Let's get to it: We recently got certified by IDEAlliance as G7 Experts. What this means is that we can visit, calibrate and certify our customers as G7 Master Printers on site.
The G in G7 stands for grayscale and the 7 for the seven colors it uses as reference: CMYK + RGB. RGB are the ink traps, and getting their color right is just as important as getting the right color on the CMYs.
There are many myths around G7. Many think that special inks are needed to be able to print within the GRACoL Specs. The fact is that inks are an ISO standard (ISO 2846-1) so it does not matter which litho ink you are using; if you are using quality ink, it's more than likely your ink is within the standard. What does matter is the amount of ink needed to produce the expected color: this is what will vary per ink manufacturer.
On a G7 calibrated press sheet, the CMY grays should be neutral. Basically, if you were to compare CMY values versus K values, you'll find that they visually match. This makes it very easy to confirm that the press sheet is printing correctly.
Typically, printers are under the impression that this certification is useful only if their customers are demanding it. But G7 makes more sense than what most printers think. What many have not realized yet is that printing to G7 standards is very simple. Plus, it makes most jobs easier to print. There's less make-ready time and most importantly, the proof finally matches the press sheet accurately.
Besides offering press calibration and G7 Certification services to our customers, Compose has a suite of tools to confirm that color is being reproduced correctly. Tools that will allow consistent and accurate color throughout the workflow. This suite of tools is called pressSIGN-Pro.
We have found that clients want the monitor to match the proof and the proof to match the press sheet. We can help with our pressSIGN-Pro-suite. It makes it easy to ensure that colors match throughout the workflow.
This is our first time sending a newsletter like this; I hope that you'll find this information useful and you'll think of us when you are ready to calibrate your press or presses. If you have any questions, feedback or suggestions, please drop me a line.
The G in G7 stands for grayscale and the 7 for the seven colors it uses as reference: CMYK + RGB. RGB are the ink traps, and getting their color right is just as important as getting the right color on the CMYs.
There are many myths around G7. Many think that special inks are needed to be able to print within the GRACoL Specs. The fact is that inks are an ISO standard (ISO 2846-1) so it does not matter which litho ink you are using; if you are using quality ink, it's more than likely your ink is within the standard. What does matter is the amount of ink needed to produce the expected color: this is what will vary per ink manufacturer.
| Is it G7 or GRACoL? It's easy to get confused with so many acronyms and classifications out there: GRACoL, GRACoL 2007 and G7. I'll try to make things simple: GRACoL is the specification of how a commercial offset lithography press should print. In other words, it's how the ideal press sheet from the great press in the sky would look like. GRACoL 2007 is the latest specification of GRACoL, while G7 is the grayscale definition and calibration method common to SWOP and GRACoL. In other words, G7 describes the grayscale and how to calibrate a press so its output resembles the one from the great press in the sky. |
On a G7 calibrated press sheet, the CMY grays should be neutral. Basically, if you were to compare CMY values versus K values, you'll find that they visually match. This makes it very easy to confirm that the press sheet is printing correctly.
Typically, printers are under the impression that this certification is useful only if their customers are demanding it. But G7 makes more sense than what most printers think. What many have not realized yet is that printing to G7 standards is very simple. Plus, it makes most jobs easier to print. There's less make-ready time and most importantly, the proof finally matches the press sheet accurately.
Besides offering press calibration and G7 Certification services to our customers, Compose has a suite of tools to confirm that color is being reproduced correctly. Tools that will allow consistent and accurate color throughout the workflow. This suite of tools is called pressSIGN-Pro.
We have found that clients want the monitor to match the proof and the proof to match the press sheet. We can help with our pressSIGN-Pro-suite. It makes it easy to ensure that colors match throughout the workflow.
This is our first time sending a newsletter like this; I hope that you'll find this information useful and you'll think of us when you are ready to calibrate your press or presses. If you have any questions, feedback or suggestions, please drop me a line.
No comments:
Post a Comment