Ink-Jet: Power of the Proof

For accurate and cost-effective color proofs, many printers today are finding that they need look no further than the latest breed of ink-jet proofing devices and systems on the market.

"Ink jet has gradually improved over time," says Jim Summers, general manager of GMG USA, who says that the technology had presented users with cost and consistency challenges as little as a decade ago.

More recently, however, both output devices and the software and media associated with them have made great strides in quality, surprising observers who have "leftover baggage associated with old-school ink-jet proofing," Summers notes. "I think we will see a very large scale of conversion to color ink-jet proofing over the next few years. In five years, we may see 80% or 90% of all proofing done that way."

While some manufacturers continue to offer all-in-one solutions for one-stop shopping, the ink-jet proofing market has opened up to allow users to construct their own unique solutions using tools from a range of equipment manufacturers, Summers observes.

"From the PC and the software application to the spectrophotometer and output device, ink jet allows users to pick and choose what's right for them," he says.

Indeed, as manufacturers demonstrated at this year's Drupa–-and will demonstrate at the upcoming Graph Expo event next month in Chicago–-ink-jet proofing is a multifaceted affair.

"The proofing device itself is important, but it's just one part of the equation," says Creo color technology team leader Doug Goertzen. "You have to make sure you have a process for setting up and getting information to the machine properly, and that you have good connectivity to all of the other players in the proofing process."

Lisa Singer, worldwide product manager for ink-jet proofing at Kodak Polychrome Graphics (KPG), agrees. While ink-jet devices have improved, she notes, so too has the color management and related RIP software needed for accurate proofing–-not just ink-jet printing.

"Customers are looking more for proofing software, and adopting those solutions to ink jet," Singer concludes.

Adds Deborah Hutcheson, Agfa senior marketing manager, Digital Solutions, "Many printers are also beginning to realize that their ink-jet printers can be used as wide-format digital printers to meet other business needs."

Among those printers reaping the benefits of ink-jet proofing technology are Batavia, Ill.-based BFC. Says prepress manager Keith Kanak, workflow played a critical role in his company's decision to go with Agfa's Sherpa proofing solution.

"We started as a traditional film shop and went computer-to-film five years ago, incorporating Agfa's Apogee system," he says, adding that BFC also installed an Agfa Sherpa 2 proofer primarily for imposition work.

Two years later, when the company made the switch to computer-to-plate (CTP), it kept its Agfa system and graduated to a Sherpa 43 contract proofer. "Because we're using an Agfa workflow, data integrity is something we noticed right away," Kanak says. "Since the file used to make plates is the same for making proofs, if you see it on the proof it is going to be on the plate." Gradually, he notes, "We taught our customers to trust that," and weaned many away from the desire to see a halftone dot in their contract proofs.

BFC, which Kanak relates has been picking up a lot of point-of-purchase work for agencies and retailers lately, appreciates the color management inherent in its Agfa system. "With our Agfa tools," he says, "we can have a control strip come out with every proof, or on a daily basis. We run a calibration curve, and it re-adjusts the device to match the profile." Kanak also appreciates Sherpa's speed, which is "of the utmost importance" to the $18 million company, he asserts.

Agfa demonstrated its Sherpa line at Drupa this year, including the latest in the series, the Grand SherpaMatic. This 50"-wide two-sided model, available in October, features eight ink cartridges, and provides multiple resolutions and print speeds. Also in the piezo ink-jet Sherpa family, Agfa offers models from 24" to 87" wide, all of which boast high-speed output.

Agfa even offers something for non-Sherpa users interested in high-quality ink-jet proofing. At Drupa, the company demonstrated its SherpaProof RIP, an Agfa proofing RIP for PostScript and PDF workflows based on Adobe's Configurable PostScript Interpreter. The package uses ApogeeX technology to drive Epson's Stylus 4000, 7600, and 9600 printers, as well as HP's Designjet 30 and 130 devices. Available for purchase later this year, the SherpaProof RIP contains Agfa's color management and quality management capabilities, as well as proofing media.

