As production schedules continue to compress, remote proofing can make last-minute color changes virtually painless. Just ask Primary Color, the $40-million California-based graphic arts firm that specializes in prepress, sheetfed printing and large-format digital printing. “We believe remote proofing, which cuts the time it normally takes to overnight or messenger a proof, is going to be an even greater force in the future,” says Jay Sato, head of R&D. And they're just getting started with it.

Buena Vista Home Video, a division of Walt Disney, is one client who's using remote proofing via a 44´´ Epson Stylus Pro 9600. The customer's printer is calibrated to an Epson 9800 model, which Primary Color installed last December. Once the client's changes are made, revised files are sent over the Internet. Client and agency each open the file and print a matching Epson inkjet proof. Soon to come: certification software that will allow remote proofing devices to be checked for issues such as printer consistency, operator error and low ink levels.

“Epson inkjet proofing is tailor-made to the high standards, tight deadlines and budgets of our advertising agency and corporate clients,” says Dan Hirt, president of Primary Color. Expanding the tradition of his grandfather, who owned a Swiss printing outlet, he and his two brothers, Mike and Ron, are principals of the 20-year-old company that includes a pressroom with three Heidelberg presses (a 28´´ 5-color Speedmaster and two 40´´ SM CD models, a 6- and 8-color) along with an HP Indigo 5000 digital press.

The Epson printers also are used to proof large-format jobs printed on two 8-color, roll-fed VUTEk (EFI) models—an UltraVu 5330 solvent printer and the rigid/flexible PressVu UV 200/600—as well as two Roland SolJet solvent printers (54´´ and 74´´ widths). For nearly two years, Primary Color has been using Left Dakota's Link-o-later software to control color better by integrating its own ICC profiles to a Fuji FinalProof digital halftone system, which it uses for contract proofs.

With 278 employees and two full-service shops in Irvine (22,000 sq.ft.) and Culver City (30,000 sq.ft.), CA, Primary Color is among the leading prepress organizations in the U.S. (see p.26). About half its business is reprint work for major Los Angeles ad agencies including Foote, Cone & Belding; Ogilvy & Mather; Saatchi & Saatchi; and Chiat/Day; the other half is work for corporate clients such as Columbia TriStar, Guess, Mattel, Transamerica and Disney.

Like other prep shop/printers, Primary Color has been looking for ways to prosper within a dramatically evolving industry. “In order to make a profit, we now have to diversify, produce more work for less money and turn around high-quality jobs as fast as possible,” Hirt notes. As part of a streamlining effort, the company has consistently unified its workflow and color management processes across the sheetfed, super-wide and digital arenas in which it plays. (See related story on p.20.)

“Epson inkjet technology has allowed us to put more work through the shop at a lower cost per page, which means we can bid on more jobs,” he adds. “For a relatively low cost of entry, we have been able to achieve a tremendous consistency and reliability in our workflow.”

Epson UltraChrome Ink technology is a main reason for the success of Epson printers at shops like Primary Color in the prepress market. “Due to the ink's color gamut and color consistency, we rely on the printers like a traditional proofing system to create accurate and stable color from the moment the proof drops from the printer till days later,” says Sato. These inks produce prints with a wider color gamut, approaching (some say equalling) today's standard, dye-based ink technologies—with the longevity and substrate benefits of pigments.

The company has been a fan of Epson proofing for several years, using printers like the 17´´-wide Stylus Pro 4000, 44´´-wide Stylus Pro 9600, Stylus Pro 10000 and Stylus Pro 10600. “In past years, we've seen inkjet technology improve dramatically, and I believe it will eventually take over the lion's share of contract proofing,” predicts Sato. Hirt agrees. He foresees that Primary Color could easily use Epson's for most of its future proofing needs. “Inkjet technology will play a big role in the future and will most likely be the predominant proofing method within a couple of years,” he says.

In addition to the 8-color, 44´´ Stylus Pro 9800, Primary color installed a 4800 Professional Edition about 10 months ago. The $2,500 desktop printer also features new 8-color UltraChrome K3 Ink, along with a maximum resolution of 2880×1440 dpi. The 4800 Pro prints on virtually any media type in roll or cut sheet up to 17´´ wide. For both remote and internal proofing, the printer features a high-speed 10/100 BaseT internal Ethernet card with built-in website set-up and configuration.

“Since many agency and corporate clients have migrated to Epson proofs, the work flows more smoothly,” says Hirt. “Those clients who have tried remote proofing really love the proofing device and the quality of the color, and they are anxious to expand its usage to their extended clients. Because of the low cost of the Epson printers, it allows us to print on the same proofing system as our clients and gives the whole team consistency without the high price tag of a larger proofer.”

The 4800 printer comes with a custom-designed PostScript Language Level 3 Compatible RIP from ColorBurst. The SWOP-certified and Pantone-licensed printer allows Primary Color to accurately set expectations during the early stages of design workflow. It also saves valuable time and money producing contract-quality prints during the final approval phase.

An advanced 1´´-wide print head design allows for the precise placement of dots, resulting in accurate and stable color.

“Everything from the print engine to its paper-transport mechanism is designed for reliable operation and trouble-free maintenance,” says Sato. “The Epson printers' automated features make my job of setting up the machines a lot easier.1396986481