MIDINK, a new software tool, uses a smartphone camera, fast, easy way to identify and compensate for visible color deviations within an existing production workflow.
LÜDENSCHEID | Germany- October 2026 – MIDINK, a new software tool, is taking an unusual approach to color correction in digital printing. It uses a smartphone camera, but it does not try to turn the phone into a color measuring instrument.
Instead, MIDINK compares a printed test chart with a physical color reference that contains known LAB values. The two are photographed together, so the reference colors and the printed colors are captured under the same conditions.
How the MIDgrid Works
The software analyzes the difference between the known reference colors and the matching printed colors. From these deviations it creates a correction grid, called a MIDgrid, which counteracts the color errors produced by the complete print workflow.
The MIDgrid is applied to image files before they are sent to the RIP. The printer, ink, media and ICC workflow stay the same. The image itself is pre-corrected to compensate for the measured output error.
A Complement, Not a Replacement
MIDINK is not intended to replace a spectrophotometer or professional ICC profiling. It has a different purpose: to give print users a fast, easy way to identify and compensate for visible color deviations within an existing production workflow.
According to developer Mike Heuschkel, creating a MIDgrid typically takes a few minutes. As long as print conditions stay the same, the same correction grid can be reused for other image files.
Built for Multiple Print Technologies
MIDINK is not tied to one printing technology. It is designed for DTF, DTG, UV, toner and other digital print processes.
MIDINK is currently available for testing, so users can evaluate the method on their own print system before paying for more correction grids.
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