Print buyers have widely differing requirements regarding the quality of their print products even though they generally don’t formulate these requirements clearly.

Nationally and internationally active companies who depend on a long-term, unmistakable appearance of their brand articles and luxury products place very high demands on the printing industry for the production of their color advertisements, packaging or advertising matter as regards color conformity between the proof and the production run as well as consistency throughout the run.

Quality expectations for publications or brochures for travel, leisure activities or daily-use products, etc. are lower. Normally no professional studio photos are made. And so the requirements regarding color matching between the proof and the production run are mostly lower.

Company-internal printed matter, manuals, desktop publishing jobs without product illustrations have no need for optimal printing conditions (e.g. Eurostandard System Brunner) and therefore only require color credibility at most.

System Brunner was first to divide quality requirements for printed matter into five different categoriesaccording to their intended purpose and customer requirements. This classification helps the industry to identify the quality requirements for different products and markets.

Quality Categories

TOP


Absolute picture conformity between proof and production printing is guaranteed; full-page color advertisements for beauty products with faces of young women, large-format professional studio photos.

LUXURY


A high degree of picture conformity between proof and production printing is guaranteed; full-page advertisements and catalogues for international brands of luxury products, studio photos.

COMMERCIAL


A good degree of color conformity between proof and production printing; product advertising, printed matter with prestige character for the areas of culture, fashion, art, architecture.

PERIODICALS


Acceptable color conformity between proof and production printing, color credibility; printed matter of a non-luxury nature, editorial section of periodicals, publications from the areas of travel, leisure activities, careers.

MINIMAL


Minimal color credibility between proof and production printing, no (color-)compliant proof, non-professional desktop publishing.