Colour Management Symposium 2026 – a complete success
The Fogra Colour Management Symposium (CMS) celebrated its tenth anniversary with a fully booked venue and strong international participation. More than 200 experts from 23 countries and 126 companies gathered in Munich on 25 and 26 February. The combination of seven sessions, an AI Battle, and numerous opportunities for personal exchange once again confirmed the CMS as a central platform for knowledge transfer and networking. The next event is already scheduled for 23–24 February 2028.
Across seven topics, practitioners and experts presented current developments from real-world applications. The areas ranged from customer expectations in digital environments, colour management in packaging printing, and High Dynamic Range (HDR) in print production to proofing on real substrates, practice-oriented colour management approaches, and the use of artificial intelligence in production workflows.
As in previous years, the 2026 event offered ample space for personal interaction—during breaks, on the exhibition floor, and at the traditional Bavarian Evening. The originally planned keynote by Alexandra Gerhardy (Muster-Schmidt), titled “Printed, Painted, Perfected: The Art and Science of Colour Card Creation”, had to be cancelled at short notice due to illness. The programme was flexibly adapted: three compact practical presentations from participants provided concrete insights and application-oriented impulses, fostering lively professional exchange. A concluding quiz rounded off the first day in an entertaining way.
The strong participation from industry, brand owners, and research institutions once again highlighted the CMS's international relevance. Particularly appreciated were the practical presentations and the focus on emerging trends such as HDR, image-based measurement, and AI in media production.
Session 1: Customer Expectations in the Digital Age
From the perspective of brand owners and manufacturers, the first session explored how to manage customer expectations in a digital environment. The session was chaired by Maren Daffner (Konica Minolta). Dieter Jan Janout (Amagoo) opened with a talk on centralised colour management and industrial standardisation, summarising his message with: “Colours must be correct, not just beautiful.” Stephan Richter (Conditorei Coppenrath & Wiese) followed with insights into the implementation of a digital inspection regime for ECG printing at Coppenrath & Wiese. Patrick Reyer (HARIBO Group) concluded the session with a look at HARIBO’s digital colour transformation—from analogue to digital processes.
Session 2: Colour Management in Packaging Printing
The next thematic block focused on new approaches to colour quality and standardisation in packaging printing, chaired by Dave Hunter (ChromaChecker). Steffen Nusser (Edelmann) opened with “Image-Based Measurement” and spatially resolved print evaluation for packaging. Stefan Steinemann (Druckerei Bauer) then presented the path from a Fogra research report to an FFI ordering standard for ECG 7C. Dr Andreas Kraushaar (Fogra) discussed the evolution of colour matching from mechanical correction to standard-compliant production according to ISO 12647 2:2026+.
Session 3: High Dynamic Range Meets Printing Practice
This session focused on High Dynamic Range (HDR) in printing practice and was chaired by Dorin Pitigoi (Grup Transilvae). Prof. Florian Süßl (Berliner Hochschule für Technik) demonstrated practical HDR applications. Dorin Pitigoi presented extended dynamic range in backlit printing. Veit Rudolph (Rudolph Druck) explained how FOGRA59 (eciCMYKv2) bridges the gap between colour gamut utilisation and predictability, illustrating the benefits with test prints distributed to the audience. A live HDR test setup on site allowed participants to experience the effects firsthand.
Session 4: Real Substrate Printing – Proofing
The first day concluded with insights into proofing on real substrates, chaired by Jürgen Seitz (GMG Color). Wolfgang Marx (Interproof) shared practical experiences with Real Surface Proof, highlighting what works in practice—and what does not. Dr Moritz Feil (Fogra) discussed “D50noUV” as a potential future of colour communication in an LED dominated world. A panel discussion featuring Andreas Kraushaar, Jürgen Seitz, Rabea Paysen (X Rite), and Christian Gall (Just Normlicht) explored the topic “Measure (M1, M2) as You See (P1/P3).” The session was preceded by 16 spotlight presentations from exhibiting companies and an update on the Fogra live experiment by Dr Julie Klein.
After the official programme, many participants gathered for the social Bavarian Evening, enjoying traditional food, drinks, and lively conversations.
Session 5: Colour Management Practice
The second day began with a session on practical colour management, chaired by Arjen Goldschmidt (Canon). Ralf Lenk (ScanColor Reprostudio) opened with colour management beyond standards, illustrated through ChromaLuxe applications. Christophe Descubes and Thomas Demoulin (Philaposte – Groupe La Poste) explained the transition from heliogravure to offset printing using Japanese stamps as an example. Steffen Walter (THIMM) concluded with insights into the ink-saving potential in digital packaging printing.
Session 6: AI – Real-World Opportunities and Risks
The penultimate session focused on the practical use of artificial intelligence. Chaired by Markus Weber (Staudacher), the session began with examples of how AI based tools can support colour correction and retouching. Jürgen Hein (w&co MediaServices) then examined the balance between technical feasibility and real production requirements. A highlight was the live AI Battle: Boris Margan and José Fabiao (both w&co MediaServices) competed using different approaches. One expert used AI assisted retouching with minimal input, while the other relied on traditional methods.
After about an hour, both presented visually convincing, market-ready results. The direct comparison revealed both the potential and the limitations of AI based workflows. A subsequent discussion with the audience openly addressed efficiency gains and typical pitfalls.
Session 7: Colour Consistency in Industrial Printing
The final session, chaired by Claas Bickeböller (X Rite), focused on colour consistency in industrial printing. Thomas Voigt (STIHL) opened with insights into digital printing on steel—specifically on guide bars for STIHL chainsaws. Tolga Şensöz (VitrA Tile) demonstrated how hyperspectral colour measurement can transform tile printing. Justin Laird (Apple) concluded with a presentation on appearance based colour quality beyond traditional spot measurements.
After two intensive days, the symposium ended with strong positive feedback from the industry.
“As every two years, it was enlightening, insightful, simply fantastic,”
said Thomas Hebes of Budrda Druck. The next Colour Management Symposium will take place on 23–24 February 2028, with the first participants and exhibitors already confirmed.For more information about the Fogra Colour Management Symposium: https://fogra.org/en/events/colour-management-symposium