On 25 and 26 February 2026, the industry will meet up for the tenth time for the Fogra Colour Management Symposium (CMS) in Munich where more than 200 participants are expected to attend. Eighteen years ago, the first conference was held in its current format. Over the past two decades, Fogra’s CMS has evolved into a key event on the industry calendar, attracting leading colour management professionals from across the globe.
CMS plays an important role for the community: It brings together experts and users from around the world to discuss color and the challenges posed by various printing processes. Customer expectations are key—after all, it is the customer who ultimately decides whether a print job meets the requirements.
Experts from various fields, including offset, digital, decorative, and industrial printing, share their experiences and insights on achieving color consistency that meets customer demands. Topics range from packaging printing and proofing to special colors in CMYK+X and Multicolor, color consistency for complex materials in industrial printing, and as a highlight, an AI battle. In this session, practitioners will report on their current use of AI tools in color management and image retouching, highlighting the technology’s strengths and areas for improvement. In the live Human vs. AI competition, two participants receive the same creative brief and use either traditional or AI-based tools. After 90 minutes, the audience will decide which result is more convincing.
Several speakers have already been confirmed, promising an inspiring program. Highlights include digital printing on steel and how FOGRA59 can offer a competitive edge. In addition, the areas of ‘image-based measurements’, ink saving and practical use of AI will be addressed.
The selection of topics is a key reason why professionals from various countries attend the Fogra Colour Management Symposium. Abhay Sharma from Toronto Metropolitan University is particularly interested in the latest developments in ECG (expanded color gamut) printing.
Miguel Avellaneda from Giesecke + Devrient Mobile ePayments Iberia finds the use cases especially compelling: “The program promises to discover solutions implemented in real-life cases from which we can learn. The symposium allows us to enrich these solutions by sharing our experiences to address new industry challenges.”
Susanne Nester from GMG shares this viewpoint: “For me, the Fogra Colour Management Symposium is the perfect platform for gaining new inspiration and making valuable contacts.” Networking is also a priority for Dr Sharma. He also appreciates the exhibition area, where attendees can engage directly with company representatives.
A significant amount of time is dedicated to connecting with industry experts. In addition to breaks during which participants can visit the exhibition, a social evening on 25 February will offer further opportunities for informal exchange and conversation. This social event will be highlighted by a keynote address from Alexandra Gerhardy of MusterSchmid, who will explore the art and science of colour card creation.
For more information visit: https://fogra.org/en/events/colour-management-symposium
