Mark Andy launches Color Smart program

Mark Andy has launched its Color Smart Program, a pressroom initiative designed to help label and package printing converters improve color consistency across jobs, presses, shifts and operators.

Available through Mark Andy Print Products (MAPP), the program combines on-site evaluation, press fingerprinting, calibration, product recommendations and documented standard operating procedures.

The company said the initiative establishes a repeatable production standard covering materials, press settings and operating practices. It is intended to reduce converters’ reliance on individual operators' knowledge while addressing tighter color tolerances and shorter turnaround requirements.

‘Color consistency is rarely determined by one component,’ said Dave Telken, senior vice president at Mark Andy Print Products. ‘It depends on how the plates, mounting tape, anilox rolls, doctor blades, ink and press settings work together. Color Smart brings those variables into one coordinated process, so converters have a clearly defined production standard that they can repeat from one job to the next.’

Color Smart follows a five-stage process. MAPP specialists first assess the converter’s production objectives and color challenges before reviewing its prepress, plate room and pressroom workflows.

The team then recommends suitable plates, mounting tapes, anilox rolls, doctor blades, inks and other pressroom components. The press is fingerprinted and calibrated under controlled production conditions, after which MAPP produces a standardized color specification and operating procedure.

‘Fingerprinting is the point where the entire process comes together,’ Telken added. ‘We establish how the press is performing, optimize the variables that influence color and document what works. The goal is to give the company’s team a practical process that makes the job easier to repeat.’

The program can be implemented on Mark Andy equipment and presses supplied by other manufacturers, making it suitable for converters operating mixed press fleets or multiple production facilities. According to Mark Andy, it can also help identify training needs and give less-experienced operators a clearer framework for meeting color targets.

Mark Andy will formally showcase the Color Smart Program at Loupe Americas 2026, where MAPP specialists will explain its fingerprinting and calibration process.