Canon's imagePrograf W2200, W7200, and W8200 proofing devices distinguish themselves in "color quality, wide color gamut, and speed," says Amit Bagchi, director of Canon USA's Printer Division. "These proofs are going all the way up to the contract stage if necessary." Canon has achieved SWOP certification for the use of its devices with software from CGS and Best, the latter of which is now under the EFI umbrella.

To boost the devices' speed and accuracy, "The first thing we did was go to the print head and make it wider, so as to offer a greater area of coverage," Bagchi says. The print head also needs to "produce a high resolution fast," he explains. To facilitate this, the 1" print heads contain 1,280 nozzles per color for a total of 7,680 nozzles, each speeding ink onto the media surface simultaneously.

Says Bagchi, Canon's Microfine Droplet Technology is complemented by the fact that "the distance our ink head drops to the media is relatively short compared to other manufacturers, thus offering better print quality and color registration." In addition, he notes, "The print heads are totally replaceable by the end user."

At Drupa this year, CGS Publishing Technologies introduced the latest version of Oris Color Tuner, the ink-jet proofing system that garnered the company a GATF InterTech Technology Award in 2003. Oris Color Tuner 5.1, which also will be demonstrated at Graph Expo, features a step-by-step AutoCal Wizard, allowing for the simple linearization and calibration of Epson or Canon proofing devices.

The auto-calibration feature is particularly useful for printers with remote proofing relationships with agencies and other clients, notes John Parsons, director of marketing communications for CGS. "A user on the remote side isn't going to bother with the technology if it requires a lot of color expertise," he says. Both printers and their clients in other locations "need a high level of confidence in the media," he adds, "plus the ease of use of just being able to click a button, output a strip, and run the strip through the reader so that the device corrects itself."

Used by heavy hitters like AGT, Quebecor World, and R.R. Donnelley, the SWOP-certified Color Tuner provides users with software, high-speed proofing technology, and the proofing-specific ink and paper needed for contract-quality ink-jet proofs. The latest version will be released for Mac OS X, and can faithfully render Pantone Hexachrome and other non-traditional process colors.

Though Creo's Iris line still boasts a large installation base, these days many users accustomed to Iris have moved to Creo's Veris system, which offers "higher speed, higher image quality, and much better color precision compared to Iris," says Creo's Brad Palmer, corporate vice president for ink-jet printing.

"I saw the Veris system two years ago at Graph Expo and was very impressed with it," says Sejer Sejersen, who, at the time, was shopping for a digital proofing system for his company, Sejersen Digital Processing Services, a 12-employee prepress business located in San Diego. The shop signed on as a field-test site for Veris, and has since invested in a second unit to keep up with the demand for its contract-quality proofs.

Sejersen's clients also appreciate Creo's Certified Process for Proofing feature, which records details of a job such as when the printer was calibrated, the kind of ink installed, and the type of media used, thereby ensuring that the correct settings have been used through the entire process. "It gives a solid degree of confidence to the customer," he notes.

One of Veris's key features is its Multi-Drop Array ink-jet technology, a proprietary method of placing ink on media precisely and consistently. By very tightly controlling the flow rate of ink droplets through the nozzle, "mono-sized drops" are produced, says Palmer, with each drop steered by a precisely calculated charge. These drops are delivered at a constant flow rate of a million per second.

The result, says Creo's Goertzen, is a more predictable and higher-quality image rendering than that produced by drop-on-demand (DOD) technology. "When customers look at a Veris proof, they can instantly see that the shadow detail–-text and linework, in particular–-are quite a bit better than what they'd see from a DOD system," he notes.

Sejersen says that his local and national clients, which include accounts like Kyocera and Yamaha, appreciate Veris's ability to match PMS colors accurately, as well as its ability to produce color with consistency. "When we produce a proof for a client, no matter where it goes afterwards, the color is the same," he notes. This is particularly attractive to clients like Kyocera, who "like the fact that they can send off a box to be printed in Brazil, and if the proof is from us, they know it will get matched to proofs no different than the ones being used for another box printer in L.A."

