“As the design software, digital printers, and monitor hardware evolves, so too should the colour management software used to keep all colour profiles and compliance calibration in check so that you are getting the most out of your workflow.” So, how can Papergraphics help? Sutton says the company recommends Xrite and Barbieri for a customer’s spectrophotometer needs as he says these popular options will allow users to create, manage, and re-calibrate all your colour profiles. They also run spot and customer colour verifications and can come with their own software. “This opens the doorway for RIP independent colour management but can also work seamlessly with the integrated colour management engines in RIPs such as Onyx and Caldera,” Sutton says, adding: “Any RIP that has built-in colour management capabilities can utilise these spectrophotometers. “It’s something that we get asked about quite a bit, and we’re always happy to give advice to our customers in order to help them get the best out of their workflow.” Improve Performance Casting the net further still, while its name may suggest otherwise, Service Offset Supplies (SOS) offers colour management software suitable for use in wide-format print. Qualified to issue Fogra certification, a measure of both colour quality and consistency which is a valuable yet relatively underused accreditation, SOS is well placed to offer advice and solutions. “Our goal is to improve performance to make colour output more accurate and consistent across devices, which is vital now that most printers use more than one technology to print,” SOS technical manager, Omran Anwar, says, adding: “This starts in the pre-press department, typically making sure colour profiles are being used correctly. “Ink is a major factor. The pigments in each ink are different, and there are other chemical characteristics which are more important than density. No two inks are the same. Wide-format machines and proofers often need adjustment to hit the desired profile, despite high levels of automation and good RIP systems. “We also look at efficiency. A colour audit by SOS can lead to reduced costs through lower consumable use – especially ink and toner – but also by reducing waste.” Looking at solutions, the Alwan ColorHub works by manipulating the way separations are created and allows users to reduce ink and toner consumption of presses without any visible change to the printed colours. Anwar says using less ink means the job dries faster, with no set off, and is easier to print. SOS also stocks a suite of GMG products including GMG ColorServer, a central hub offering set-up with three solutions for different application scenarios; conventional, digital, and multi-colour. These all come with OpenColor, an award-winning profiling tool. “These products, plus our specialist across-the-board colour knowledge, make colour standardisation a reality, with more consistent quality, lower ink costs, less waste, and greater production efficiency,” Anwar comments. “Colour management should be the cornerstone of our industry; we sell colour. Walk into any printer and the chances are you will see them proudly displaying their ISO certificate, or perhaps something to say how green they are; but how often do you see them displaying credentials which prove they are good at printing? “Printing has evolved. Years ago we only had to worry about litho presses, now that’s just one type of printing process used to produce print. We now have digital presses, in all their incarnations, and wide-format printers in all their permutations. “Colour is more and more important. But it is also the key for consistent print quality and more important for customers that have multiple print devices and processes.” These closing remarks from Anwar can be taken as both advice and a warning: skimp on colour management at your own risk! The good news is that there are plenty of clever and innovative tools and software products available to wide-format print companies and sign-makers to help them achieve the colours their customers desire. Combine these with high-quality print machinery and you will be well on the way to delivering accurate and stunning printed applications of all kinds to clients across all manner of markets. ▲ [Above left] Papergraphics offers both hardware and software solutions to the market ▲[Above right] SOS technical manager Omran Anwar 59 Issue 250 - December 2023 / January 2024 email: news@signlink.co.uk COLOUR MANAGEMENT Simply put, a quality colour management software ensures consistent colour reproduction across different devices and media
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