CMA Imaging, Sun Chemical, and X-Rite Pantone Help Brands Accelerate Metal Packaging Color Approval

CMA Imaging, Sun Chemical, and X-Rite Pantone Help Brands Accelerate Metal Packaging Color Approval

X-Rite Pantone, Sun Chemical, and CMA Imaging today announced the commercial availability of the CanJET digital proofing ecosystem for North America. Designed for beverage brands, can makers, and packaging converters, the connected workflow brings measurable color and opacity matching to actual cans, offering a faster, more flexible alternative to conventional pilot-line proofing and prototyping. The solution helps packaging teams reduce iterations and accelerate design approvals before production begins.

Recognized with the Bronze Innovation Award at METPACK 2026, the CanJET workflow brings together CMA Imaging's CanJET printing system, Sun Chemical extended color gamut inks, PantoneLIVE digital color references, and X-Rite measurement technology.

On metal, matching a color also means matching its opacity, because the reflective surface contributes to the final appearance, said Gerardo Cerros, Founder and CEO of CMA Imaging. By bringing together our patented reflective technology and AI-powered color matching with PantoneLIVE, X-Rite color measurement, and Sun Chemical's ink expertise, CanJET transforms a traditionally complex, equipment-intensive proofing process into a connected digital workflow. Brands can measure, refine, and validate both color and opacity directly on the can against shared digital targets, reducing repeated sampling and enabling faster, more confident design decisions.

We use the CanJET digital proofing workflow because we need accurate proofs and flexibility in color development. It allows us to explore new color references with brands and assess Pantone colors directly on metal cans, making color research part of the design and printability conversation, said Renaud van Cauter, Operations Director, KCP Connexion (KCP), a global packaging design and premedia company headquartered in Belgium.

Connecting Color from Target to Approval

PantoneLIVE metal decoration libraries provide more than 4,000 achievable color options across metal packaging formats and finishes, giving brands and their supply chain partners objective digital targets for color development. Using spectral data captured with the X-Rite Ci64 handheld spectrophotometer, Colorportal's cloud-based platform enables remote proofing and uses AI-powered color matching to optimize color and opacity against PantoneLIVE references or customers' own brand color libraries. CanJET then combines high-resolution direct-to-can printing with Sun Chemical extended color gamut inks to produce proofs and prototypes directly on open, closed, and necked cans. Packaging teams can assess appearance on the actual can before it goes into production, supporting faster, more confident approvals.

Powered by Sun Chemical inks and color expertise, CanJET forms part of Sun Chemical's SunDigiProof service within SunColorBox, its integrated color management toolkit. SunDigiProof enables color-accurate inkjet swatches and mock-ups to be printed onsite and on demand, allowing brands and supply chain partners to explore color and design options and verify achievability.

PantoneLIVE provides a shared digital color target based on what can realistically be achieved in metal decoration said Jason Campbell, Product Manager, X-Rite Pantone. When paired with spectral measurement and direct-to-can proofing, it helps align design intent with production expectations.

As part of our SunDigiProof service, CanJET helps packaging producers reduce trial work, improve control over color approval and protect their customers' brand equity, said Richard Hayden, Sales and Business Development Manager, Sun Chemical.

See the Digital Proofing Workflow at IMDPA

The companies will introduce the commercially available CanJET proofing ecosystem at the IMDPA Annual Conference, September 29 to October 1, 2026, in Itasca, Illinois.

Raf Mulla, Metal Packaging Specialist at X-Rite, will present Advances in Managing Digital Color for the Metal Dec Sector during the October 1 general session.

About CMA Imaging

CMA Imaging develops patented color-management, digital proofing, and process-control technologies for the printing and packaging industries, with particular expertise in metal decoration. With 20 years of experience, the company combines color science, software engineering, and artificial intelligence through Colorportal and integrated hardware solutions including CanJET. Its technologies help brands, ink suppliers, prepress, and printing companies specify, predict, reproduce and verify color across the packaging supply chain. CMA Imaging is ISO/IEC 27001:2022 certified. For more information, visit www.cmaimaging.com

About Sun Chemical

Sun Chemical, a member of the DIC Group, is a leading producer of packaging and graphic solutions, color and display technologies, functional products, electronic materials, and products for the automotive and healthcare industries. Together with DIC, Sun Chemical is continuously working to promote and develop sustainable solutions to exceed customer expectations and better the world around us. With combined annual sales of more than $8.5 billion and 22,000+ employees worldwide, the DIC Group companies support a diverse collection of global customers.

Sun Chemical Corporation is a subsidiary of Sun Chemical Group Co peratief U.A., the Netherlands, and is headquartered in Parsippany, New Jersey, U.S.A. For more information, please visit our website at www.sunchemical.com or connect with us on LinkedIn or Instagram.

About X-Rite Pantone

Founded in 1958, X-Rite Pantone is a global leader in the science and technology of color and appearance. Together with its Pantone business, X-Rite Pantone employs more than 800 people in 11 countries. The company's corporate headquarter

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