pressSign's New Mobile App

In the past I've told you about pressSIGN and it's ability to tell in a very clever way if a job is within a determined color space. I've also told you about that with pressSign and a spectrophotometer you can scan a color bar and the software will tell you which ink keys need to go up and which ink keys need to go down. I've told you that pressSign provides very easy to understand job reports.
What I'm about to tell you makes this product ever more interesting. Imagine you are out of the office and would like to know how is your press room doing. How many jobs have been printed. How close have has your press been to your color standards on these jobs? Even chat with the press operator. This is all possible on the new version of pressSIGN-mobile for iOS. From your iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch or mobile web browser you can access information in real time from your pressroom.
Every production manager's dream, to be sitting by the pool sipping Mai Tais while he gets updates from work.
If you want to try it out for yourself, our friends at Bodoni have setup a live demo that you can access by clicking here.

pressSIGN Job Information

pressSIGN Job Measurements

pressSIGN Press Operator Chat

Printing Labels across the Pond

This week I've been in our UK office. I've learning about the iSys Apex 1290 digital label printer. A machine designed to print photo quality images along with variable data on a variety of media products, which include tag stock up to 12 point in thickness, adhesive label stock and various synthetic medias.

The Apex 1290 digital label printer is driven by Express Label Print, a nifty software solution from Compose. Express Label Print or ELP, can handle a multitude of different stocks and optimizes label layouts to reduce media waste. You can print on pre cut media or also import your CF2 die cut files for the best possible layout.
You can add variable data to your print jobs on the Apex 1290 digital label printer with Compose Variprint.

Below is a video of the Apex 1290 digital label printer in action:

On this trip I've also visited customers to talk about press calibration and the advantage of having presses and proofers matching common specifications and standards. I've also taken the opportunity to learn from my European colleagues about their experience with ISO 12647-2.



Simon, Tom and me at BHF in Dartford responding to our customer's questions.

Tonight I'll have pint thinking not thinking about the flight back to California.

Contact me if you have any questions about the Apex 1290 or anything else that catches your eye on this blog.

With Star Proof 6 spot color matching is a breeze

By Michael Jahn



Capable of simulating line screens up to 220 lpi, Star Proof is well known for reproducing the sharpest dots possible on an Epson proofer. Star Proof will show the same dot produced by your RIP on your proofer, in just the way they will show once printed on your press. But, did you know that Star Proof can reproduce spot colors with a high degree of accuracy?

The new EPSON Sylus Pro 7900/9900 and WT7900 offer an incredibly larger color gamut than previous plotters. This is due to the additional inks these plotters utilize. Orange and green on the Stylus Pro 7900 and 9900. And white ink on the WT7900. Star Proof 6 takes advantage of this larger color space to accurately reproduce spot colors. Calibrating Star Proof to do this, it's very easy with its optional Packaging Option. Here's how:

With the aid of X-Rite's color port, we create a target made up of all the spot colors that we wish to calibrate. Then we print it and read it using your favorite spectro device - in our case, we used the i1 iSis reader, also from X-Rite.




Then we iterate this process. As we go along, we watch the dE between the actual values and the expected values get smaller and smaller



... and at the end of the process, we have over 1100 spot color definitions with 96% of them under 5 dE. Simple!



Another very cool feature of the Star Proof Packaging option is the ability to add spot colors by using an spot spectrophotometer, like X-Rite's i1. Read it, add it to the spot color list and you are ready to use it.

Think accurate duotones
Have you ever tried to proof a duotone? Star Proof can generate color precise duotones. With Star Proof your press operator can see a proof and know what inks make up a color. Try that with your average proof from a plotter.

Star Proof also enables you to assign the appropriate opacity to each spot color providing ultimate press simulation.

You may be thinking, why a dot proof?

Printing processes that use coarse screening or different screen ruling in the same job will have a major influence on its visual appreance and color gamut.
Actual dot per dot - right down to rosettes, fine line art, text at just 1pt, and even defects such as moire patterns.

Here's how a typical Star Proof workflow looks like:

Click on the image to see a larger view

Compose Systems’ Star Proof proofing solution now supports X-Rite’s i1iSis automated chart reader

PRESS RELEASE

Press Contact:

Véronique Froment:

veronique@highrezpr.com

Tel: + 1 603-537-9248

X-Rite and Compose Systems Extend their Partnership to Offer Automated Accurate Dot-for-Dot Proofing Workflow

Compose Systems’ Star Proof proofing solution now supports X-Rite’s i1iSis automated chart reader

GRAND RAPIDS, Michigan, September 11th 2009 – X-Rite, Incorporated (NASDAQ: XRIT), the world leader in color management, measurement and communication technologies, and Compose Systems, an established developer of prepress workflow, digital color proofing and print publishing solutions, today announced that they have extended their long-standing partnership to offer prepress professionals an automated dot-for-dot proofing solution to produce high quality screened contract proofs on inkjet printers. The new solution will be shown for the first time at Print 09 on Compose Systems’ booth (booth # 6555).

Compose Systems has optimized the newly announced version of its Star Proof proofing technology (version 6.0) to offer seamless support for X-Rite’s i1iSis automated chart reader. The combination of the two technologies will enable customers to quickly and accurately produce and verify spot colors to deliver top quality proofs on an inkjet printer.

With its Actual Dot feature, designed to replicate original screening and dot patterns at proofing resolutions, Star Proof 6.0 delivers contract proofs with a hard dot, sharp images, accurate color and fine detail - just as they would appear on the press. Using ROOM (RIP once output many) proofing architecture to resample the same set of high-resolution separations that are sent to the platesetter/imagesetter, Star Proof ensures data integrity between proof and print.

Using X-Rite’s i1iSis high-speed automated chart reader as part of their workflow, Star Proof users will be able to quickly and easily measure full spectral data from their simulated spot colors, and avoid wasting time hand-scanning rows or reading individual color patches. With the i1Isis, users are able to calibrate simulated spots, by exporting their spot color definitions, and use the iSis to read them back to Star Proof for optimal accuracy.

Combined with i1Isis, Star Proof gives users a comprehensive set of tools to achieve excellent color matching between proof and press, offering traditional color calibration and fine controls for matching inks via color shade, calibration curve and dot gain compensation. Star Proof uses the spectrophotometric readings provided by the i1Isis to analyze and compare printing press target charts and proof printer calibration charts. The readings are input to Star Proof, which then creates a system profile for the specific printer and saves this for future use. Using i1Isis, Star Proof can also prepare a color curve with the appropriate gamut which users can then fine tune for even more precise color matching.