Color Concepts, a leading software developer for the large format inkjet printing industry, has changed its name to ColorBase and announced plans to help reduce an estimated $90 billion of global print waste. The company maintains a huge database of printers, RIPs, ICC profiles & materials.
Brend Kouwenhoven, new general manager of ColorBase
“Effective immediately, Color Concepts B.V., is changing its name to ColorBase,” said The Netherlands-based company. “This change reflects the company’s focus on reducing waste in the printing industry by connecting players through intelligent platforms that enable smarter collaboration, material sourcing, and colour management solutions.
“Those familiar with Color Concepts will recognize the name ColorBase - it is the name of the company’s proprietary database containing details on 430+ large format printers, 3700+ materials, 90+ RIPs and 1.2 million printer profiles.
“This core dataset is powering a series of interconnected software tools - ColorBase Labs, ColorBase Exchange, and ColorBase Toolbox - that create value for users by enabling unparalleled sharing of information between industry partners, and significantly reducing waste. The company’s decision to focus efforts on the ColorBase project makes the progression from the Color Concepts identity to ColorBase a natural evolution.
“We aim to change the world - so first, we must change ourselves. Instead of repeating the same testing and profiling over and over again, we aim to digitize our knowledge and the results of our work,” said Marco Roos, CEO of ColorBase. “ColorBase is committed to making the transition as seamless as possible for its customers and partners. ColorBase will continue to offer the testing, profiling and certification work that put Color Concepts on the map, alongside its new digital products. ColorBase’s mission has remained the same: to develop the digital foundation of the ‘smart’ printing industry.
Brend Kouwenhoven, new general manager of ColorBase, said the company wants to reduce the estimated $90 billion of waste in print.
“It doesn’t matter where you look, printed products are everywhere,” said an article on the company website. “The industry is worth an incredible $900 billion. That’s a lot of print! Estimates also suggest that 10% of everything that is printed is waste. That means something went wrong. There are many reasons for this, but it was often simply that it didn’t look right, wasn’t the right colour, or was not the right material for the job. Of course, some mistakes are inevitable, but repeating the same mistake, or making them because of lack of accurate information beforehand, can and should be avoided for economic and ecological reasons.”
Brend told UK-based writer/editor Jack Gocher: “The printing process is there to create applications, not simply produce output. It might be to create a traffic sign to last for many years, a tin can with the right colour or a vehicle graphic to withstand tough conditions. Whatever the application, the colour usually needs to be 100% accurate, and the overall product needs to comply with any environmental or regulatory requirements that go with it, such as UV/fire/wind resistance, slip levels etc. Otherwise, that print will have to be redone, which is a waste we shouldn’t have to subject our planet to.”
