G7 | fortuneprinting

What is a G7 Master?

G7 Master status is granted to a physical facility, equipment and systems.

Example: ABC Printing Company’s proofing and printing presses at the location Anywhere, USA have been qualified as a G7 Master. G7 Master Status indicates that this facility has calibrated its equipment and systems to G7 gray balance and neutral tone curves and is capable of delivering G7 proofs and print products. While many G7 Masters are printing companies, creatives and premedia shops may also be qualified as G7 Masters.

G7 Master Qualification is valid for one calendar year and must be renewed annually. The company must also be a member of either IDEAlliance or the G7 Network in good standing. Note that this is not a Certification, it is a Qualification. No tolerances are imposed at this time. The program may evolve into a true certification in the future as industry data is gathered to support a certification process.

Why are print buyers making G7 a requirement?

Typically a print-buy is either distributed geographically or distributed across different print types. So, for example, a buyer may want to purchase marketing collateral, packaging and signage with the same brand imagry. Clearly the substrate, gamut and other print characteristics will vary for the different print products. But if all the print products have the same gray balance and neutral tonality defined by G7, they will look remarkably alike to the human eye. Because buyers believe the similarity of the visual appearance across print products is critical, they now make G7 a buying requirement.