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Color matching in packaging printing is often less about correcting a major difference and more about refining the small differences that remain once a print is already close.
We saw this during a recent production run for Third Shift Roasters at the Holden Pak factory.
The first printed sample was already very close to the intended color. There was no major problem to correct. Victor Wang, our Senior Printing Specialist, continued working with the printing team through six rounds of press-side color refinement, comparing each sample with the target and making small adjustments along the way.
By the later rounds, the differences between samples were subtle. The work came down to tone, lightness, saturation and overall balance.
That is often where color matching requires the most experience. Getting close may happen quickly. Refining what remains takes a more careful eye.
A packaging design usually begins on a screen, but the color displayed on a monitor and the color seen on a printed package are produced in very different ways.
A screen produces color with light. Printed packaging is viewed through light reflected from ink, toner and the material underneath it.
Once a design moves into production, the printing process, colorants, substrate, surface finish and production conditions all influence the final appearance.
A color printed on a bright white film may not look the same on paper, kraft material or another flexible packaging structure. Matte and glossy surfaces can also affect how light interacts with the printed area and, in turn, how the color is perceived.
The task is not simply to reproduce a number from a design file, but to reproduce the intended color under the actual production and viewing conditions.
The first physical production sample is therefore essential: it shows how the color behaves on the chosen material.
Once the first sample comes off the press, the printing team can compare it with the approved target or reference.
They are looking at the overall impression of the color, but also at the smaller differences behind it.
The team checks whether the sample is too light or dark, too warm or cool, correctly saturated, and balanced alongside the rest of the artwork.
When a difference is obvious, the direction of the correction is usually easier to identify. When the sample is already close, the process becomes more precise.
That was the case with the Third Shift Roasters packaging.
Instead of making a large correction, the team made controlled adjustments and reviewed the result after each new sample.
As Victor explained:
“The first printed sample was already very close. The following adjustments were about refining the small differences — improving the balance, fine-tuning the tone, and making sure the final result matched the target as closely as possible.”
— Victor Wang, Senior Printing Specialist
The six rounds were not six failed attempts. They were stages of refinement, beginning from a sample that was already close to the target.
Visual judgment remains important on press, but professional color management also needs a consistent way to describe and compare color.
One widely used system is CIELAB, usually written as L*a*b*.
· L* represents lightness.
· a* describes the position between green and red.
· b* describes the position between blue and yellow.
Together, these values give the printing team a numerical way to compare a sample with a target rather than relying entirely on visual judgment.
The overall difference between two measured colors can then be expressed as Delta E, or ΔE.
In general, a lower Delta E value means the two measured colors are closer.
It is important, however, not to treat Delta E as a universal pass-or-fail number. Different formulas, including ΔE76, ΔE94 and ΔE2000, calculate color difference differently, and an appropriate tolerance depends on the measurement method, printing process, material, color and requirements of the project.
The number is useful, but it does not tell the whole story.
A measurement can show how far a sample is from the target and help describe the direction of the difference. The printing team still needs to decide what adjustment is appropriate under the actual production conditions.
A sample may be slightly too light, too warm or too saturated. Knowing how to respond to that information comes from understanding both the process and the material.
Measurement defines the difference. Experience helps determine the correction.
Color is always viewed together with the material beneath it.
The substrate's base color, surface and optical characteristics influence the printed result, and finishing processes can alter it further.
This matters in flexible packaging, where a brand may use different film structures, barriers and finishes across its product range. A color that works on one structure cannot be assumed to look identical on another.
Color should therefore be evaluated on the actual packaging material whenever possible.
A digital design defines the intention; a physical sample shows how it translates to the finished package.
This is especially important for solid backgrounds and recognizable brand colors, where a small shift becomes easier to notice when products are placed side by side.
When a printed sample is already close, a large correction can improve one aspect while pushing another further from the target.
A more controlled approach is to make a small adjustment, check another sample and compare the result again.
That was the approach used during the later rounds of the Third Shift Roasters production run.
The work was to narrow an already small difference without disturbing what was correct.
Changes between consecutive samples may be difficult to see, but on press they show how the color is responding.
The process continues until the printed result represents the target as closely as production conditions allow.
A good color match is not only about one successful sample. Most packaging is reordered.
A coffee roaster may reorder months later, and the same brand color may appear across different bag sizes, products, labels or cartons.
Color drift may be hard to notice on one package but obvious when old and new production runs appear side by side.
Approved samples, defined color standards, measurement data and controlled production conditions give future runs a reliable reference.
The goal is to establish a result that future production runs can reproduce as consistently as possible.
Most people who pick up a finished coffee bag will never know how many samples were compared during production, and they should not need to.
They see a familiar logo, a background color that feels right and a product range that sits together naturally. A reorder should not look out of place beside the previous batch.
Color matching is not always about correcting a failure. Often, it means refining a good result until the packaging represents the intended design as closely and consistently as production allows.
Delta E, or ΔE, is a numerical way of expressing the difference between two measured colors. A lower value generally indicates a closer match, although acceptable tolerances depend on the measurement method, printing process, material and project requirements.
The substrate underneath the print affects how the final color appears. Differences in base color, surface, texture and finish can all influence the way a printed color is perceived, which is why color should be evaluated on the actual packaging material whenever possible.
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