The International Color Quality 2024-2026 contest for print publishing is now open.

The 16th International Color Quality Club contest for newspapers and magazines (ICQC) primarily aims to enhance the overall quality of reproduction and printing. This is achieved by acknowledging publishers consistently maintaining a high standard in their printed products. Additionally, the contest aims to foster healthy competition among participants, inspire and motivate the workforce, and promote awareness and understanding of technical standards such as ISO 12647-3 and ISO 2846-2. By doing so, the ICQC strives to contribute towards continuous improvement in the field of color quality within the publishing industry. Eligibility and Evaluation The ICQC is open to all newspaper and magazine publishers worldwide. The contest evaluates printed newspaper/magazine products. The evaluation is based on a set of ISO standards measured on the cuboid printed during the contest period, which cover various technical aspects and process capability parameters such as news shade, dot gain, colour conformity, colour space and grey balances. The evaluation is carried out by a panel of experts, who evaluate the visual print quality from the reader's perspective, which covers general printing quality, such as printed color accuracy, image sharpness and contrast and color registrations. Categories The contest has five different categories:

1. Category 1:     For Cold set offset on newsprint

2. Category 2:     For Heat-set offset or UV-curing offset on newsprint (Semi-commercial)

3. Category 3:     For Heat-set offset or UV-curing offset on SC or LWC paper (Semi-commercial)

4. Category 4:    Printing under standard or non-standard conditions, like printed on tinted paper through offset, flexography or digital printing.

5. Category 5:    Magazines, printed in sheet-fed offset, heat-set offset, gravure or digital inkjetApplication deadline Registration for the 16th International Color Quality Club is open until 15 April 2024.
   

Contact and Inquiries For any queries related to the contest, please contact:

1. Ingi Olafsson, Director, World Printers Forum, WAN-IFRA, ingi.olafsson@wan-ifra.org

2. Prabhu Natrajan, Research Engineer, WAN-IFRA, prabhu.n@wan-ifra.org   For more information and complete details, visit https://cqc.wan-ifra.org/home/

AboutWAN-IFRA, the World Association of News Publishers, is the global organisation of the world’s press. Its mission is to protect the rights of journalists and publishers around the world to operate independent media. We provide our members with expertise and services to innovate and prosper in a digital world and perform their crucial role in society. It derives its authority from its global network of 3,000 news publishing companies and technology entrepreneurs, and its legitimacy from its 60 member publisher associations representing 18,000 publications in 120 countries. See more at: wan-ifra.org. The World Printers Forum is the primary hub for WAN-IFRA's global news media print professionals' community. Its membership encompasses printing houses, materials suppliers, and equipment manufacturers involved in every stage of the print production process - from prepress to press to product finishing and delivery. This forum is dedicated to addressing any inquiries related to print. It welcomes all WAN-IFRA members who are invested in the future of the newspaper printing business and other print-related domains. For further information, please visit wan-ifra.org/wpf.