How X-Rite Supports ISO Print Standards

ISO print standards are the international benchmarks for colour quality in professional printing - defining the press conditions, colour targets, and measurement requirements that characterise a well-controlled printing process. For print operations seeking ISO certification, for brand owners specifying colour quality requirements in their supplier standards, and for prepress professionals building colour-managed workflows, understanding how X-Rite instruments support ISO compliance is essential knowledge.

The most important ISO standard for commercial printing is ISO 12647, a family of standards covering different printing processes. ISO 12647-2 covers offset lithographic printing on sheet-fed and web presses - the dominant commercial and packaging print process in Australia and worldwide. ISO 12647-6 covers flexographic printing. ISO 12647-7 addresses proof printing. Together, these standards define the reference press conditions - including target densities, tone value increase (dot gain) curves, substrate whiteness classes, and colour value targets for primary and overprint colours - that characterise a printing process operating within defined, controlled parameters.

X-Rite instruments support ISO 12647 compliance at every level of the standards' requirements. The most fundamental requirement is measurement capability: ISO 12647-2 specifies M1 measurement condition (ISO 13655) as the required measurement condition for colour verification. The eXact 2 spectrophotometer supports M1 measurement natively, ensuring that measurements taken for ISO compliance verification are in the correct measurement condition. Instruments that do not support M1 - including many older press spectrophotometers - cannot produce compliant ISO 12647-2 measurement data. The full eXact 2 range is available through Seaga Group in Australia.

Characterisation Data and ICC Profiles

ISO 12647 compliance is not just about hitting a set of density and colour targets on a single test print - it is about demonstrating that the press can consistently achieve those targets as part of its normal production workflow. The characterisation data that describes the press's colour response in its ISO condition is expressed in the form of standard ICC profiles or characterisation datasets published by standards organisations - GRACoL (CGATS TR 016) for North American commercial printing, FOGRA for European printing (PSO Coated v3, etc.), and similar reference datasets for other regional standards.

Printers seeking ISO 12647-2 certification use X-Rite instruments to measure their press characterisation target - a standard test chart printed under defined conditions - and compare the measured data against the reference characterisation dataset for their target press condition. The comparison software identifies where the press's actual response deviates from the reference, guiding press technicians in the adjustments needed to bring the press into conformance. Color iQC software supports this workflow with the process control measurement and reporting needed for ISO audit compliance.

Production Verification and Ongoing Compliance

ISO certification is not a one-time achievement - it requires ongoing verification that the press continues to operate within the certified parameters. This means regular calibration checks, production monitoring measurements, and documented records of colour verification across production jobs. X-Rite's quality management software manages this documentation systematically - storing calibration data, recording production measurements, and generating the reports that ISO auditors review during surveillance audits.

For print operations that have not yet sought formal ISO certification but want to work within ISO standards, the same X-Rite measurement infrastructure provides the measurement capability to operate to ISO conditions voluntarily. Working to ISO-equivalent quality standards - even without formal certification - is increasingly a commercial requirement from brand owners who specify ISO-compliant printing processes in their supplier standards. Demonstrating ISO-compliant measurement capability, even without a certificate, is a meaningful differentiator in competitive print tendering.

The measurement approach enabled by X-Rite instruments also underpins other print quality certification programs beyond ISO - including PSO (Process Standard Offset), G7 calibration methodology developed by the Idealliance organisation, and certification programs specific to packaging (like Brand Colour Management certification frameworks). X-Rite's support for G7 calibration - a methodology increasingly adopted by North American and internationally aligned brand owners - is built into its measurement instruments and supported through Seaga Group's technical expertise in Australia.

Conclusion

X-Rite supports ISO print standards through instruments that meet the measurement condition requirements specified in ISO 13655, software that manages the calibration documentation required for ISO compliance, and a measurement ecosystem that connects every stage of the press certification process - from initial characterisation through ongoing production monitoring to documented audit evidence. For Australian printers working toward ISO certification, or working within ISO-equivalent quality frameworks as a commercial requirement, X-Rite instruments are the measurement foundation on which ISO-compliant colour management is built.