Welcome to the world of colors

Puneet Chadha

The advent of a new millennium provides us all with the

opportunity to review the past and look to the future. The printing industry is

no exception, as newer and cheaper technologies force what has traditionally

been the domain of ‘craftsmen’ into the digital age. Today, digital

workflows are changing and challenging every aspect of traditional printing —

from compressed production deadlines to shorter print-runs. These technologies

are creating new applications and new business opportunities for the printing

industry, such as digital photography, image warehousing, color management,

archiving services, multimedia, new media, short run and variable data

publishing.

In the past, this business was traditionally driven by the

owners of the production processes — the designer, typesetter and studio, the

scanning and film bureau, the printer, finisher and binder. Today, it has

mushroomed into an array of polyvalent service houses offering a broader

spectrum of these processes. These companies are able to turn jobs around more

quickly and at lower costs.

Furthermore, the evolution of scanning, laser and inkjet

technology means that low-cost and high-quality scanning, color proofing and

printing are now within the reach and budgets of mainstream businesses.

Companies large and small — from insurance companies to lawyers and high

street estate agents — are now able to save time and money by producing and

printing materials in-house. Now more than ever, the right investment in

printing technology can impact and enhance your business’ bottomline.

Getting it right the first time



Digital workflows have made the subject of color management a contentious topic
for designers, printers and their customers. The success of many brands, such as

the red and white of Coca-Cola, is founded on color integrity. This color needs

to remain consistent and predictable at every stage of the design and output

processes.

For graphic artists, getting color accuracy right is a

critical component in establishing client expectations, turning jobs around

faster and more cost-efficiently, and retaining and winning business.

What would commercial quality prints without color proofs be?

Well, now it is a reality. Traditionally, when presenting color concepts and

mock-ups to clients, these designers have produced printouts on color laser

printers or paid for expensive digital Matchprint or film proofs from pre-press

houses. Color laser prints, created in-house, are an excellent and economical

means of displaying designs and layouts. High quality digital or film proofs

out-sourced from a specialist repro house bring great color assurance, but can

also prove expensive and time-consuming. Both alternatives offer advantages and

serve their purpose well.

What’s more, new inkjet technology solutions also enable

graphics professionals to create more accurate and cost-effective color concepts

and mock-ups. New printers have been designed with this purpose in mind,

enabling customers to make top-quality B-sized conceptual color proofs. This

frees them to spend more of their valuable time doing what they do best —

being creative.

By teaming with Imation, HP has transformed the DesignJet

ColorPro GA printer into a digital color proofing system. This solution delivers

the ability to produce high quality Matchprint proofs into the hands of

designers and graphics professional. This means that instead of having to spend

$25 for a digital proof produced by a pre-press house — not to mention the

time and cost of courier delivery charges — designers can create their own

digital proofs for roughly $5 per proof. This is an 80 per cent cost savings.

The combined affordability and flexibility of this digital printing solution

also allows for color proofing earlier in the pre-press workflow increasing

productivity and protecting against costly errors further down the production

chain.

It’s never too late



Today’s digital workflow has spawned a new printing paradigm —
computer-to-plate or in some cases, computer-to-paper (CTP). Increasing numbers

of newspaper and commercial publishers and print shops have turned to this

technology because it delivers excellent economical advantages for volume

output.

Above and beyond the large capital investment required to

purchase such systems, the adoption of CTP frequently necessitates an overhaul

of the traditional pre-press and production processes. In essence, moving to CTP

removes one key stage of the classic pre-press process — image setting or film

output — by going, as the name suggests, directly from the computer to the

plate or to paper output.

Eliminating film output streamlines and speeds up the

production process, and also removes the costs of image setting and developing

systems, films and chemicals. In the classic pre-press workflow, film output is

used as the base for analogue proofing to check the content and page layout —

before committing the job to plate-making and to the presses. So, in order to

avoid plate and final press waste due to errors, CTP customers require

alternative digital color and imposition proofing solutions to ensure that files

from the computer can be viewed in large-format and checked for accuracy.

Again, inkjet technology provides a solution. In addition to

digital color proofing solutions, large-format printers have been developed to

deliver an excellent balance of speed and line quality for imposition proofing.

Supported by the majority of pre-press workflows and file formats, these

large-format digital printers can generate fast imposition proofs at minimum

costs per copy.

Consistency, the watchword



Newspaper production is a highly specialized form of printing with its own set
of specific challenges. Before committing to mass production, publishers have to

assure their output — in terms of content, layout and color — is top

quality. Newspaper stock is also specialized, reacting to inks differently from

other mainstream media, heightening the need for color control.

Large-format inkjet printers play an important role here.

They provide a means for generating halftone proofs on a variety of newspaper

stocks so that page layout and color consistency can be thoroughly assured

before going to press. When used in conjunction with advanced RIP technologies,

which control the number of ink drops per pass, a printer can create halftone

proofs up to 110 lpi at unmatchable speeds. Newspapers are often distributed and

printed regionally to split the print load and allow for the addition of local

page content. With its low cost-of-acquisition, it is possible to station

large-format printers at every print location to enable local quality control.

In conclusion



Though the digital age may be upon us, printing technologies are now being
recognized as offering tremendous business advantages. For printing

professionals, industry leaders are helping to provide new opportunities for

graphics professionals, by providing solutions that deliver a higher quality end

product that is produced more quickly and at a lower cost. Furthermore, the

ability to print accurately, quickly and cost-efficiently is now more than ever

within the reach, financially and practically, of mainstream businesses. Using

these technologies, companies can add value and gain a competitive edge where it

counts — the bottom line.

(The author is Business Unit Manager, Large Format Department

Imaging & Printing at Hewlett-Packard Far East Pte Ltd., Singapore)