Colour Monitor Or Colour Blind?

Hands up if you'd be happy to let a printer guess the colour make up of your images.... we didn't think so.

Yet in many cases this is exactly what's happening. Colour management is a subject on everyone's mind at the moment but one which many choose to ignore. The topic takes up numerous pages in the trade magazines each month, yet who's actually using colour management effectively?

The answer is very few.

The reality of the matter is that every single monitor, scanner, printer and output device sees colour differently and what a photographer sees on their digital camera or monitor won't necessarily match the end result. The naked eye can also be 'tricked' easily too, meaning the colour one person sees may not be the same as another.

So, what you see, isn't always what you get!

However, a solution is available. In simple terms, so long as a colour 'profile' is made for each piece of hardware, and a similar colour 'profile' attached to each image, a true colour replication from the original can be made accurately every time. And you don't even have to know the detailed science bit either!

Fujifilm's Colour Management programme is available to meet the requirements of every pro and retail lab - and for professional photographers too. Easy to use software does the 'profiling' for you, enabling equipment in the lab to communicate accurately and effectively - and 'speak' to clients' equipment too. This ensures that the image which is ordered is the image that is delivered - getting the job done first time, saving labs money on costly reprints and increasing customer confidence and loyalty.

Initial calibration of equipment, as well as ongoing colour management checking is made simple with Fujifilm's three level programme.

Level 1 offers generic web-based profiles and on-line guides free of charge, to any lab registering at www.fujifilm.co.uk/colour It provides access to detailed information on generic settings for monitors, colour spaces, printers and detailed case studies, reference notes and recommendations.

The Level 2 Colour Management Pack contains everything you need to produce up to two 'profiles' and provides all the tools needed to enable accurate control of colour space and compatibility. The Level 2 Colour Management Pack costs £330 and additional profiles can be supplied for £65 each.

In addition, the Level 3 Complete Colour Management Audit offers a thorough audit, by an independent consultant of a lab's throughput practices, hardware, software and output calibrations, viewing conditions and environment. Prices are available on request.

"The Fujifilm Colour Management programme provides easy shortcuts to ensure a lab and its customers can achieve the very best images," said Steve Feasey, Technical Department Manager at Fujifilm.

"Labs' quality of service and reputation will be increasingly judged on the priority they give to colour management. Customers should expect as standard that the captured image matches the print that has been output; Fujifilm is simply providing three shortcuts to this success!"

Labs which have already embraced colour management are enjoying more efficient workflow and greatly increased customer satisfaction and loyalty. Reprint costs are dramatically reduced meaning increased profit too.

For more information on the Fujifilm Colour Management programme contact Jerry Deeney on 020 7586 5900 or view www.fujifilm.co.uk/colour.