Printed Adhesive Juice Label Color Management in The Proofing Field (Part 2)

Printed Adhesive Juice Label Color Management in the proofing field (III)

 

Editor's note: The successful implementation of color management requires not only the introduction of advanced tools by printing companies, but also the ability of users to use and manage these companies.

 

Harmonized standard

Given such a wide range of industry standards, the success of a proofing workflow depends mainly on the identification of a common standard and the degree to which each procedure in the workflow matches this standard.

 

In the global printing market, different printing houses may adopt different standards and working methods. In the same way, people can create printed content according to different standards. An article written three years ago may be printed according to a standard; A magazine may be designed according to a different standard; An advertising agency might create its own ads based on the third criterion; A printing house may use the fourth standard for printing. Be it accepted standards, unofficial standards or internal standards, you need to be able to deal with them. So how do you manage them?

 

The best way to solve this problem is to move the file to your own color space and make a proof of the target space. For example, if the standard you get is SWOP-compliant, but you find that the magenta unit of the press is not producing enough color, you can adjust the unit to make up for the difference. Your original proofing (before the color conversion) will reflect the lack of a produced red. The converted file shows the final effect after correction.

 

Put standards to work: Connect devices to feature description files.

 

The only reliable way to output the same file on two different proofing systems is to calibrate, edit, and characteristic test each system separately. Imagine the printer drivers each manufacturer has for different models and determine how it gets to the printing house after it leaves the factory. During system installation, each printer should be recalibrated according to accepted standards. As a result, the system works well together even without a specific color standard or target.

 

Operators should regularly print test proofs and measure them with a spectrophotometer in order to find problems with the system and correct them in time. This must be done at all costs. All equipment should be adjusted to the same standard state so that their performance is consistent and the accuracy and repeatability of the production process is ensured.

 

However, this method also cuts off the connection between the calibration of the digital printer and the characterization of the printing press. For each given ink/paper/printing condition, the press creates a characterization file or goes through a characterization testing process. Changing the profile of just one press means changing the profile of all presses/printers in the same network and adversely affecting the final printing result. Therefore, it is widely regarded as a high risk/high cost/low return correction method.

 

Creating separate printer characterization files and using the same press characterization description file for all printers ensures that the printer is always in the same color space as when the characterization file was created. Therefore, any inkjet printer belonging to the same printer family can be matched with other printers anytime, anywhere, as long as the same paper, ink and Settings are used. Remember: the accuracy and repeatability of the entire proofing system is directly related to the quality of consumables and consistency of operation. Therefore, the key is to calibrate the equipment frequently and use the best substrate, ink and technical service personnel possible.

 

When using a decentralized device characterization solution, the remote terminal only needs to be able to receive the printer's characterization file and ensure that the output device is always within a specific tolerance range.

 

This correction method can make the proofing system show the same color effect in different locations. If you want to get the same (tolerance is very close) proofing effect in a long time, or make the printing system in different places to achieve accurate color restoration, then master this correction method is the most important.

 

If printing houses can clearly separate calibration, characterization, and editing procedures for proofing systems while adopting industry standards, there is no need to bring in color management specialists. If you need to use a custom press characterization file, you will need to have a color management professional generate an optimized color characterization file. In the case of remote proofing, this characterization file can be sent to all remote locations, greatly simplifying the process of achieving and maintaining color consistency.

 

In view of the above requirements and the proofing system, especially the remote proofing system in the actual use of problems, many potential remote proofing users do not have the courage to make an attempt. They are afraid to operate "complex" measuring instruments and are unwilling to face the stress of correcting output devices and creating complex characterization files. All these hinder the remote proofing system in the printing industry. Fortunately, advances in technology have gradually removed these barriers. [next]

 

HP's Designjet Z2100 digital printer redefines remote proofing. Supported by a built-in spectral spectrophotometer, it can automatically perform remote calibration procedures. In addition, as long as it provides enough network bandwidth, the printer can be used as a standalone device at a remote location - without the need to be linked to a local computer and an external spectral spectrophotometer. The digital printer also saves users a lot of equipment and labor costs, thanks to its built-in spectral spectrophotometer that can examine each proof sheet. To sum up, the Designjet Z2100 digital printer is a very worthwhile proofing solution.

 

The advantages of this system are: it is a complete solution; Every proof produced is a high quality contract proof; Can be used anytime, anywhere on any HP Designjet Z2100 printer repeat proofing; It is easy to produce proof sheets that meet industry standards without the knowledge of color management. Less error proof can reduce the cost of proofing labor and materials and improve customer satisfaction.

 

In the past, to calibrate a printer at a remote location, users had to purchase a proofing program, or use the host system to print test proofs and send them back to the host company's office for measurement. If you want to improve the repeatability of the proofing system, you can't let a mistake go. If there is a correction error, it will not only waste valuable production time, but also destroy the confidence of the user. In this case, why would a remote proofing user buy a proofing program in order to calibrate a remote digital printer?

 

HP's new printing device is a color-managed proofing solution that allows users in remote locations to correct their digital printers without purchasing or installing a color proofing program. The host software system does all the work with the help of a built-in spectral spectrophotometer.

 

Color conversion

In today's U.S. market, most printing plants do not produce according to industry standards. Because of this, it is difficult to prepare and print proofs in accordance with the color space of the press, unless you know which press the live piece will be printed on and have access to the characteristic description file for that press.

 

Another way is to have all the printers print to the same standard and then prepare all the printed documents according to that standard. However, we all know that each printing press has its own characteristics, so this is not an ideal solution. Would you rather produce a proof sheet that meets the standard and then give it to the printer operator for color tracing, or would you rather create a color space that works for all printers?

 

The best solution is to create a standard color space for editing and storing printed files, and then optimize the printed files with a color conversion tool, taking into account the characteristics of the output device.

 

However, many color conversion and characterization tools are not actually able to convert colors accurately. Their common three-dimensional color Spaces (such as CIE, LAB, and LUV) lack information about the black (fourth color) channel, which is necessary to achieve accurate color conversion.

A good color management system can transfer CMYK data from one standard -- be it an industry standard like GRACoL or ISO, or an internal standard -- to another industry or internal standard, while preserving the black channel character and the integrity of the original data. This allows users to standardize the different image data received according to a unified standard. In the same way, they can output data that can be optimized for different output processes, printing processes, and printing conditions. The color space of a printed live piece with its specific requirements for the printing process, press, ink and paper can be transferred at any time to another color space and reproduced accurately under completely different printing conditions. For example, SWOP offset data can be automatically converted into PSR gravure data; An offset print live can be converted into a laser color print live; A Powerpoint presentation can also be turned into a point-of-sale advertisement.

 

summarize

The purpose of proofing and color management is to make the printer and press achieve accurate and repeatable printing production. In order to achieve this goal, people must design and implement a set of feasible solutions to meet the actual needs of proofing workflow. In addition, we can also evaluate the quality of a proofing system in terms of accuracy, repeatability and total cost of ownership.

 

Separating the printer from the press's characteristic description file helps reduce the time required to match proofs across multiple sites. The appearance of new equipment can not only further improve the automation level of proofing procedures, but also make remote proofing accepted by more users without color knowledge or experience.

 

For printers and prepress specialists, color standards are both an opportunity and a challenge. Since there are many standards in the industry, users must face the problem of color space conversion. Fortunately, there are many new tools available to simplify the proofing process and improve cross-standards.

 

Ultimately, the purpose of proofing is to transfer color to the page.