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To dumb or not-too-dumb?
January 7, 2008
Manufacturers and printers have an interesting dilemma when it comes to new technologies that enjoy expanded color gamuts. Should these machines be used to produce vibrant color printing that exhibits the bigger gamut of colors available, or should they “dumb-it-down” to match the color capabilities of current (and older) printing processes?
You may have read
my blog on using SWOP on sheet-fed presses, a trend that I abhor. This deals with the same subject, but amplified a bit. At the university where I teach, we have an Indigo 3050, a digital press with an impressive color gamut (see the illustration, below). When we are printing on the 3050, we see the benefits of that expanded color gamut in print, and the results are lovely. But most manufacturers, and many press owners would rather match the smaller gamut of colors of an offset press than “show off” with color on the Indigo that cannot be matched by any offset press running CMYK inks. Some even work to match SWOP, which is an indictable offense in my opinion.
Comparing the gamuts of the Indigo3050 press (A) to Adobe U.S. Sheetfed Coated v.2 (B), and Adobe U.S. SWOP coated (C) shows that the color available on the digital press is greater than the comparable offset machines on similar substrates. The decision as to whether to take advantage of that larger gamut, or to reduce the gamut to match the smaller gamuts of the other process lies in the purpose of the printing being produced.
Our 3050 is a four-color machine; it uses CMYK inks, but the gamut of printable colors is slightly greater than any conventional CMYK printing press gamut on similar substrates. Why? The answer is that the colorants on the Indigo are suspended in
clear paraffin oil, while the pigments of conventional printing presses are mixed into an amber-colored goo comprised of heavier hydrocarbons and evaporants. The vehicle, as it is called, is not clear – not even close. And there we get a dulling (graying) effect on the colorants that results in a measurably smaller gamut of fully-saturated colors on press. Other factors include ink film thickness and the original colors of the primaries, which can differ slightly.
So, if you make such a machine (HP, Kodak, Xeikon, Xerox, Canon, etc.) or you own and operate one, should you use this larger array of colors, or should you dumb-it-down to a smaller color space in order not to outshine the conventional printing process?
The answer will lie in the intent of the printing produced. Is it designed to match or simulate offset printing? Is it designed to substitute for, or be included with offset printing? If so, then it is smart to simulate offset printing by truncating the color gamut of the digital press.
But, if the digital printing is designed to sell, to stand alone, to cause customers to respond to a nicer gamut of colors, then I say use the bigger, brighter gamut and take advantage of the technology! It seems shameful to have a superior technology and not use it, or not use it to its fullest quality.
Posted by Brian Lawler on January 7, 2008 | Comments (2)
