Reimagine Color Matching with Print Clone

So, it’s 2025 and you’re wondering why color matching is still such a struggle. Well, the issue isn’t just one thing. It’s many things, including:

• Lack of skilled operators
• Prior, non-documented modifications to files
• Inconsistent results across different presses, shifts, or even countries
• Lack of standardization

It’s no wonder color matching today continues to consume time, resources, and patience.

Before we talk about the solution, let’s take a quick tour through the chaos it’s designed to fix.

Educated Guessing 

Currently, matching a printed sample isn’t about precision, it’s about educated guessing.

Operators must spot the differences as best as they can while tweaking color curves manually before they send another test to press.

Sometimes it works. And sometimes it doesn’t.

And if the original file’s been altered along the way? Good luck. You’re basically reverse engineering a mystery print.

Iterations & Reprints = Wasted Time

Most teams go through multiple iterations before getting close to the original sample. That’s hours of manual adjustment, often with the press standing still, waiting.

And while that’s happening, the production schedule gets tighter. Your three-job shift just became a one-job panic. Multiply that across a week, and you’re bleeding time, materials, money, and morale.

It’s Not Just a Prepress Problem

The ripple effects hit everyone. The press operator is frustrated. Production managers scramble to reshuffle jobs. And the business? Delays, inefficiency, and worse—potentially missed deadlines that impact customer trust.

All of this from a color match gone sideways.

Enough doom and gloom. Let’s talk about a better way to color match because, finally, there is one.

Print Clone is your color-matching superhero: fast, smart, and immune to guesswork.

So, what is it?

It’s cloud-based, AI-powered, and surprisingly, for a digital solution, pretty darn simple.

Print Clone is an application built to take the pain out of color matching. No bulky installs. No complex interfaces. Just log in, upload your PDF, and let the magic begin.

Here’s the workflow in a nutshell:

1. Upload your PDF to the Esko S2 cloud platform
2. Measure your physical print sample using a supported spectrophotometer
3. Engage Print Clone

Print Clone analyzes the sample, uses AI to rebuild your file, and hands you back a new, optimized PDF that’s ready to go. No curve-bending, no trial-and-error, no drama.

Print Clone delivers real results. It’s designed to solve actual problems in actual print environments, regardless of your prepress experience.

Do you have multiple locations? Different presses? Varying skill levels? No problem. Print Clone handles the complexity for you.

And because it’s cloud-based, updates roll out automatically, eliminating IT headaches and training marathons. You get smarter tools, faster, without the fuss.

Did we mention it’s fast? What used to take hours now takes about 30 minutes. That means more jobs per shift, fewer interruptions, and meeting tight deadlines without breaking a sweat.