How do I pass my print shop’s colour-matching know-how to a successor?

Colour judgment is partly skill and partly habit, so you need to capture both. Write down what you do before every colour-critical job: which light you view under, how you read the proofs, which instruments you trust, and when you trust your eye over a reading. Note the tricks for particular stocks and for brand colours that are hard to hold.

Then build a physical library. Keep approved printed samples for repeat customers, labelled with the stock, ink, press and settings used. A successor who can pick up a past sample and compare it with a fresh run learns faster than one reading notes. Include a few rejected samples too, with comments on what was wrong, since they teach the eye what to avoid.

Teach on live work. Have the successor run a colour match while you watch, then reverse roles. Do this with different customers and different stocks. Let them make the call, and discuss the result afterwards. Agree who has final say during the changeover. If the shop has a lender or a buyer, show them the library as part of the business. Be patient with the pace. An eye for colour grows slowly, and a successor who asks to see a sample again is learning, not failing.

Key takeaways

• Write down your viewing conditions, instruments and correction habits.
• Build a library of approved and rejected samples with their settings.
• Let the successor make live colour calls while you coach.