Flexo Septl Cover_FlexoTech Cover 19/09/2013 09:26 Page 1

FLEXOTECH SEPTEMBER 2013

ISSUE 137 September 2013

2013 Take a closer look

d-Flex...
Digital Inkjet
& Flexo Hybrid
System
A TIONS
NOMIN

LABELEXPO
PREVIEW
A myriad of digital possibilities for label production
MOUNTING AND now exists. The launch of the Focus d-Flex
coincides with emerging Inkjet Single Pass Print
PROOFING
technology delivering an industrial performance
suitable for specialist label manufacturers.
COLOUR
MANAGEMENT

INKS AND
MIGRATION

RECYCLING

NEWS
WHITMAR PUBLICATIONS LTD

> Integrated converting solution > Four colours & White option > Combined digital & flexo printing
> Print & supply on demand > No click charges > Re-register option for
> Reduced waste & single pass > Only pay for ink you actually use pre-printed webs
V ISIT OUR WEBSITE AT :
> High end print driver software & RIP > Ink available from variety of sources > Stand alone flexo printing, converting
www.flexotechmag.com & coating press
> Variable information printing > Synthetic & paper substrates (coated)

Focus Label Machinery Ltd

Kendryl Park • Chapel Lane • Bingham Nottingham • NG13 8GF • England • Telephone: +44 (0) 1949 836223 • Fax: +44 (0) 1949 836542
E-mail: [email protected] • Web: www.focuslabel.com
54_55_Layout 1 10/09/2013 12:05 Page 54

Colour management

Colour management in
the pressroom
In the second article of our series on colour management, Stefano d’Andrea, Acus Srl, and
Steve Donegan, Graphic Republik, discuss how colour management extends from pre-press
through to the pressroom.

olour management, colour which may also overlap aware that the colour recipe or

C profiles, targets, rendering

intents, Lab values, spec-
trophotometers. As a printer, some
other colours.

Solid colour
formula will only be guaranteed to
be correct for a particular volume
anilox roller, substrate, plate and
of these words may seem alien, but The appearance of a solid colour tape, that will be used in
please, read on. The following article depends upon the characteristics of final production.
is not only intended for those an ink in combination with other set- Actually, Printer A has more than
involved in pre-press, it is also for tings on a printing system, such as one anilox roller with the same vol-
you, the printer. type of plate, mounting tape, anilox ume and linescreen. Such specifica-
volume, sub- tions were calculated in order to
strate, etc. have an ideal volume for printing
Here is a solids and increases the possibility of
basic sce- greater consistency. He knows the
nario. You rollers will deliver a fairly identical
need to print result when printing.
a green solid
colour. How Printer B
much is pre- In this scenario, ink is formulated or
press purchased without a clear reference
involved in to the actual components which will
this? The be used in production. Printer B
answer is: accepts the fact that the ink colour
very little. may not initially be an exact match
Sure, the on press, but he has other anilox
platemaking rollers with different volumes and
Accurate formulation of ink for each press condition is department linescreen, and he can load more ink
necessary to achieve accurate colour reproduction may provide or reduce the ink quantity until the
a plate which desired result is reached.
The nature of the subject requires defines the solid area to be printed, On top of this, he can also adjust
some reference to pre-press but in and pre-press may be involved in the ink by introducing other colours
essence, it has been written from a producing a visually correct rendi- into the mix until the desired result
pressroom perspective. It compares tion of the solid colour through a is finally reached ... at least for
two similar sized printing companies proofing system. Pre-press may also this time.
which differ in their approach to suggest that the proof colour is only Printer B has invested in a wider
colour management. indicative and the actual printed inventory of rollers and, as a conse-
colour may differ dependent on the quence, allows additional time for
Managing colour aforementioned settings in production changes.
Colour management describes a the pressroom.
series of activities involving tech- Pre-press would only really Halftone colours
nologies that manage the pre-press become involved in making adjust- When halftones are involved, pre-
and printing workflow. It exists in ments if the green solid ink over- press has a greater involvement in
order to achieve a printed appear- printed or was in any way connected the production workflow. Here, not
ance that matches the customer’s to another colour. only are the standard CMYK colour
expectation. These activities start in So what form of colour manage- separations considered, but also any
the pressroom, are continued in pre- ment occurs in the pressroom when spot colours containing halftones.
press and then return to the press- a solid colour needs to be printed? These spot colours may also interact
room for the final print production. Let’s compare the differing philoso- in some way with the CMYK
To illustrate these activities, we phies of Printer A and Printer B. colours.
will begin by focusing on colour The final appearance of colours
appearance and consider these Printing solids depends both on the characteristics
aspects (1) when the colour is just a Printer A of the ink for a particular print con-
solid or linework, and (2) when the Firstly, the correct ink is formulated dition and the pre-press settings
colour contains halftone or tint areas for the respective colour. Printer A is used. If colours are overlapping,

