Color Management Specialist

Summary/Objective: In partnership with the Graphic Arts Sr. Manager, the Color Management Specialist has the primary responsibility to ensure printer color accuracy within the organization through positive employee relations, training, and diligent work. The Color Management Specialist leads by example to promote the team's overall performance, growth, and development and is responsible for working with company policies and ensuring that color accuracy, printer settings, and production readiness requirements are maintained for all production printers. The Color Management Specialist is a technical expert responsible for the precision calibration, profiling, and standardization of color reproduction across all print production workflows. This role ensures color fidelity, consistency and repeatability by implementing spectral color measurement, ICC profiling, process control methodologies and advanced print characterization techniques. Working in close collaboration with the Graphic Arts Sr. Manager, prepress and press room teams, the specialist troubleshoots color deviation, ink-substrate interactions and gamut limitations to optimize print quality and enhance production efficiency.

Specific Responsibilities and Essential Functions:

Color Management and Standardization:

• Maintain, clean and calibrate specialized reading devices to ensure production profiles.
• Develop and optimize production printer profiles with specialized computer software.
• Utilize advanced color management softwares to create and manage ICC profiles, fingerprints, and dot gain curves.
• Collaborate with prepress and design teams to ensure accurate color translation from digital files to printed materials.

Printing Technology Expertise:

• Gain in-depth knowledge of printing machines adhering to standardized processes for their proper operation.
• Troubleshoot and challenge external parties to get the best color match.
• Assist in implementing new color management technologies with respect to different printing processes to enhance print quality and efficiency.
• Consult with Printing R&D department to validate plate making curves, anilox specifications, ensuring accurate halftone reproduction

Application Specialization:

• Conduct testing and validation of new materials and ink configurations for both production services and PE Engineering.
• Collaborate with ink suppliers and ink matching technicians to assess technical limitations of various substrates and finishes, ensuring the best possible color match.
• Consult with the Printing Department to validate color profiles, engraving, and plate-making curves to meet ISO standards; support the department if corrective action is required and is explicitly related to the graphics area.
• Develop and refine color management strategies to support manufacturing operations, ensuring consistency across production processes.

Cross-Functional Collaboration:

• Conduct testing and validation of new materials and ink configurations for both production services and PE Engineering.
• Act as a cross-functional problem solver, addressing issues related to color management that arise between customers, manufacturing teams and quality control teams.

Project Management and Continuous Improvement:

• Partners with the Graphic Arts Sr. Manager to serve as a change agent and to lead in continuous improvements, thereby enhancing the overall performance of the Graphic Arts Department.
• Performs other tasks and/or assignments as defined by the Graphic Arts Sr. Manager.

Competencies and Qualifications:

• Possess extensive knowledge of the following:
  • ESKO graphics pre-press software is a must.
  • Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop CC
  • GMG Epson proofing system
  • ESKO Packproof
  • Utilization of XRite devices
• Possess Extensive knowledge of printing technologies.
• Possess a good understanding of color metrics, ICC profiles, Fingerprints, Dot gain, and Color Density.
• Possess a good understanding of project management.
• Strong attention to detail.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, which are needed to establish and maintain an influential relationship with suppliers and manufacturing operations.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Excellent organizational skills; must be able to manage tasks and projects with minimal guidance.
• Ability to multi-task in a fast-paced, deadline-oriented environment.

Education and Experience:

• Product knowledge of shrink sleeve applications and requirements for the packaging market related to graphic design is a plus.
• Masters or Bachelors degree in Graphic Communication, Print Technology or equivalent technical field.
• Minimum of one years experience in a customer support role, preferably in a manufacturing environment.

Physical Demands:

• Repetitive motion and substantial movements (motions) of the wrists, hands, and/or fingers.
• Primarily sedentary work. Sedentary work involves sitting most of the time. Walking and standing are required occasionally.
• The worker must have close visual acuity to prepare and analyze data, view a computer, and read extensively.

Other duties:

Please note that this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of the activities, duties, or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time, with or without notice.