1. Introduction to Dot Gain
One of the main challenges faced by printers when matching prints to the non-contract quality colour proofs supplied is the phenomena of dot-gain affecting the perception of colours even though the solid ink densities may be similar.
Invariably, the printed image would appear much
darker than the same image on the supplied proof.
These give rise to familiar customer feedback like ;
-
image is
over–inked
-
print is
too dark
-
details
are lost
-
colour
variation issues
Dot-gain is an integral part of the printing process.
As long as it is stable and the degree of gain is know, it is relatively easy to
compensate for this at the origination stage by adjusting the output profile
curves.