54
September 2013
54_55_Layout 1 10/09/2013 12:05 Page 55

Colour management

pre-press will determine the less dot-gain. The repro

percentage of coverage for each company supplying the
colour. Pre-press tools are plate does not know or
instrumental in applying the understand the reason
correct dot percentage that will for this, it just remakes
appear on the plate through the the plate because it is a
calculations, colour conversions large printer who it does
and different operations that a lot of work for.
were described in the article in Never mind. As printer
the April issue of FlexoTech. B has invested in a wider
When generating the file for inventory of anilox
output to plate, pre-press will rollers, he has come to
aim to replicate the result accept that on occasions,
achieved when the original test he utilises his printing
form was printed during the press as a kind of
press characterisation stage. proofing device
Once the plate is made and during production.
mounted, the printer must do
the same; replicate the original In summary
print condition. This is a basic Who are you Printer A
Characterisation charts assist in initial press
example of colour management or B?
fingerprints and ongoing press colour management
in the pressroom. If your production
Again, two differing examples resembles printer A, con-
of what may actually happen in the ensure the colour profile that was gratulations. If your production
pressroom when separations or calculated after fingerprinting is resembles printer B, some basic
colours with halftones are used in maintained. changes would result in cost savings
production. In this instance, there is a mutually and increased efficiency.
beneficial exchange of information Colour management begins in the
Printing halftones between printer and pre-press. pressroom before a plate is mounted
Printer A or a print is made. To begin with, it
Following the same principle as used Printer B should encompass a thorough sys-
for solid colours, all of the anilox As previously cited, the anilox rollers tem review and analysis. This will
rollers that are used for separations used to print the separations are not assist in the decision-making process
and halftones have identical specifi- the same. In fact, it is common when choosing anilox engravings,
cations (albeit a higher line screen knowledge that in the pressroom of plate, mounting tape, substrate: in
and lower volume compared to those Printer B, the yellow requires more fact all elements involved in the final
used for solids and lineworks). The volume and magenta sometimes production process.
inks used for separations are also needs to be reduced in volume. Print characterisation should at
formulated at the same low volume Cyan sometimes needs to be adjust- least include the recording of tonal
that was determined for the repro- ed and the black ink is closer to grey value reproduction when using a
duction of tonal values according to in order to avoid dirty printing. range of plate linescreens. The resul-
printer’s request. There are actually six anilox rollers tant information helps establish the
As Printer A has invested in iden- available for separations, with four parameters that can be both
tical anilox rollers, he also has the different volumes. achieved and adhered to. Print char-
possibility to measure and in the There is no room for control acterisation also establishes what is
process, manage their quality. When patches and running targets: the cost achievable from each inking roller in
new rollers are purchased, it is easy of substrate is too high to allow for the press department.
to print a reference step-wedge and such sophistication and he saves The ISO norm 12647-6:2012
establish whether they will produce money by using a reduced plate size. mentioned in the previous colour
identical results, within agreed and Anyway, there is not enough time to management article contains refer-
accepted tolerances. Tonal value delay production and measure those ence to dot gain values that can be
reproduction for the most typical values. All in all, the separation inks used for this operation. Once these
line screens are also known, man- are always the same so pre-press parameters are known, they can be
aged and maintained. should only be concerned with used to check consistency, to deter-
Printer A has already requested his ensuring that the dot gain compen- mine maintenance and to provide
pre-press provider to add a series of sation is correct for every job. information via useful numbers
colour patches to every job as he Whenever the printed result of a about the condition of each compo-
wants to monitor the consistency of colour does not satisfy Printer B, he nent within the print configuration.
the print results. It took a bit of get- may change the anilox roller on Of course you could use your
ting used to, actually taking the time press, or/and adjust ink viscosity and press as an elaborate proofing device
to measure and act upon the read- dilution until the target result is – add this colour, try this, change
ings where necessary, but now they reached ... at least for this time. that. But you should consider print-
are invaluable. He in turn is able to Sometimes, corrections on press ing by numbers instead. You are
feedback a constant flow of colour are not enough. Perhaps he feels that more likely to match previous results
information to the pre-press depart- the magenta plate is incorrect and and achieve increased, managed
ment via the prints. This helps needs to be re-made, perhaps with productivity and consistency. n

55
September 2013