X-Rite Inc. and its wholly-owned subsidiary Pantone LLC, have proposed a new program for the printing industry to harmonize different makes and models of instruments. "This is an important first step in an initiative to help everyone, up and down the supply chain, to work together seamlessly," said X-Rite executive vice president and chief technology officer Francis Lamy.
Industry experts lend their advice on the best ways to approach remote proofing for packaging. IT HAS BEEN observed that Ginger Rogers did everything Fred Astaire did, except that she did it backwards and in high heels. It's the same with proofing (Fred) and remote proofing (Ginger). Throw in the complex proofing requirements of packaging printers and a straightforward series of dance steps becomes an intricate high-wire act, in which the accurate long-distance reproduction of graphics, text, placement, and structure—as well as the matching of special brand or logo colors—can make or break an important job. Like commercial printers, packaging printers can save
PRINT 05 & CONVERTING 05 drew an international audience to the Windy City for a week of new technology demonstrations. THE STATISTICS ARE in from the Graphic Arts Show Company (GASC). PRINT 05 & CONVERTING 05, held last month in Chicago, was a big success by many of the reported metrics. Attendance was in the neighborhood of 62,000. The number of exhibitors, 954, was up from the 893 at the last PRINT show in 2001. The international flavor of the show was demonstrated by the more than 7,200 international attendees from 99 countries, up from 75 in 2001. Clearly, the show had the
Extended color printing could be the next best thing to the eye of the beholder in the package-printing industry. PHILOSOPHICALLY SPEAKING, THE exact nature of color may be in dispute forever. As far as brand owners and the package and label printers who work with them are concerned, however, color is a concrete, measurable reality and the most critical component of print quality. If the job of the packaging or label designers is to create shelf appeal and ensure brand recognition, the job of packaging and label printers is to lock in those attributes by reproducing those designs as faithfully, efficiently, and affordably as
New digital proofing technologies streamline a critical process in the prepress workflow. by Marie Alonso, Prepress Editor ALL THE BUZZ in proofing is soft proofing, color calibration, and digital proofing for the packaging environment. And it has been for several years, but with increasing fervor, collaborations, and software enhancements. Companies aspiring to take leading positions in their respective specialties are joining the progressive package-printing leaders in deploying the latest, most sophisticated digital proofing technologies available. Electronics for Imaging (EFI) has truly redefined itself, acquiring Best Color in order to gain a strong hold on the digital proofing market. Today, it is strongly marketing its
The color management process hinges on consistency and the interoperability of print job components. By Jessica Millward, Associate Editor Call it the ultimate communicator. Your typical color management system (CMS) is charged with translating the appearance of color from origination source to monitor to proof. And this is no rough translation. Nuance means everything in the realm of color—the difference between sun-ripened yellow and burnt orange. The ongoing evolution of printing from art to science has initiated the systemization of color management. The challenge for CMS originators now is to keep the lines of communication open between themselves, their customers, and even their competitors.
