The Proof Is In The Precision
Whether they're on-screen or in your hand, today's proofs are more accurate than ever.
By Mike Llewellyn
FEW AREAS of imaging technology have seen the advances and diversification that have accompanied proofing. Hard-copy proofs have given way, at least partially, to "soft" proofs available for viewing in real time, over the Internet, on your customers' computer screens. On-screen densitometers can check the color accuracy of your computer screen.
Those hard-copy proofs that remain are being produced with advanced ink-jet technology, mimicking an offset press to create a proof that's accurate down to a halftone dot.
Patrick Floody, marketing manager for Creo, explains that while it may look like proofing technology is going in a thousand different directions at once, we're actually seeing hard proofing and soft proofing steadily increasing in quality, the latter still a few years off from becoming widely accepted.
"All in all, soft proofing is gaining ground," he says, "but there are drawbacks, particularly when it comes to color accuracy."
Chris Van Duker, product manager for RIPit, characterizes soft proofing this way:
"Soft proofing is important—with limitations. Whenever you go from one RIP to another you can never be certain they're going to interpret a file in exactly the same way."
Agfa's senior marketing manager for workflow and color systems, Debbie Hutcheson, says this march toward increasing accuracy shows no signs of letting up.
"Proofing is on another wave of technology development. Ink jet is growing very quickly because in the last year alone the quality has improved dramatically," she says.
Hutcheson cites the increasing sophistication of software solutions as another area where proofing technology will continue to expand.
Today's Best Proofing Systems
Every manufacturer has its own take on what is most important in a proofing system. The following compilation describes the finest their lines have to offer.
The Best Colorproof proofing system from A.B.Dick is for two-up work up to 13x18˝ and works in conjunction with the HP Designjet 10PS or Epson Stylus 7600. Users can print files directly to virtual PostScript printers or place them into hot folders. The product supports printers from A3+ up to 62˝ large-format production devices and boasts two on-screen previews: a fast preview and a printing preview for a color-accurate representation of the printing page. Fifteen separate input channels can be configured individually.
Agfa Graphic Systems is pushing its Sherpa 24m, an ink-jet proofing system that combines proofing media, in-RIP color management and quality control software with a seven-color piezo-electric ink-jet print head. The 24m uses ColorTune Pro color management software and the company's resin-coated AgfaJet Digital Proofing Base to deliver the proofs at resolutions up to 720 dpi. The system also boasts a quality management software package that works with a spectrophotometer to ensure all Sherpas within a workflow have the same tonal response.
The Creo Veris proofer provides high-resolution proofs based on the company's Multi-Drop Array technology. The proofer produces a controlled stream of precisely-formed, precisely-placed drops at 1,500x1,500 dpi, simultaneously checking that the system has been calibrated recently and that the calibration matches the correct media and ink along with the correct ICC profile. Once all of these conditions are verified, a "Creo Certified Process" stamp is printed on the proof along with a summary of all critical proofing parameters.
Douthitt's EXcono Model Exposure System is designed for off-press proofs. The Option "X" Vacuum System reportedly guarantees the fastest contact and best registration, while the Olite overhead light offers even coverage and high resolution. The system is offered with a 10-memory integrator and an opaque curtain assembly, and can be used for both press proofs and plating needs.
The Fujifilm FINALPROOF Luxel 5600 digital contract proofer offers halftone dot screening in a digital proof. The device generates one proof every 15 minutes and is available in A2 and B2 formats. The proofer uses Thin Layer Thermal Transfer technology to expose pigment-based CMYK colors, and it features several resolution levels, ranging from 2,400 dpi to 2,540 dpi, to accommodate up to 200-line screens. When the proofer is used in conjunction with Fujifilm's Co-Res screening, it can support up to 300-line screens.
Imagexpo from Group Logic is a remote soft-proofing system that creates soft proofs in a variety of RGB and CMYK file formats and can import those proofs directly from scanners and digital cameras. The system includes drawing and text tools to mark up soft proofs and boasts a built-in, high-speed file transfer that offers "lossless" compression, automatic disconnect on transfer completion, background transfers and simultaneous transfer in both directions. The device also includes an on-screen densitometer.
Kodak Polychrome Graphics has released the One Bit TIFF Interface for its Matchprint Color RIP. OBTi proofs separated, screened one-bit TIFF files using a large-format device. The interface works with a Matchprint Color RIP. OBTi supports spot colors using the Pantone-licensed color library, and a free download of the company's TIFF Test software application determines the compatibility of a TIFF file with OBTi. The interface is compatible with most multipage, multicolor (CMYK + 8) one-bit TIFF files and uncompressed TIFF files.
Konica Business Technologies recently launched the Konica ColorFORCE 8050 Imaging System. The 8050 is a multifunctional product with 600x600-dpi resolution, 256 gradations per color per pixel, color calibration, a selectable glossy mode, and the company's Simitri color polymerized toner (which eliminates the need for fuser oil). Combined with an optional graphic arts software package from Fiery, the 8050 reportedly provides greater color precision and repeatability, support for accurate proofing and simulations, and accommodation for varied document formats.
Latran Technologies says its Prediction 2000 Imager offers the widest range of color sets available with a proofing system. Running unattended and generating up to 12 pages per hour, the Prediction is also reportedly the only digital halftone system to offer Pantone-licensed specialty colors, including Pantone's Hexachrome six-color printing process and metallics. The system uses laser ablation technology to transfer pigmented printing inks directly to printing stocks at up to 2,540 dpi.
RIPit's KOOLKolor Proofing technology is a color proofing solution that provides color-accurate proofs for customer approvals or print-specific CMYK and spot colors for press proofs. According to the company, KOOLKolor uses standard ICC profiles, so color proofs are as close to the the finished printed piece as possible. Additionally, KOOLKolor Proofing is an available feature of RIPit's OpenRIP Adobe PostScript 3 series of RIPs.
WAM!NET is promoting RealTimeProof as an online proofing solution that provides accurate remote soft and hard proofing. The software works in tandem with WAM!NET's WorkSpace, a Web-based file server that supports collaboration between in-plants and customers in remote locations. RealTimeProof allows prepress specialists and in-plant customers to view full-resolution production files in real time. Using technology developed by RealTimeImage called Pixels-On-Demand, hundreds of megabytes of high-resolution files can be viewed in seconds.
MonacoPROOF, from X-Rite, is a software and hardware package that creates a color profile of a computer monitor for accurate soft proofing. Using the software in conjunction with the company's spectrophotometer, users create a color profile of scanners, digital cameras and output, to ensure that each profile matches. Editing options let users adjust the on-screen color of a document, and an ink-limiting feature allows for control of the maximum amount of black and total ink.
The Xanté ColourLaser Pro 1200 is a color laser printer and proofer that offers 1,200 dpi, a high-speed RISC processor and ColourMatch Software, which allows the user to modify colors and more closely match the color generated on the final output device. ColourMatch Software gives users the ability to edit existing profiles or build custom profiles to match a specific printing press or other output device. The Xanté ColourLaser Pro 1200 includes standard X-ACT and an internal IDE drive.
Xerox is touting its use of Kodak Polychrome Graphics' Matchprint Professional Server, in conjunction with the DocuColor12 copier/printer (with its specific media), for proofing. The Matchprint Professional Server processes and color-manages digital files sent to the Xerox DocuColor 12 printer, and the printer simulates the look of Matchprint analog proofs. The DocuColor 12 prints on Matchprint-watermarked paper, which simulates different printing processes. The system is compatible with ICC workflow and builds custom color targets with the Color Fidelity Module. Calibration is maintained with Color Locking Software.
