‘Colour, it’s just a constant problem’: an examination of practice, infrastructure and workflow in colour printing

This paper examines the work to control colour in graphic design and printing focusing on the reasons why practitioners do not implement ‘colour managed’ (CM) workflows. CM workflows should allow for successful transfer and reproduction of colour information from e.g. computer to print. However, the technical requirements – in terms of equipment ‘set-up’ and knowledge – prove to be beyond most of those working in the industry. We examine the reasons for this and the different cooperative practices that designers and print workers use in the ‘real-world’ to control colour. This paper contributes to studies of cooperative work and technologies by providing a critical appraisal of infrastructure and workflow as a means of supporting cooperative work in design and printing.