When it comes to proofing, in-plants use a variety of methods, both virtual and tangible.

By Carol Brzozowski

DESPITE ALL the talk in the industry of virtual proofing, Ken Johnson still thinks customers prefer a proof they can hold in their hands.

“Their eyes gloss over [when proofing] on the computer screen,” says Johnson, director of Printing Services at Ball State University, in Muncie, Ind. His in-plant uses Kodak’s MatchPrint ProofPro software along with Screen USA’s Trueflow workflow. Proofs are printed on a MatchPrint ProofPro 2610 ink-jet printer.

But out at Western Growers, in Irvine, Calif., Robert Delgado feels much differently. His in-plant e-mails PDF proofs to customers, and he says they have been satisfied with the arrangement. Proofs always match the final job, adds Delgado, print shop, mail room and facility manager, so his shop has never considered any other type of proofing.

Most in-plants use a mixture of the two proofing methods, with a good number settling for toner-based proofs.

At Security Finance in Spartanburg, S.C., for example, Arno Hamm, general manager for Kress Printing, uses digital color print devices—a Xerox 6060 or an iGen3—to make hard-copy proofs for in-house proofing, but sends PDF proofs of marketing pieces to customers. They look at the PDFs and request customizations. Then the piece is sent to a digital printer and the in-plant pulls one copy for in-house proofing to ensure quality before generating the full order.

Ensuring Color Correctness

For offset jobs, though, Johnson, of Ball State University, endeavors to provide customers with assurance that their color proofs are an accurate representation of the press sheet. So ICC profiles for the shop’s press have been loaded into the MatchPrint software to correct the proof.

Johnson says it’s taken customers time to adjust to seeing proofs without dots. He has tried to explain to them that the dots they see on the proof are not actually dots from film, but a representation. They’ve become more accustomed to accepting ink-jet proofs, he adds.

One drawback is that the in-plant is using a six-color ink-jet to represent the four-color process. Color is sometimes more saturated on the proof than on the press, because of the heavier proof papers, he says.

“For instance, eight-point type on the press sheet comes out sharp because when you printed the plates out, you output them at 2,400 or 3,600 dpi, but on the proof, all type looks a bit fuzzy or fatter because you are trying to create that color out of the fixed size of the pixels on the ink-jet,” Johnson says.

Ball State Printing Services does MatchPrint ProofPro proofs for all of its high-end, four-color work. For two-sided jobs, the in-plant uses a low-resolution imposition proof printed on an Epson Stylus Pro 7600. Employees manually flip the work. The majority of the in-plant’s proofing is for imposition.

“We would like to see better quality where we could use one proof for both, but the speed isn’t there,” Johnson notes. “If you get the resolution up to where you need it to get quality, it takes too long to make imposition proofs.”

In Hershey, Pa., the in-plant at the town’s namesake business uses an HP Designjet 5000 for most proofing and PDF files for soft proofing, especially for content review by traveling sales representatives.

George Kaufman, electronic prepress manager at The Hershey Company’s Printing Services operation, says customers occasionally question the graininess of the proofs. But after he explains their low cost, “it makes it very acceptable,” he says.

While Printing Services has had some problems with proofs not matching jobs, recalibration with ICC profiles fixes the problem, he says. Color matching is especially important on the logos of candy products, he says.

If the Proof Fits...

Print & Mail Services at Regence BlueShield, in Tacoma, Wash., uses a proofing printer less for color accuracy than for size. To proof pages larger than 19?, the in-plant uses an Epson Stylus Pro 7600 supported by EFI Colorproof XF.

“The larger format is a huge advantage for us because if it’s something that is 26? wide, then they can at least know exactly what it is going to look like size-wise and where things are going to be laid out versus having to cut and paste something together,” says Supervisor Kim Knox.

For smaller-format jobs, the in-plant uses a Xerox DocuColor 12 or a Xerox 2060 for proofing. PDF proofs are useful for the in-plant’s external customer base, though Knox avoids them for new jobs.

“We’re sharing more work between the print shops in each of our locations,” she says. “Our customers are going to be so much further away, and there’s lag time when you send hard copy proofs.”

Customers, Knox says, use proofs more to check content than color.

“Our customers haven’t said a lot about color difference,” Knox says. “We notice it more.”

Those that are concerned about color after seeing a digital or PDF proof usually do a press check, she adds.

Pleasing vs. Accurate Color

Likewise, Johnson feels that some customers only require pleasing colors. For them, Printing Services can use a standard color printer or even PDFs for proofs because they are not color-critical. Designers who can’t get across campus to the in-plant to check a proof also may get PDF files. The shop sends PDFs for about 30 percent of its small jobs and only for final corrections on large jobs.

Still, Johnson remains skeptical about PDF proofs when it comes to color accuracy.

“The customer may be O.K. looking at it on screen, but I think customers don’t check what they are supposed to be checking,” he says.

Matching Press Sheets to Proofs

For those that are concerned about color accuracy, his in-plant is ready.

“With the MatchPrint calibration software, we can be reasonably confident we can match the press sheet to the proof,” he says.

A printer’s credibility with an artist/designer can be undermined when a press proof is not close to the signed proof, Johnson says.

“Small variations can be explained, but when the proof is not calibrated to the press, you are setting your operation up for failure,” he says. “With the advanced proofing system, you can impress your customer when you show them how much you are doing to make sure their work is produced accurately.” IPG

Agfa www.agfa.com

Dalim Software www.dalim.com

DuPont Imaging

Technologies www.dupont.com/proofing

Eastman Kodak graphics.kodak.com

EFI www.efi.com

Epson www.epson.com

Esko www.esko.com

Fujifilm www.enovationgraphics.com

Latran Technologies www.latran.com

RIPit Imaging Systems www.ripit.com

Screen USA www.screenusa.com