Color: Everything under control

 
Printing Increasing demands on quality and shorter production times call for reliable color management. 
Increased demand for standards in offset printing will determine the way modern print shops work in the coming years. Predictable results, comparable quality at different locations and output devices are some of the reasons for this development. But agencies' desire for more independence from the print shop and, last but not least, price will also be decisive factors in the awarding of contracts in the future. Protection against complaintsThe conventional and widespread approach to color management is often limited to somehow fulfilling the specifications of the proof on the press. However, on the way from the digital design to the printed sheet, there are already numerous factors that can influence the coloring result. Be it the dot gain resulting from a new ink series, a different paper quality or even a printing plate with a different ink acceptance behavior. Often, data and proofs are also supplied by the customer, where the printer has to deal with color specifications that are almost impossible to achieve on the press. "Lithography" on the press costs time, and waste is the most expensive and inefficient way to find out in the end that a desired result cannot be achieved at all. Reliable color quality is also one of the top priorities for every printer in order to protect themselves from customer complaints.
Simple color workflowMany customers have long been familiar with Heidelberg's Print Color Management service. Experts for prepress and printing carry out the binding adjustment and optimization of all parameters that have an influence on the print result. This is the only way to ensure that the desired coloring standards are always achieved and that production costs can be saved at the same time. With Prinect Color Solutions, Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG offers the key to modern color management through the digital integration of production resources in prepress and pressroom. Reliable and precise coordination between proof, plates and print can only be achieved with an end-to-end color workflow.
Prinect Color Solutions products allow processes to be designed more flexibly and automated to a greater extent. Prinect Color Solutions include a wide range of products and functions for color-safe and more economical production in the digital workflow. Thanks to coordinated color management, they ensure reliable quality at a high level. All color-relevant Prinect products have been specifically equipped with enhancements that make the workflow even simpler, more reliable and more secure. Each function brings considerable benefits in its own right. For example, each individual function in the Prinect CP2000 Center significantly reduces the effort involved in changing jobs. Each additional Prinect product makes handling color data easier step by step. The precise coordination of the products and the intelligent functional enhancements result in maximum color reliability and significant production benefits for Heidelberg printers.
Step by step to successThe PDF documents supplied by the customer are checked for completeness and printability by the Prinect Printready workflow system. All colors can be adapted to the current color space of the printing process using the ICC (International Color Consortium) profile. The print-ready document is then output to a proofer via Prinect Meta Dimension for checking. If the proof meets expectations, Prinect Meta Dimension forwards the data to the platesetter for production of the printing plates. The characteristic curve for the desired printing process is selected automatically.
At the same time, Prinect Meta Dimension generates data with presetting parameters for the press and digital reference values for checking the printed sheets with the Prinect Image Control color measurement system. Proof, printing plates and presetting data are forwarded to the pressroom in parallel. Calibration characteristics for various output conditions and ICC profiles are generated with the Prinect Calibration Toolbox or the Prinect Profile Toolbox and implemented in Prinect Printready System and Meta Dimension. Prinect Image Control is available for the necessary measurements, which can also be carried out with color measuring devices from other manufacturers.
Changes at the touch of a buttonIn the next step, Prinect Prepress Interface calculates the zonal area coverage values for the press from the prepress data and transfers them together with the required ink and paper specifications to the Prinect CP2000 Center, which has been expanded to include a characteristic line database. The printer can now store any number of presettings for different paper classes, inks and coloring standards. Instead of manually changing the color presetting, a single button press is now all that is needed to change the paper type. The production parameters for selecting the presetting are then automatically transferred to the Prinect CP2000 Center. The optimum coloring can then be achieved very quickly by taking the consumables into account. At the same time, Prinect Image Control receives the reference values from prepress to generate a digital OK sheet. The measurement results of the print run can be returned to the prepress stage for adaptation to changed production conditions.
The use of Prinect Color Solution offers numerous advantages: Improved productivity across the entire value chain, detailed coordination of the entire process - from prepress to press -, true-color proofs, increased process reliability and consistency in print quality thanks to systematic quality control, improved ink presetting on the press, and profiling and control of the overall process. www.heidelberg.com
Sabine Flaxman
Prinect Color Solutions for prepress and pressPrinect Color Solutions in prepressPrinect Printready System
Fully JDF-based preprint workflow, parameterization and execution of all necessary color transformations for printing.
Prinect Meta Dimension
Raster image processor system. Performing color transformations for the proof and calibrations for plate exposure.
Prinect Calibration Toolbox
Software for linearization of printing plates in CtP systems and adjustment of printing characteristics.
Prinect Profile Toolbox
Software for creating ICC profiles and for quality control of proofs and prints.
Prinect Color Solutions in the pressroomPrinect Prepress Interface
Software for generating color preset data.
Prinect CP2000 Center
Machine operation for Speedmaster presses. Automatic display of the preview image of the print sheet. Easy creation and management of characteristic curves for different papers, colors or printing standards. Automatic characteristic curve selection for color presetting
Prinect Image Control
Color measurement system for Speedmaster presses with the option of color measurement across the entire print image. Precise control and regulation of the desired target coloration. Measurement of predefined test forms and control elements and provision of data for Prinect Profile Toolbox and Prinect Calibration Toolbox.