Pre-Press - Proofing

Eastman Kodak Kodak Approval NX thermal halftone proofer supports specialty, corporate and brand colors, including metallics. The system can control density, dot gain and print on actual printing stocks. Matchprint Virtual for InSite proofing software enables SWOP-certified soft proofing on calibrated monitors with consistent and accurate color. PressProof extends monitor proofing to the pressroom utilizing qualified LCD monitors. The Veris ink-jet proofer uses Multi Drop Array technology for true 1,500x1,500 dpi addressability. Color consistency assured by 4D calibration and quality-controlled consumables. ICC compliant. Matchprint Ink-Jet proofing marries drop-on-demand (DOD) imaging with the same software as Veris for color accuracy, enhanced image smoothness, quick calibration

Our latest in-plant prepress survey pulled in some very useful information. What’s more, I was impressed that 60 percent of those who responded chose to provide a comment when asked for their “top prepress problem.” There was a striking similarity in the responses. The top problem cited—the root of just about every prepress problem noted, in fact—was summed up in just one word: Customers. I laughed at first, but then the word kept coming up again and again as the “top prepress problem.” For those unaware of the customer’s role as a prepress impediment, here’s the gist of the complaints I

TWENTY YEARS ago, professional proofing systems and materials represented a major capital investment that only large printing establishments could afford. Skilled employees were needed to operate these “high-end” systems. FedEx or couriers carried hard copy proofs between printers and customers to get approvals on jobs that required fast turnaround. Supplies used by those high-end systems were expensive. Over time, a number of important market developments, most notably the introduction of high-quality, low-cost printing systems, have revolutionized the proofing process. These “low-end” printers are easier to use and cost just a few thousand dollars, providing low entry points and acceptable print quality for the

FROM WORKFLOW tools and variable data software to CTP and proofing technologies, Graph Expo had enough technology to make any in-plant manager’s head spin. Here are some of the latest products we saw at the show. Computer-to-plate Systems Agfa demonstrated its :ThermoFuse plate technology, including the chemistry-free :Azura plate, which eliminates chemical processing. By significantly reducing liquid waste in the plate creating process, it supports a more environmentally friendly solution. Also shown was Agfa’s :Energy Elite, winner of a 2007 InterTech technology award. The newest addition to the Agfa range of thermal plates, :Energy Elite is a true no-bake plate offering run

Day-Long Seminar in New York Will Feature Presentations by Leading Experts on the Most Advanced Virtual Proofing Systems and Applications NEW YORK, NY and SAN LUIS OBISPO, CA, March 21, 2007 — In their first joint bi-coastal effort, the New York University School of Continuing and Professional Studies (NYU-SCPS) Master of Arts Program in Graphic Communications Management and Technology, and the Graphic Communication Institute at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, California, will host a day-long seminar on virtual proofing (VP) in New York City on Tuesday, April 17th. Starting at 8:00 a.m., the Virtual Proofing Seminar sessions will be held in the Public Assembly Room

Distributed by Chromaticity, EFI Validation 250 Premium Satin Awarded Industry’s “Gold Standard” for Ink Jet Proofing Media GRAND RAPIDS, MI/FOSTER CITY, CA—Feb. 26, 2007—Chromaticity, Inc., the recognized leader in distribution and deployment of color management and inkjet technologies, and EFI (Nasdaq: EFII), the world leader in color digital print servers, superwide format printers and print management solutions, today announced that standards organization IDEAlliance has awarded SWOP® and GRACoL® certifications to EFI™ Validation 250 Premium Satin ink jet proofing media for the graphic arts and design markets. Chromaticity is the authorized distributor of EFI Validation proofing media in North America. Validation 250 Premium Satin from EFI

More coverage of Graph Expo product introductions . IT MAY be telling that the majority of presses in operation around the show floor of Graph Expo and Converting Expo 2006 last month were of the digital variety. Offset units were conspicuous in their absence. Digital presses have become part of the commercial printing mainstream, rather than being a specialty product segment or market niche. To emphasize this, Hewlett-Packard shared results from an InfoTrends study that surveyed a sampling of digital color printing buyers and producers. The research firm found that the percentage of color printing jobs with a run length

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

Agfa Corp. The Sherpa family of piezo ink-jet proofing systems combines a range of print engines with AgfaJet proofing base, dye- and pigment-based inks and a color management system. Grand Sherpa 50 and 64 (50˝/64˝) are 8-color machines with a 1,440x1,440 dpi maximum resolution. The 7-color Sherpa 24m and 44m offer 720-dpi resolution. Sherpa 43i and 62i offer fast contract proofing at 720 dpi. SherpaMatic 43 and Grand SherpaMatic offer dual-sided proofing. Grand Sherpa M is a new 7-color proofer that uses dye-based inks. The Grand SherpaMatic imposition ink-jet proofer has adjustable paper width up to 50˝, modes for single or double-sided printing, variable resolutions and controllable

Installing CTP means rethinking your proofing methods. When the State of Washington Department of Printing decided to add a Creo Lotem 800 II Quantum platesetter last fall, the in-plant had to start thinking about proofing in a whole new way. Without film, its DuPont Waterproof system wouldn't be much use. So the in-plant added Creo's Iris4Print ink-jet proofer, with an eye toward upgrading to the new Creo Veris 1,500x1,500-dpi proofer this spring, according to Dan Maygra, interim prepress manager. The same thing happened at Arkansas State University Printing Services when it added a Heidelberg ProSetter 74 in September. The in-plant went with