Creo also offers several options in its DOD Integris line, which combines an Integris Qualified output device with proof controller, and qualified media and inks. Currently, the line includes a desktop model for two-up proofing on 17" rolls; Integris 400, for four-up proofing on 24" rolls; and Integris 800, for eight-up proofing on either an Epson 9600- or 10600-based device, accepting roll media up to 42" wide. Integris also facilitates double-sided proofing.

Creo's ink-jet proofing products integrate with the company's Prinergy and Brisque workflows. New to the market is a Brisque proofing agent for Integris systems, which allows Brisque operators to do their color management and layout directly in Brisque, and communicate this job directly to the proofing system.

"Cost pressures, faster turnaround demands, and print buyers' willingness to accept ink-jet proofs–-especially as ink-jet proofs get better each year–-are driving the conversion to ink jet," says Craig Reid, director of marketing and new business development for DuPont's Color Communication division, which offers a host of options on all points of the proofing spectrum.

At Graph Expo last year, the company launched its Cromalin b2 self-calibrating ink-jet proofer. According to Reid, "Many users told us they installed the Cromalin b2 because it provides them with a complete turnkey contact quality proofing solution." The system–-which includes a proof engine, server, software, inks, and media–-offers a true, in-line GretagMacbeth Eye-One spectrophotometer for auto-calibration and color certification. (At Drupa this year, DuPont introduced the Cromalin b3, a two-page device featuring advanced technology also used in the b2 model.)

Further, says the company, with DuPont's iCertification color verification and remote proofing product, users are assured of proofing consistency across multiple sites. "While used by a number of very large multi-site and multi-country users today, iCertification will get a whole new user interface to make it easier to use and be compatible with most workflows," Reid asserts.

The Cromalin b series is enjoying a rapid rate of adoption largely thanks to its cost-effectiveness, he adds. "For the initial capital investment of a typical proofing engine, a commercial printer can buy one Cromalin b2 system, plus have enough money to invest in six more to place into its largest print buyers' sites to use for remote proofing."

DuPont also offers the CromaPro XP ink-jet proofing system, which includes an Adobe PostScript 3 RIP, spot color support, automated workflows, and an array of DuPont CromaNet color management tools.

"We make it pushbutton-easy to produce excellent color, without having to go through days and days of frustrating tweaking," Reid adds.

Epson's Stylus Pro 4000, 7600, and 9600 ink-jet devices feature an all-new seven-color pigmented inking system, with a wide color gamut rivaling that found within the company's photographic dye inks, says Epson. Their print heads can produce single droplets as small as four picoliters, producing true 2,880´1,440-dpi resolution.

The newest model in the series, the Stylus Pro 4000, will be featured at Graph Expo. Representing "the highest level of Epson printer technology to date," according to the manufacturer, the 4000 incorporates a 17"-wide printer design that can handle roll or cut-sheet media, along with Epson's latest ink, print head, and printer engine technologies. The device uses Epson's own UltraChrome ink technology to produce consistently stable colors, while the unique eight-channel print head is capable of handling eight separate ink cartridges simultaneously.

In combination with Epson's UltraChrome inks and professional media line, the Stylus Pro 7600 and 9600 were recognized with GATF InterTech Technology Awards in 2003.

According to GMG's Jim Summers, the GMG ColorProof system, recently released in Version 4, offers high-end users the consistency and reliability they require for ink-jet contract proofs, as well as for remote proofing applications. ColorProof 4 includes the GMG ColorEngine, ProfileEditor, SpotColor Editor, a RIP server, and output modules for a range of devices, including the latest from Canon and Epson (the system also supports the Roland Hi-Fi Jet series to facilitate Hexachrome applications). With ColorProof, says Summers, "You get numerically verifiable results that are repeatable."

