Petzold Concept, based in the Rhineland town of Gernsheim, will launch its Exact Colour Print (ECP) product on 1 January 2005 with partner Hubergroup.

The system combines the specification of special colours similar to the PMS system, but from process  colour with an extended gamut CMYK set like BASF Novaspace, and with metallics similar to MetalFX.

It will be the world's first to offer downloadable ICC colour profiles, and has been developed over ten years from its first application for automotive colour cards.

The ECP technique uses high ink densities to reproduce the 4,200 colours currently in the system, including metallic and pearl spot colours on a four-, five- or six-colour press.

"It works on every conventional press which has between four and six colours. The result will be, I believe, that Pantone colours won't be used that much in a few years," said Petzold Concept director Peter Petzold.

ICC profiles for colours not included can be ordered separately, while the ECP Create service will provide a colour match from any object that a customer sends in to Petzold Concept within 24 hours.
The package costs an initial 332 (d480), with an optional 83 per year membership fee for updates to the colour gamut. Extra colours cost around 70 each, depending on the order size.

Petzold Concept so far has no clients or agents in the UK, but already has agents in Switzerland and Dubai for the ECP package. Petzold said that he was also looking for agents in the USA, Australia and Japan.

Story by Josh Brooks