Technical Information

Printing technology sharing and the latest industry trends

Home page

Company News

Industry Trends

Case Sharing

Analysis of the Key Differences and Upgrades Between the New Version of Idealliance’s G7+ and the Original G7

Release Time： 2026-05-07 00:00:00.000

PRINTING United Alliance has released G7+™, the next stage in color calibration. G7+ is an enhanced specification that builds on the classic G7® by adding new logic, algorithms, and features, while maintaining a similar overall appearance.
The G7’s influence is steadily expanding.

The classic G7 standard (CGATS/IDEALLIANCE TR015-2022) and its certification will continue to be supported by the PRINTING United Alliance, using workflows that users are already familiar with. G7+ is designed to be compatible with all printing technologies, delivering greater value and superior results across a broader range of markets and applications. While preserving the proven benefits of the existing G7 workflow, G7+ retains the core characteristics, advantages, and overall aesthetic of G7, while achieving more precise gray balance, improved tone reproduction, and enhanced performance under special printing conditions.

“Through G7+, PRINTING United Alliance is delighted to continue our mission of supporting the world’s leading printers and print buyers,” said Jordan Gorski, Executive Director of Idealliance. “G7 has raised the bar in the printing and color-output industries by replacing traditional density- and TVI-based control methods with simpler yet more powerful metrics that have defined color photography for over 150 years. G7+ extends these benefits to a broader range of printing technologies, substrates, inks, and output conditions, enabling greater optimization of color across packaging, publishing, signage, and wide-format graphics for both print buyers and printers—while maintaining tight alignment with existing G7 workflows.”

For those who rely on G7 to achieve optimal and consistent color output, a key reassurance is that GRACoL®-based files and workflows are virtually identical across both G7 and G7+ calibration devices, requiring no modifications. Furthermore, the new G7+ Alliance initiative will continue to support both the G7 and G7+ specifications, enabling users and vendors to transition to full G7+ where appropriate.

Gorski concluded: “As the Alliance continues to evolve and grow, providing the industry with a community for collaboration and collective action, the enhancements to G7+ now empower our members to tackle a broader range of printing conditions beyond conventional offset printing—giving them new ‘options’ no matter where they are or how they print.”

In broader printing systems—including textile printing, web offset, newsprint, and inkjet printing—this approach enhances grayscale balance and tonal range while preserving the visual characteristics of GRACoL®.

Some Advantages of the G7+

Perform infinite SCCA (substrate-corrected colorimetric aiming) adjustments on strongly colored substrates.
Even more satisfying is “sharing a neutral look” when color management is impractical.

G7+ shares the same GRACoL 2013 curves as G7, delivering a similar “look” in commercial packaging applications such as lithography and flexography; however, it features improved low-density tonal reproduction. Although the changes are subtle, they significantly reduce the potential for deleterious effects.

The new High-Density Smoothing (HDS) delivers more saturated colors and more precise ICC profiles in high-density printing.
For inkjet printing, the G7+ features a brand-new built-in function that eliminates banding and dropout in high-chroma areas, delivering superior performance across wide-gamut inkjet workflows. Chromatic gradations become smoother, and even without color management, the output exhibits a more consistent “common appearance.” Additionally, ICC profiles can more accurately represent the device’s color gamut.

For packaging and label printing, the visual appearance remains largely unchanged. However, improvements have been made to address uneven or unstable dark-area calibration, enabling more precise and reliable SCCA adjustments. Unpredictable “pink cast” issues have been eliminated, and optimization has been extended to a broader range of paper substrates.

Similarities between the G7+ and the G7

Consistent color appearance in GRACoL printing and proofing
Preserve the GRACoL workflow and color reproduction

Same GRACoL tone, same three-color gray balance percentage

Identical common appearance表现

Some Misconceptions About the G7+

There is no such thing as “G7+ standard paper”; the G7+ specification applies to all papers (substrates). The universal tone reproduction and gray balance are applicable across all printing technologies, paper types (substrates), inks, and other factors, ensuring that all printing systems deliver a “consistent visual appearance.”

There is no such thing as “G7+ ink.” G7+ is applicable to all CMYK inks, and its gray balance and grayscale print density curves are not limited by the ink used.

Development Goals of the G7+

Does not affect the G7’s original performance.
Retain the G7’s distinctive features and advantages
Consistent performance across all printing processes
Extend the G7’s “Unified Visual Identity” to more technologies, applications, and users.
Addressing the issue of high-color-intensity faults
Improving the issue of insufficient tonal gradation in low-density areas
Eliminating the impact of SCCA (Color Target Correction Based on Paper Base Color) on gray balance
When printing on darker substrates such as textiles, newspapers, and kraft paper, the printed images may appear to lack sufficient three-dimensionality.

G7+ is applicable to all printing technologies.

Some of the pictures and texts in this site are collected and collated from the network for learning and exchange only. The copyright belongs to the original author. If you have violated your rights, please contact us to delete them in time.

More News

Kaiyin Technology - Awarded "Specialized and New Enterprise"

Kaiyin Technology, with its professional R&D and service teams, sound management system, and excellent innovation mechanism, successfully passed the enterprise self-assessment, Shenzhen municipal preliminary examination, and national ministry review procedures, ultimately winning multiple honorary titles including "Specialized and New Enterprise," "High-tech Enterprise," and "Innovative Small and Medium-sized Enterprise." The acquisition of these honors is a high recognition of Kaiyin Technology's innovation capabilities, technological R&D strength, and industry specialization, and further affirmation of the company's innovative development achievements. It marks another significant step forward for Kaiyin Technology in technological innovation and development in its specialized field.

Closed-loop control system—enabling automation of process control in offset printing presses

Commercial printers using older offset presses may find it challenging to achieve the same color consistency as those equipped with new presses featuring automated color control. Integrating closed-loop solutions offers a cost-effective path to automation, enabling commercial print shops and folding carton converters to remain competitive in today’s market. Currently, print jobs often require manual spot checks and ink-key adjustments during production. Many printers struggle to quickly attain target offset lithographic colors on sheetfed presses.

Analysis of the Key Differences and Upgrades Between the New Version of Idealliance’s G7+ and the Original G7

Color Technology Sharing | How to Avoid Product Color Differences?

Although color evaluation can be subjective and emotional, modern color measurement addresses this challenge by providing fact-based analysis and spectral data, ensuring that everyone speaks the same “color language.”