The Pantone-certified system's iterative approach to color calibration–-repeating a loop until the highest level of accuracy is achieved–-is key to consistency, Summers adds. Additionally, he says, "As there is a need to handle spot colors differently than process colors, we included a separate editor for that purpose," allowing users to treat spot colors and process colors in separate channels.

Remote proofing users, as well as any user who isn't a color guru, also will appreciate the offering's auto-calibration wizard. The ProofControl features a color bar on every proof produced, which can be scanned with an Eye-One spectrophotometer. The results are then compared to standards that have been set up for that job, and given a "pass" sticker if they meet those standards. "That way, you know exactly what standard the proof was produced to," Summers says.

ColorProof also offers a DotProof option, allowing users to create halftone proofs by printing color-accurate 1-bit TIFF data from the imagesetter or CTP RIP while retaining the original screened information, thus allowing early detection of problems such as moiré or trapping errors. Meanwhile, the FileOut option allows a CMYK color space to be converted to another CMYK color space while maintaining the integrity of the black channel, enabling, for instance, the conversion of offset data into gravure data.

HP's latest offering in its Designjet series of output devices are the 30 and 130, which started shipping in April.

These new systems (B+ size and 24", respectively) feature a "special fade-resistant dye ink set designed to provide a very strong color gamut with good transitions," says HP Designjet product manager Sandy Gramley. The dye ink offers clarity of detail and gloss uniformity, she states, and its fade-resistance means that "you don't have to let your print cure; it's immediate, and within minutes your color is set and stable" for up to 84 years, she adds.

Obviously, this stability is crucial in a proofing environment, but so too is accuracy, Gramley states, noting the HP Designjet 30 and 130's automatic closed-loop color calibration. This feature affords users "the ability to print a swath of all the colors, read them with a sensor that acts like a densitometer, and compensate when it prints if the color is off." HP offers two RIPs that allow users to control color (including an Adobe PostScript RIP from HP and an EFI RIP that allows for a comparison target); some third-party RIPs can be used as well.

Auto-calibration is performed with the click of a mouse, Gramley explains. Remote proofing users can calibrate each device on the same media type, offering "the same results not only print-to-print, but printer-to-printer."

Larger devices offered by HP are the Designjet 1000 and 5500. Typically used by printers performing "larger color proofing or imposition work," the 5500 can handle eight-up and larger-format jobs. It also features auto-calibration, RIP support, and a pigment or dye ink option, though the latter isn't available in the fade-resistant dye format offered on the Designjet 30 and 130, but does offer fade resistance with the option of pigmented inks.

At Drupa, KPG debuted its Matchprint ProofPro RIP Version 1.0 and MatchPrint ProofPro Media, for use with the latest Canon, Epson, and HP ink-jet devices available today.

"One key difference is the way that we process CMYK," says KPG's Singer. Offering a color space based on actual Matchprint analog CMYK formulations, she says, the system can automatically convert custom and corporate colors to CMYK. Using Matchprint ColorLink technology, the system offers true four-color CMYK with no composite black, a licensed Pantone library and spot color library, unlimited custom colors (which can be defined and re-named by users), and up to 12 color separations for proofing.

The system also includes an easy-to-use linearization wizard. "One of the things about an ink-jet system is that you have to manage it, and make sure that the devices are brought back to their original state," Singer says. A standout feature of the newest Matchprint system, she adds, is that it takes its readings from L*a*b values, not just ink densities, for greater accuracy. She notes that KPG recommends using the easy calibration wizard at least every two weeks.

Since its calibration and other features are user friendly, the system is "easily translatable to remote proofing," Singer explains, noting that KPG also offers systems to facilitate remote and virtual proofing from subsidiary RealTimeProof, and via the 2003 InterTech Technology Award-winning Matchprint Virtual Proofing system.

A DirectScreen module, showcased at Drupa, allows users to faithfully reproduce screened data from a one-bit TIFF for ink-jet halftone reproduction.