Is there a bigger gulf of misunderstanding and miscommunication in the reproduction industry than the one that exists between ad agencies and print providers?

If there is, we haven't seen it. And we've been around awhile.

All too many printers almost seem to be scared of ad agency clients. And all to many ad agencies are just frustrated with the whole issue of getting projects printed and looking as they're supposed to look.

And surprisingly, there's a perception on the part of many printers that agencies either have or think they have all the answers, when, in fact, getting a true handle on color management in an agency setting is such a seemingly overwhelming undertaking that many--most--are only applying color management piecemeal at best.

Which, of course, only exacerbates the problems outlined above.

If you're at an ad agency, no doubt you've run the gamut of color management issues: Colors shifting from application to application; colors not matching from this design station monitor to that design station monitor; laser prints not matching any design station monitors, or proofs, or even other laser prints; certain printers not understanding color spaces and color management techniques; prints not matching proofs; proofs not matching your monitors...

Sound familiar?

The bad news is that digital color is very unforgiving. While there are several paths you can take, once you've decided on a path to achieve color, that path is the only path that's then ever going to be 100% correct. Typically what we've found at Correct Color is that at a lot of agencies there tends to be a little of this, a little of that; some people using one color space, some having heard another is "better" and using it, without sharing that with the class (an instant recipe for disaster); and very often no complete top-to-bottom color management standards and strategies.

The good news is that while it's an undertaking to get it all under control, and while it's mandatory that everyone "drink the Kool Aid" and get onboard for it to work, complete color workflow control at ad agencies is achievable, and the payoff in quality and control dwarfs the payment in setting it all up.

Guaranteed.