Colour drift across a multi-year contract is how a supplier loses an agency’s trust. Lock is how RF prevents it. A documented colour management programme covering every decal we produce, from the first proof through to any reorder, years into a contract.
Download Booklet
We have been an authorised 3M Distributor and Convertor since 1988. That means every roll of road reflective tape we supply is genuine 3M product, backed by 3M certification, and sourced direct. No grey market stock, no substitutes.
Reflective Fabrications produces decals through two controlled production pathways. Screen printing for Pantone matched colour on 3M reflective sheeting. Digital print and cut on our Roland DG TrueVIS SG3-540. Both pathways run under the same colour standard, measured by the same instrument, held to the same pass/fail threshold.
Pantone matched ink 3M reflective sheeting 3M™ MCS™ Warranty.
Pantone matched ink 3M reflective sheeting 3M™ MCS™ Warranty.
Screen printed decals use Pantone matched inks sourced premixed from 3M or Jones Print Technology. Premixed ink eliminates on-floor mixing as a source of error. Every ink batch is measured against the specified Pantone reference before press using the Nix Spectro L spectrophotometer. The batch must pass before anything runs.
Where 3M inks are printed onto 3M reflective sheeting with a 3M overlaminate, the finished decal qualifies for the 3M™ MCS™ Warranty, the most comprehensive finished graphics warranty in the industry, covering fading, cracking, peeling, and discolouration for the life of the product.
Digital decals run on the Roland DG TrueVIS SG3-540 using genuine Roland TrueVIS TR2 ink exclusively. Pantone values are converted to CMYK using the native Pantone matching engine in FlexiCOMPLETE, our RIP software.
A media-specific ICC profile is locked to the job at proof stage and does not change run to run. The printer runs an automatic calibration before every production run. Output is measured with the Nix Spectro L before the batch is signed off.
Colour accuracy is measured in Delta E, the international unit for colour difference. A Delta E of 0 is a perfect match. A Delta E of 2 is a difference only detectable by a trained eye under controlled lighting.
RF operates to a pass/fail threshold of Delta E 2.0 using the CIE2000 formula, aligned with ISO 12647, the international standard for professional print colour management. Any batch above Delta E 2.0 does not leave the floor. No override, no judgement call.
Every job starts from a versioned PDF proof showing every colour reference and the base substrate. The client signs off via email. That sign off is dated and retained permanently. The approved proof is the fixed point of truth every future run is measured against, including reorders years into a contract.
Every agency RF produces for has a master schedule on file. It holds the approved proof, Pantone and CMYK references, ICC profile or ink batch references, Nix Spectro L readings from the original approved run, and a physical reference sample. Reorders pull from the master schedule. The colour on a reorder matches the original run, not just the original artwork.
RF has held Authorised 3M Distributor and Convertor status since 1988. We undergo an independent annual audit conducted by 3M covering our materials management, production processes, and output quality. That audit is external verification of Lock by the manufacturer whose standards underpin our screen printed output.
Michael Daly, Head Printer. 26 years in the industry. Certificate III in Printing, Certificate IV in Printing and Graphic Arts Management. One-on-one technical training with 3M. Head Printer at RF for ten years. Every batch that leaves under Lock carries his sign off.
Keep every reorder consistent with the approved original—measured, documented, and controlled from proof to production. RF’s documented colour management process gives your agency a fixed reference, measurable standards, and controlled production from proof through to final output.
Contact us to get a quote.
Reflective Fabrications of Australia is an all Australian company specialising in the design, development and manufacture of safety wear, safety signs and related safety items.
Tel: 1300 241 855
34 Murdock Street, South Clayton VIC 3169, Australia
Please fill details to receive the PDF
Fill details and our team will contact you shortly.
