Brand Colour Matching in Print – One Logo Colour on Banner, Fabric, Vinyl, Board and Light Box

Why the colour looks different on every material

A brand manual gives one Pantone or one CMYK value. Real materials do not cooperate:

• Substrate colour: white PVC banner, cream paper, grey fabric and clear acrylic all shift the same ink.
• Surface: a matt banner and a gloss vinyl reflect light differently, so the same print looks darker or brighter.
• Ink and process: UV ink on board, LED UV ink on fabric and dye-sublimation on polyester each have their own colour range; some bright Pantones cannot be reached exactly in CMYK.
• Light: a colour printed on a wall is seen in reflected light; in a light box it is seen in transmitted light, which changes it completely.

Our guides on CMYK versus RGB and brand colour, Pantone and proofs explain the basics. This page is about how we manage brand colour matching in print for networks and brand owners.

Material samples and proofs before the run

Before a large order or a new material, we print samples on the exact material that will be used:

1. You send the brand colour references and the files.
2. We print a set of samples with small variations around the target colour on each material.
3. You or head office compare them in your own light and pick the closest.
4. The chosen sample is recorded with the material and print settings.
5. Production uses those settings, and we keep a physical sample for future comparison.

See samples, prototypes and proofs for options.

Colour in transmitted light: light boxes and backlit graphics

The biggest colour surprises come from illuminated signs. A red that matches perfectly on a printed banner can turn orange or pink when lit from behind, and a dark blue can look almost black when the light is off. For light boxes and illuminated SEG frames we check samples both lit and unlit, using the same LED modules and diffuser as in the final product.

Often the right answer is a print profile made for backlighting rather than more ink. For signs seen mostly at night we optimise for the lit state, for signs in bright shops more for daylight. Light boxes come with a 24-month warranty.

A colour reference approved by head office

For networks the real problem is not one sign but fifty, made over three years. We recommend a simple colour reference kit:

• one approved sample per material (banner, fabric, vinyl, board, backlit face)
• the print settings recorded for each sample in our production system
• a copy of the kit at head office, so stores and agencies can compare new deliveries

When a new material enters the standard, it gets its own sample and approval before the first order.

Repeatability across orders and networks

Repeat orders are printed from the recorded settings on the same machines in the same plant. Our head office and main production plant are in Wieluń, Poland, where we have been producing since 1991 on more than 35 machines, including two industrial UV printers printing up to 3.2 m wide without joins and LED UV and dye-sublimation for textiles. Keeping production in one place is what makes colours repeatable between a banner in Germany and a light box in Spain.

When several agencies send files for the same brand, our in-house studio checks colour definitions in file preparation and preflight, so a wrong CMYK build is caught before printing.

Cost of samples and how to start

Sampling is cheap compared to a reprint. For a new network standard we usually suggest samples on each main material, priced from the table above; we confirm the cost before printing them. Prices are indicative; larger sampling programmes are quoted individually.

Send us your brand colour references, the list of materials you use and a few photos of current signs that look wrong. Write in your language and we reply in it; we handle all 14 languages of this site. For networks rolling out new signs, see franchise signage and retail rollout across Europe.