A Color Blindness Test For Offset Printers

This is a color blindness test.  Though these pictures can tell you if you suffer from color blindness, it should not replace an actual diagnosis by purchasing the real Ishihara Color Blindness Test which consists of several plates that diagnose various forms of color blindness.


If you would like to skip my story and go right to the color blindness test, you can here.


I work in the offset printing industry and purchased these plates to diagnose a pressman to see if he was able to perceive color well.


At first, I took it upon myself to teach him some the basics of ink and water balance. Before long though, I discovered a hurdle that even he wasn't aware of. One that would stop him dead in his tracks in the printing industry. He was color blind.


Color blindness doesn't necessarily mean only seeing black and white. I don't profess to know all different types, but there are some that are more subtle to discover than others. Here are some different types:

• Monochromacy - total color blindness
• Dichromacy - one of the three basic color mechanisms is malfunctioning
• Anomalous Trichromacy - when colors are seen, but matched differently by the brain
  

Of these three color deficiencies, 10 percent of the male population and 1 percent of the female population either inherit or acquire in their lifetime.


I'll now go back to the example in the beginning. It was just a matter of time before someone like this came along. I have worked with a few women before in the press room, but by and large most were men. If ten percent of all those who have come through have a color deficiency, then sooner or later it was bound to happen. The lesson: I had better be more preemptive.


So needless to say, all who enter my press room, must take the Ishihara Color Blindness Test. It is simple to give and saves a lot of investment from the employer side as well as employee. There are other tests that can be purchased for around $800, but I highly recommend purchasing the Ishihara plates for this purpose.


However, here is a simple test online that will help you. It is not meant as a diagnostic test, but can serve as a quick reference. Proper diagnosis should be done by a professional. Here goes.

Answers: 2 and 5

Answers: 6 and 16

Answers: 10 and 7

Answer: On the left hand side the proper answer is 29. If you see a 70, you likely have a color deficiency. On the right is a 57. If you see a 35, this also may reveal a color deficiency.

I recommend purchasing these pictures as plates or in a book for reference.


So my advice is this: make sure anyone in your press room has perfect color perception. If they don't, there's little future for them. Save yourself and the pressman the time by doing the test right from the start. You can buy the Ishihara's Test for Colour-Blindness (concise edition) test and keep it handy to test new employees. This way you will know if they have a future.


Additionally, you can take another color blindness test similar to this one.