Ensuring Ink Color Accuracy on the Web

Posted by Josh Gilbert - Outside Sales on 8/8/2016

Many visitors to the Texsource website may be concerned with the accuracy of the color swatches in the ink section - here are some step that we use and that you can use to ensure that what you are seeing on your screen is as close as possible to the product that you receive. 

It always starts with the actual screen printing ink manufacturer.  In the case of Texsource, we carry more brands than any other distributor in America - brands that you know and have an established reputation for quality.  Names like Rutland, Union, QCM, Triangle, International Coatings, and our own highly regarded Texsource GEN ink line.  These manufacturers provide us with the most accurate color samples that they can generate.  From there, an accurately sampled hex code is generated for that particular sample, which we use to generate a larger, more convenient color swatch to post on our site.  A sample of these can be seen here - 

We have here 2 different brands of screen printing ink (International Coatings and Rutland).  The new color swatches we are using indicate the manufacturer, the series, and present the color.  If you were to go to our site and perform a search for Orange Ink, you can now more easily find not only our entire selection of orange inks, but can also quickly tell the manufacturer and ink series that you may be looking for.  

In addition to this, we are now providing the most accurate Pantone match for each ink color (when available).  Again, these are taken directly from the manufacturers own documented information.  If you have a Pantone color chart available while you are browsing our inks, you can easily see the Pantone value for all available inks and can easily cross reference your chart to see if your screen or display settings are varying the color in any way.  

Speaking of this, how exactly do you setup a screen for accurate color?  Well, for us in the states, monitor calibration is generally done to the accepted NTSC standard color temperature, which is 6500k.  Generally, this is the 'warm' setting on most monitors when asked for the 'color temperature' setting.  Any other color enhancements should be disabled for the most accurate color representation that you monitor is capable of (this will vary among monitor manufacturers, of course).  

So there you have it - how we ensure the most accurate ink color shopping possible.  Of course, if you do not see an ink that quite fits the Pantone color you are looking for, we offer customer PMS ink mixing for any color imaginable, shipped out same-day if ordered by 2pm.