Color Deviations and Variations in Gravure and Web Offset Printing

Customers and advertising agencies show an increasing interest in the magnitude of color tolerances within publication and catalogue printing on gravure and web offset presses. The variations between different production runs and the proof or OK sheet have been determined by statistical analysis. The measurements refer to a number of critical colors printed in the form of a color bar. It will be shown that gravure printing offers smaller color variation than web offset printing.