My whole branding project nearly tanked over a color shift

I sent a final palette to the printer for a client's stationery suite, and the business cards came back looking like a different brand. The deep teal I picked from my screen printed as a dull, grayish green. This was for a new yoga studio launch, and the owner was not happy. I had to eat the cost of a rush reprint, about $300, using a physical Pantone book I should have checked first. Has anyone else had a screen-to-print disaster this bad, and how do you guard against it now?

2 comments

2 Comments

miles_roberts2227d ago

Why trust a book over your own screen?

gavin_mason3127d ago

Oof, that's the worst feeling. I had a logo for a cafe print as a weird purple instead of a rich burgundy. My fix was the same as yours, I bought a Pantone bridge book that shows the CMYK and RGB breaks for each solid color. Now I never pick a final color from my screen. I always cross check the physical book under good light, and I order a physical proof on the actual paper stock before any big run. It costs a bit more up front but saves so much headache.