Khatai goes on to say that as colour affects every workflow, only investment in a quality and reliable colour management product will allow companies in the wide-format and sign-making sectors to produce consistent, repeatable colour in their various applications. “Managing colour is critical from design through pre-press, production, and quality assurance,” Khatai says, adding: “From specifying the proper Pantone colours in the design phase, to using the i1Pro 3 for characterising and proof validation to the eXact 2 portable spectrophotometer in the pressroom, each tool is critical in any colour-managed workflow. Capturing spectral data not only ensures colour standards are user’s devices. The latest version of the i1Profiler software offers new features such as ‘Spot Colour Compare’ that includes Pantone colour look up, ‘Black Generation’ for improved shadow grey balance and full control over black width, as well as a ‘Workflow’ option to load and save your work from a custom location. i1Profiler software comes bundled with the i1Pro 3 and i1Pro 3 Plus measuring devices. Khatai says the large aperture i1Pro 3 Plus can deliver improved measurements on many substrates used in sign-making and similar work, including vinyl, fabrics, transparent films, corrugated, and backlit for improved print quality. “The polarisation option eliminates the reflections that can otherwise make it difficult to measure textured and shiny surfaces,” Khatai explains, continuing: “The transmissive measurement mode allows for the calibration and profiling of backlit materials.” Khatai goes on to say that both the i1iO for i1Pro 3 and i1Pro 3 Plus can be added to a workflow at any time. The i1iO reads more than 500 patches per minute in scanning mode to quickly create custom profiles and has a robotic arm that attaches to the device and moves it over each patch on the test chart. It can adjust in height to accommodate media up to 10mm thick, and up to 33mm thick with the optional Z-axis spacer. “If you deal with both flexible and rigid substrates like so many in the wide-format world, you’ll appreciate the i1iO’s ability to quickly measure a multi-page target by simply defining three location points, then instructing the software to operate in either a single-scan or dual-scan mode,” Khatai comments. “Even if the printer produces a low-resolution print, the i1iO table can automatically perform what could be a tedious manual measurement task.” clearly communicated, but also provides an accurate way to measure and control printed results.” Save Time and Money Elsewhere, Papergraphics provides the sign-making and wide-format print markets with both hardware and software solutions. Dean Sutton, one of the technical experts at Papergraphics, says that the value of quality colour management cannot be overstated. “Simply put, a quality colour management software ensures consistent colour reproduction across different devices and media,” Sutton explains, adding: “This is important in industries like graphic design and general wide-format printing as it enables you to reproduce colours as intended, and also helps to prevent colour shifts. “In turn, this will save you money as it will minimise both labour time spent colour matching and also help to cut the physical media or ink waste from reprints and adjustments.” As for the dangers of not having up-todate software in place updating older systems, Sutton says this can lead to unnecessary errors in production that will cost sign-makers and wide-format print companies in terms of both time and money. “Outdated or low-quality software could result in inaccurate colour reproduction which would be very problematic for industries such as graphic design, sign printing and photography,” Sutton comments. “This can be a very costly issue if jobs are rejected or projects are delayed due to colour discrepancies. Most brands have exacting colour standards for their logos or artwork style, so anything less just won’t do. ▼ Dean Sutton, a technical expert at Papergraphics, says quality colour management software is a must for sign-makers and wide-format printers ◄ X-Rite’s i1Profiler software comes bundled with the i1Pro 3 (pictured) and i1Pro 3 Plus measuring devices 58 www.signlink.co.uk Issue 250 - December 2023 / January 2024 An International Colour Consortium (ICC) profile is a file that describes how to correctly convert image files from one colour space to another Factoid COLOUR MANAGEMENT
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