On food packaging, you might’ve seen small colored circles or squares near the edges or bottom. They’re called “printer’s color blocks” or “process control patches.” They seem unimportant to us consumers, but they’re key in the printing and packaging world.
What Are Printer’s Color Blocks?
They’re small, colored shapes (usually circles or squares) on packaging materials. They’re often in cyan, magenta, yellow, and black, like the CMYK color model for printing. Sometimes, there are extra colors for specific brands.
Purpose of Printer’s Color Blocks
- Color Accuracy and Consistency: Technicians use them to watch and tweak ink levels so the packaging colors match the brand’s specs. This keeps all printed stuff looking the same, no matter when or where it’s made.
- Quality Control: They help spot printing problems like color changes, misalignment, or ink density issues. Printers can then make quick fixes to keep the print quality up.
- Process Verification: They make sure all needed colors are there and used right, which is big for complex designs with lots of colors.