X-Rite and Flint Group announce global partnership

With an increasing demand for color equity across ever wider geographies and packaging substrates, it is essential that every provider—from brand owner specifier, to print and packaging supplier—contribute to establish a consistent and robust color communication workflow.

Flint Group’s Paper & Board business has entered into an exciting new partnership with X-Rite Incorporated, a global leader in color science and technology, to deliver a color solution that leverages the X-Rite eXact and NetProfiler to reliably meet the color management needs of each stakeholder in the package print value and supply chain.

VIVO Colour Solutions is a dynamic color communication and service platform supported by Flint Group’s centralized color service provider, the Global Colour Centre (GCC). VIVO ColourCloud utilities the eXact device to provide a central web-based self-service digital color repository, containing thousands of approved and tested colors. Customers benefit from the ability to easily search and download CxF files, DigiSwatches, and ink recipes.

Ray Cheydleur, printing and imaging product portfolio manager for X-Rite, comments, “This partnership will benefit Flint Group’s customer base of printers around the world. Utilizing X-Rite’s NetProfiler software for verifying device performance, along with the award-winning eXact handheld spectrophotometer, will provide ultimate agreement of measured colors amongst Flint Group and their printing and converter clientele. When paired with VIVO Colour Solutions, this technology will provide the basis for converter confidence in their ink supply, and a competitive advantage to deliver consistent color packaging.”

Stuart Duffy, Flint Group director, Professional Services Paper & Board says, “We are excited to have reached agreement on this unique partnership with X-Rite, the leader in color measurement equipment.”

Duffy continues: “Following rigorous beta testing at a number of corrugated sites, our initial expectations have been surpassed. The sites conducted hundreds of searches from VIVO ColourCloud with every download achieving 100% ‘Right First Time.’ This level of performance can only be delivered through a consistent and managed digital workflow along with the support of X-Rite’s eXact spectrophotometer. This results in an effective end-to-end color management process that fits the needs of prepress, printing, and packaging companies of all sizes while reducing variability and improving efficiencies. I have no doubt VIVO Colour Solutions, in combination with X-Rite equipment, can become an industry benchmark.”

Stay tuned for the planned releases of Flint Group’s new VIVO Colour Solutions modules as the company establishes a NEW NORMAL in digital color management.

Visit the Flint Group website, Flint Group’s YouTube channel, or social media channels to see a short video related to VIVO Colour Solutions.

For more information, please contact Deanna Klemesrud via e-mail at Deanna.klemesrud@flintgrp.com.

About X-Rite
Founded in 1958, X-Rite Incorporated is a global leader in the science and technology of color and appearance. With Pantone, X-Rite employs more than 800 people in 11 countries. The company’s corporate headquarters are located in Grand Rapids, Mich., with regional headquarters in Europe and Asia and service centers across Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and the Americas. X-Rite offers a full range of solutions used by manufacturers, retailers, printers, photographers and graphic design houses to achieve precise management and communication of color and appearance throughout their processes. X-Rite products and services are recognized standards in the printing, packaging, photography, graphic design, video, automotive, paints, plastics, textiles and medical industries. For further information, visit www.xrite.com.

About Flint Group
Flint Group is dedicated to serving the global printing and packaging industry. The company develops, manufactures and markets an extensive portfolio of printing consumables, including: a vast range of conventional and energy curable inks and coatings for most offset, flexographic and gravure applications; pressroom chemicals, printing blankets and sleeves for offset printing; photopolymer printing plates and sleeves, plate-making equipment and flexographic sleeve systems; pigments and additives for use in inks and other colorant applications. With a strong customer focus, unmatched service and support, and superior products, Flint Group strives to provide exceptional value, consistent quality and continuous innovation to customers around the world. Headquartered in Luxembourg, Flint Group employs some 7,900 people. Revenues for 2016 were €2.3 billion (~CDN $3.6. billion). On a worldwide basis, the company is the number one or number two supplier in every major market segment it serves. For more information, visit www.flintgrp.com.