Profile Search: 2022 In Review!

January 17, 2023 by KaiC

Another year has passed - and this one has been BIG for ColorBase. 2022 marked the first full calendar year that ColorBase.com has been offering the Large Format Printing Industry a single source for profile downloads. We’ve collected some interesting stats we’d like to share!

Disclaimer: For the sake of clarity, we are only including profile downloads from the ColorBase Toolbox. While the ColorBase profile database powers many different (and brand-specific) profile download clients across the industry, limiting this analysis to those downloaded solely from the ColorBase Toolbox gives us the best overall picture of profile downloads across the Large Format Printing Industry.

1. This guy puts the Power in Power User

Our platform’s most powerful ‘power user’ downloaded a total of 242 profiles from ColorBase.com across three print systems - that’s almost one for every working day of the year! We won’t reveal this user’s username of course, but we’ll be reaching out to him privately with a more personalized congratulations.

2. Roland DG Leads the Profile Download Pack

When it comes to printer manufacturers, Roland DG stands out as the highest in terms of download percentage.

More profiles are downloaded for Roland DG printers than for any other single printer manufacturer’s machines. Great job Roland DG! The reliability, print quality, and large install base is certainly reflected in these numbers.

However it’s important to note that while Roland DG leads the pack at 30% of all profiles downloaded, they are nowhere near the majority. The 2nd place printer manufacturer accounts for only 24% of all profiles downloaded. 3rd place takes 16%, and 4th, 5th, and 6th together account for another 30%.

3. The printer models with the highest profile downloads are NOT new machines

When profile downloads are sorted by MODEL of printer, Here’s what we see in the top 5:

So as you can see, it’s the previous generation of heavy hitters that still snag the top spots in terms of profile downloads. This makes sense - these machines are built to last and with proper care they’ll keep running for years, as evident by the chart above.

4. Profiles for Self Adhesives account for more than HALF of all profile downloads

Self-adhesive Vinyls are the most popular material type for profile downloads, accounting for 53% the total.

Self Adhesive Vinyls are some of the most versatile materials in sign and graphics applications, as they are suitable for both indoor and outdoor use, and stick to pretty much anything. Even as the world has largely emerged from the COVID 19 pandemic, and the “stand here” floor graphics have become a thing of the past, Self Adhesive Vinyl remains the unofficial king of the material hill.

5. Profiles for Eco-solvent inks remain the most popular

It appears eco-solvent is still considered the good ol’ reliable ink technology. When sorting our downloads by ink technology, eco-solvent is the most popular, followed by latex & non ink-specific ICC profiles. Aqueous, solvent, and UV are all tied at 8% of total profile downloads, making them the third most popular choice. We believe the industry will keep trending towards eco-friendly technologies to improve sustainability, and we look forward to seeing this trend develop.

6. The Pre-Weekend Rush is Real!

Thursdays also emerge as the highest weekday for profile downloads. It seems like a lot of people want to get work done before the weekend!

When we pit the the middle of the week against the end of the week, the beginning of the week, and the weekend combined, the difference is even more stark:

7. Europeans are Color Management Geeks

It’s not all just wine, cheese, and beautiful churches - it looks like we can add color management to the list of things that Europe is known for. The old world accounts for nearly 70% of all profile downloads from the ColorBase Toolbox. Oui oui!

Among all the countries in the world, Germany, the United States, and the United Kingdom stand out as the top contributors to the download count. France narrowly missed the podium by just 50 profile downloads.

It is interesting to note that Afghanistan also had 7 profile downloads. We salute this committed print operator in what no doubt was a turbulent year.

Thank you for using the ColorBase Toolbox this past year - 2023 will bring new tools, new features, and many many new profiles. Stay tuned! And happy new year!

KaiC

Kai Chaplin, the ColorBase Product Manager, is crazy for great product design, dynamic start-up environments, and building customer relationships that last. At ColorBase he strives to bring the best customer experience to the growing range of ColorBase SaaS tools that are redefining the printing process.