What’s Not To Like?

Among the key influencers driving the implementation of monitor-based soft proofing and online collaboration, reduced costs and shorter time to market are twin forces to be reckoned with. Decreasing the number of hard copy proofs that are produced and shared among multiple stakeholders in different locations simultaneously yields savings in the form of shipping costs, faster customer signoffs, and potentially significant reductions in chemistry, materials, power, and other elements of the hardcopy proofing process. For these and other compelling reasons, the choice of a monitor-based proofing solution can be a smart decision for both vendors and clients. Says Larry Moore, applications support manager for EskoArtwork, “Shipping and consumables costs of $20 to $200 might not seem too expensive, but when you consider the need to deliver three or four iterations per project, the costs can add up quickly over a year’s worth of projects for a given customer.

“Even if a converter prefers a signed, hard copy contract proof, the preliminary design layout iterations can be delivered as soft proofs in less time and at a greatly reduced cost,” he adds.

The benefits of soft proofing also can be seen in enhanced support for event-driven, local, and short-term promotions, adds Bertin Sorgenfrey, head of international marketing for Dalim Software. “The Steelers and Cardinals are in the Super Bowl? Quick! Get the new labels ready!” he quips.

Beyond color

It’s true that “monitor soft proofing” reduces costs and turnaround time, but it can be used successfully only when certain viewing conditions are met. There are a number of elements necessary for accurate simulation and viewing of color in a soft-proofing environment. Requirements include a monitor with suitable color gamut, monitor calibration, color profiles, color definition, and suitable lighting both for monitor viewing and for -illuminating hard copy proofs or print/package samples. Color definition in packaging also can be extended to include characteristics of inks and substrates to provide accurate color under a broader range of conditions.

“No proof (hard or soft) viewed outside of controlled lighting is accurate,” explains Dan Caldwell, VP of operations, Integrated Color Solutions. “A distinct advantage with soft proofing is the ability of a system to demand correct viewing conditions before a client can sign off on a proof.”

“Clients who take color seriously make sure that every room has the correct lighting conditions, light gray carpets and paint on the walls to prevent reflection, foil for windows to block out UV light, and regular [monitor] calibration,” Sorgenfrey says. “These are just a few parameters, but if you do these things, color management is assured.”

That said, color is only one aspect of soft proofing. Just as important to assuring a satisfactory soft proofing result are organization, communication, timing, simplicity of use, and independence from hardware and software, as well as cooperative IT policies to allow installation or the download of client applications and firewall rules, -Sorgenfrey adds. “How good is any color management if the brand owner can’t even open a file for soft proofing, because he is not allowed to install any third-party applications or receive data through specific firewall ports? How good is color if the converter or trade shop is not able to send work to the right people in the right order?” he asks.

Remote proofing

Soft proofing in a remote scenario presents a slew of challenges related to the need for collaboration among multiple (often far-flung) packaging supply chain partners. Pat Lord, product manager, portal products, Kodak’s Graphic Communications Group, says that above all, remote proofing requires “a good set of tools to deal with controlling and enabling access to the proofing data, as well as managing the color information of the proof and the environment in which those proofs will be viewed.” In addition, “The tool set needs to facilitate the collaboration process so that the history and progress of the review cycle is clear and documented.” Lord says that in many cases, “multiple reviewers or approval steps are involved, from content to legal, and the proofing system must support that process.”

Not only must the solution provide a fail-safe method for annotating and signing off on a proof, but markups also should not remain editable once a file is approved. Moreover, says Caldwell, a solution “should provide easy-to-use measurement tools that can show dimensions and square area of a package for ease of checking nutrition labels and other legal requirements needed in packaging.” Within the walls of a company, adds Moore, “there must be a password-protected system, with different security levels depending upon the seniority or responsibility of each person.”

See Spot run

Early implementations of soft proofing focused on accurate simulation of CMYK, but since have evolved to provide increasingly better handling of spot colors by increasing the color gamut of standard monitors. Easier methods for monitor calibration also have been developed, and more and more workflows are now 100-percent color-managed.

However, Caldwell cautions, “No proofing systems other than those that use a color kitchen to blend inks for proofing or a press run have been able to produce accurate proofs beyond CMYK. In fact, some maintain that a press proof still does not reflect the actual production run.” That said, “soft proofing can build an accurate proof from any set of measured spot values,” he explains. For example, users of ICS Remote Director “can dynamically switch selected colors and print conditions to show a client its package printed in 4-color or 6-color; offset, gravure, or flexo; #3 sheet versus a #1 sheet. The proof can be cloned to provide side-by-side comparisons of these variables, taking the guesswork out of the quality versus cost decisions,” he says.

For its part, Kodak has not only introduced improvements in basic spot color handling, but now offers -Advanced Spot Color Fidelity for use with more sophisticated packaging -requirements. Users of Advanced Spot Color Fidelity can input measurements for LAB color, dot gain, trap, and other values, thereby adjusting the displayed color based on its interaction with the substrate and other inks.

As vendors adopt color libraries and hone their ability to represent spot colors more closely in RGB for a monitor, scant attention has been paid to the many special effects used in packaging, says Moore. With the help of programs such as -EskoArtwork’s Visualizer, which enables viewers to create and share realistic on-screen mockups of complex package designs, users can better see how foils, metallic inks, embossing, and even holograms will appear under special lighting conditions and on the store shelf.

Studio, another useful tool from -EskoArtwork, is an Adobe Illustrator plug-in that creates a three-dimensional viewing environment in which designers can see their artwork applied instantly on the packaging.

Within its DiALOGUE online soft proofing server application, Dalim Software offers server-based online monitor calibration without the need for users to download additional software tools.

Soft’s future

No one doubts that the package-printing industry will continue to see improvements in spot color handling and that color-managed soft proofing will become increasingly mainstream. In addition, says Caldwell, “The move toward color-accurate proofing of the package folded in a 3D model will evolve. These models will be viewed in various environments to show a client how the package looks on the store shelf. Proofing of the clear window in a package with embossing and other textures will become a reality.”

Will soft proofing tools eventually replace traditional approval methods, such as hard copy proofing? Dalim Software’s Sorgenfrey believes they will, and that soft proofing will become an important technology for the future positioning of a packaging company. “It gets back to the requirements of brand owners,” he says. “If you want full control of every production step where changes are made to files and formats on an ongoing basis, sending hard copy proofs is tremendously inefficient -because the creative process overlaps with production. Files are continually adapted for different substrates, structures, ink settings, regional versions, brand extensions, and production settings. It takes a long time. Converters need to be able to meet the time to market for each product.” Soft proofing makes the process that much easier. pP