Process tolerances for printing conditions are given in Table 1 in ISO 12647-2. This tolerance data is summarised below, with permission of ISO.
| Substrate | Combined deviation and variation tolerance |
|---|---|
| CIELAB Color difference ΔL / Δa / Δb* | ±3 / ±2 / ±2 |
| Solid colours | Deviation tolerance | Variation tolerance |
|---|---|---|
| Colour aim (Black) L, a, b* | ΔE*ab ≤ 5 | ΔE*ab ≤ 4 |
| Colour aim (Cyan) L, a, b* | ΔE*ab ≤ 5 | ΔE*ab ≤ 4 |
| Colour aim (Magenta) L, a, b* | ΔE*ab ≤ 5 | ΔE*ab ≤ 4 |
| Colour aim (Yellow) L, a, b* | ΔE*ab ≤ 5 | ΔE*ab ≤ 4 |
| TVI and ΔCTV Calibration | Deviation | Variation |
|---|---|---|
| TVI for 0 to ≤ 30 (%); alternatively, ΔCTV |
±3 | ±3 |
| TVI for 30 to 70 (%); alternatively, ΔCTV |
±4 | ±4 |
| TVI for > 70 (%); alternatively, ΔCTV |
±3 | ±3 |
| Maximum mid-tone spread (CMY) | ±5 | ±5 |
| Near Neutral Calibration (NNC) | Deviation | Variation |
|---|---|---|
| Black L* (25) | ΔL* ≤ ±2 | ΔL* ≤ ±2 |
| Black L* (50) | ΔL* ≤ ±3 | ΔL* ≤ ±3 |
| Black L* (75) | ΔL* ≤ ±4 | ΔL* ≤ ±4 |
| CMY L* (25) | ΔL* ≤ ±2 | ΔL* ≤ ±2 |
| CMY L* (50) | ΔL* ≤ ±3 | ΔL* ≤ ±3 |
| CMY L* (75) | ΔL* ≤ ±4 | ΔL* ≤ ±4 |
| CMY a,b (25) | ΔCh ≤ ±2 | ΔL* ≤ ±2 |
| CMY a,b (50) | ΔCh ≤ ±3 | ΔL* ≤ ±3 |
| CMY a,b (75) | ΔCh ≤ ±4 | ΔL* ≤ ±4 |
For more information on process tolerances, see ISO 12647-2:2013