Experiments in inkjet colour tests for printmaking

Abstract

The motivation for this research is based on how artists mix and print colour by traditional means (painting and printmaking) and how these differ from colour picker tools, slider bars and methods developed for digital printing, and whether it is possible to incorporate both? Artists have been expert at mixing colour for centuries, yet although the artist and designer has access to a wide range of digital imaging tools and technologies, that on first glance, are dedicated to the creation of colour mixtures, the resulting colours are often disappointing. It appears that hardware, software tools and methods for digital printing are not necessarily suited to the specific requirements of the artist. In fact, they are too generalised to obtain a high degree of quality and too inflexible to allow artists to obtain precision and predictability. Based on existing hardware and software, the paper suggests alternative approaches to custom colour ink mixing and printing. Through the development of alternative ink colours specifically mixed for inkjet printing the paper demonstrates specially designed charts for printing and double printing of custom mixed inks.