At Mereton, we understand the challenges designers face in achieving consistent colours across various materials and printing methods. (It can be tough!)
That’s why we developed PF2024, our latest profiling solution designed to bring colours closer together across all our printing processes.
Each of our printing methods (Natural Printing, Sublimation Printing, and Latex/Resin Printing) utilise distinct inks, machines, and printing techniques, and each interact with different fabric compositions in unique ways. These variations influence factors such as colour absorption, vibrancy, texture, and durability, making it inherently challenging to achieve perfectly consistent hues across all materials.
To address this, we’ve employed advanced spectrophotometers, profiling methods, and innovative software to refine our colour-matching process. The result is a significantly closer colour alignment across all products.
Understanding Colour Differences
Despite these advancements, slight colour variations can still occur due to:
- Polyester fabrics have a wider colour gamut, enabling them to produce more vibrant and saturated colours.
- Natural fabrics possess a smaller colour gamut, limiting the brightness and intensity of certain shades.
Soft, muted colours tend to appear similar across all materials, while brighter colours may differ—often appearing more vivid on polyester than on natural fabrics.
To illustrate this, we’ve provided a video below that compares the natural fabric gamut (inner boundary) versus the polyester gamut (outer boundary). You’ll observe how polyester offers a broader colour range, especially for highly saturated shades.
Choosing the Right Colours
Selecting colours within the natural fabric colour gamut is the best way to ensure consistency across all materials. Natural fibres, such as cotton and linen, have a more limited colour range due to the way they absorb inks, meaning that colours appear softer and slightly muted compared to synthetic alternatives
On the other hand, polyester fabrics (when printed using sublimation) can achieve exceptionally vibrant and saturated hues. However, colours that sit on the outer edges of the polyester gamut—such as intense fluorescents, deep blues, and ultra-bright reds—may not translate identically when printed on natural fabrics. This is due to differences in ink absorption, fabric coatings, and how pigments bond with different material compositions.
If you notice any colour discrepancies between your prints, let us know.
We can fine-tune and adjust colours across different substrates, including natural fabrics, wallpapers, and polyesters, to achieve the closest possible match. Our team can work with you to modify colours and saturation to ensure that your design maintains visual harmony across all materials.
