How a RAL colour fan deck is made

The arrival of the first high-gloss water-based colour fan deck, the RAL K7, was reason for a look behind the scenes at how RAL colour fan decks are produced.

What most people do not realise: the colours on a RAL fan deck are not printed. They are applied through a coating process, with the same kind of paint used in practice. That is precisely why a RAL sample can serve as a reference and printed matter cannot — printing simply does not reach the colour gamut of paint.

Just as striking is how many steps are done by hand. Sorting, assembling and checking the leaves is human work, precisely because any deviation multiplies across thousands of decks.

Precision and quality control come first at every step. Every production batch is measured against the primary standard, so that a deck made today shows the same colour as one made ten years ago.