Humans & our primate relatives are unique when it comes to the perception of color. Among the mammals, only we have the ability to see our world in full color. We take this for granted & only when we go to reproduce color images accurately in print & other media do we begin to appreciate how complex this process is.
Too Many Colors?
Joules Angstrom sells UV printing inks. Their logo is as attractive as it is intricate & reproduces beautifully on glossy paper. They wanted to customize some printer’s loupes with this logo for use as promotional giveaways. The cost of printing this 7 color logo in CMYK on a small number of black magnifiers would have been prohibitive. An alternative plan of action was needed.
Joules Angstrom is a clever play on words. A joule is a unit of work/energy while an Angstrom describes wavelength. UV photons are higher energy than visible ones & allow for fine details to be printed, a key virtue of UV inks.
Metallic Gold Ink to the Rescue!
It would seem inconceivable that a stunning 7 color image could be replaced by just one color. We’ll let you be the judge. Below is a rendering done in metallic gold. We think it captures the concept & does so at a fraction of the cost of the logo above.
Printers loupes (linen testers), make great promotional items for ink makers & printing accessories. The Joules Angstrom converted from 7 colors to gold is on the left.
