INX sees accelerating adoption of its Color Perfection platform
Since updating its INX 2-Piece Metal Color Catalog with new colours three months ago, INX International has seen over 150 beverage brands, breweries, can makers, design agencies and other beverage marketers embrace the book that represents the only true colour standard for metal decorating.
INX project manager Sarah Jacks believes several factors have played a critical role in the growing popularity and success of the INX Color Catalog.
“There are multiple advantages besides the significant cost saving opportunities for can makers. There are also brand consistency and speed-to-market issues for brand owners and colour accuracy considerations for graphic designers,” Jacks said. “Using the INX Color Catalog makes the design-to-market process, from selecting colours to getting on the shelf, much more efficient. It has a positive impact on the entire supply chain knowing you can get faster accurate, consistent and reproducible colour for can design and decorating.”
A key component of the INX Color Perfection process, the INX Color Catalog consists of more than 600 removable metal colour swatches; access to those colours is via the INX Digital Color Library available for Adobe design programs. Mainstream and craft brewers, wineries, and juice and energy drink brands from around the world understand the value, reliability, and other advantages it provides compared to simple paper-based colour matching systems that do not accurately represent colour-on-metal substrates.
While many of the books have been purchased by brand owners and can makers around the world, packaging designers – those responsible for turning an aluminum can into a unique brand statement – are another group that is benefitting from the INX system.
“Colour accuracy is incredibly important to me as a designer,” said Caleb Blatz, lead graphic designer for craft cider provider 2 Towns Ciderhouse in Oregon. “Knowing exactly how they’ll reproduce has given me a sense of confidence. It has streamlined my workflow, improved our time to market, and resulted in significant savings from not having to travel to pilot runs.”
“Our design team was able to have a better understanding of the printed can colors before the cans went to print,” explained Brian Eldridge, senior graphic designer for Seattle-based Blindtiger Design. “It is saving us and the client time for getting their cans printed and ultimately making our process more efficient.”
According to Jacks, paper and cloud-based colour matching libraries are not suitable for the metal decorating design process. “You can’t apply standard printing methodologies when you are working with metal decorating,” she said. “There are so many variables that change how a colour appears on metal. You can’t visualise on-screen how colour palettes will appear in production. Because of this, you have to apply your colour on a metal beverage substrate to see a true representation of what it looks like and how it will affect your design.”
Some INX Color Catalog users are utilising other elements of the INX Color Perfection platform, including the system’s digital proofing capabilities to help streamline and standardise the process. For example, the INX CP800 UV Digital Proofer gives brewers, graphic designers, and printing professionals the option to produce a small amount of digital prints for promotional purposes and as sales samples, or in the hundreds for market testing.
Jacks indicated more INX Color Catalog support measures are being planned. INX University, an online educational platform for metal decorators, will be launched by the end of the year and another update with additional colours is scheduled for release in spring 2020. For more information, visit www.inxinternational.com or contact your INX representative.