the country, we have built a cohesive, single-source approach to color, ensuring that a brand's critical color profile is rendered identically regardless of where or when the product is printed.

Dramatic reduction in waste and reprints

The most immediate and financially significant impact of adopting ChromaChecker has been the dramatic reduction in waste and costly reprints. By eliminating the production of color that falls outside of the acceptable customer tolerance, we have streamlined our operations and improved our bottom line. ChromaChecker ensures that all final color and material appearances meet the customer's exact expectations and allows for unwavering adherence to the pre-determined color profiles that are absolutely critical to our customers' brand identity and materials. This level of precision translates directly into increased efficiency, faster turnaround times, and a reliable product that our customers can trust for their most important campaigns and product packaging.

Ultimately…

ChromaChecker is not just a tool for color-matching; it is a robust system for quality assurance and brand protection. The program provides complete trackability of calibration and continuous measurement, supplying us with invaluable analytics and color control data. This continuous monitoring not only maintains our operational excellence but also provides our clients with verifiable proof of color accuracy. By protecting the manufacturer's color reputation through documented, consistent excellence, ChromaChecker reinforces our position as a leader in the print services industry. It solidifies the trust our clients place in us, guaranteeing that their brand's color integrity is protected with every single impression, now and in the future.