Page 46 - Print21 July-Aug 2018 Magazine

Colour management
Measure your success with spectrophotometers
X-Rite
<www.starleaton.com.au>
• eXact: handheld spectrophotometer and
densitometer available in ‘standard’ and ‘advanced’ models. Standard is for press operators, Advanced for Ink labs, QC etc. Integrated Pantone spectral data. M0, M2 and M3 compliant
• i1 Publish Pro2: the latest in the popular i1 series of spectrophotometers with everything you
need to create profiles for printers, monitors, cameras, projectors using iProfiler software. OBC compensation for papers with OBCs.
• i1Studio: for designers and photographers who don’t want to get too involved with colour management but want predictable results
• i1i0: a chart-reader essentially an i1 connected to a robotic arm and table for reading flat charts with up to 500 patches for highly accurate custom profiles
• i1iSis2: automated feed chart reader for speeding up profile creation. M0, M1 and M2 compliant.
• Intellitrax2: for automated press-side scanning of full width colour bars in high-productivity presshall environments
• eXact Scan: a strip/bar scanning version of the eXact for use in offset, digital, flexo and prepress environments..
Techkon
<www.colourgraphicservices.com>
• SpectroDens: all-purpose spectral and densitometric
measurement anywhere from prepress to print. Fulfills M0, M1,M2 and M3 measuring conditions to ISO 1355 and comes with SpectroConnect PC software for reporting
• SpectroJet: essentially a Spectrophotometer ‘on wheels’ for fast manual scanning of colour strips and bars. Comes with ExPresso software for PC
• Dens: a handy, pocketable densitometer-only measuring instrument indicating densities, dot area and grey balance. Can be used anywhere in the production workflow
• SpectroDrive: A fully motorised and automated press-side bar scanning solution that displays colour density, dot gain, gray balance, L*a*b*-values and can ‘close the loop’ of colour control when used with Printflow and PrintSpec systems.
Barbieri
<www.kayellaustralia.com.au>
• SpectroPad: a hand held portable instrument aimed
at digital and wide format markets
• Spectro LFP qb: a chart-reading automatic
spectrophotometer that can also read spot colours
with detachable head.
• SpectroSwing: an automated scanning chart reader
for printer linearization and profiling.
Above: Techkon SpectroDens
from Colour Graphics Services.
Right (L-R): David Crowther – the ‘Colour Doctor’ of Colour Graphic Services; Michael Cunha – colour applications specialist with Starleaton.
“Colour standardisation is not new,” says Crowther. “ISO 12647- 2:2013 is now well accepted and in use by printers globally for offset process colour print. New ISO standards are emerging to cope with spot colours and the increased sophistication, complexity and finishes available in packaging print. ISO 20654 specifies the method required for measuring the calculation of Spot Colour Tone Values (SCTV) – now required as more and more spot colour print includes tonal data rather than just solid colour.”
Emerging standards for colour quality management, colour conformity of a printing workflow and packaging printing colour reproduction, are currently under development as ISO 19301, 2 and 3. But that’s another story.
Starleaton boosts colour management team
X-Rite distributor Starleaton has boosted its services in colour management with the appointment of Michael Cunha as applications specialist.
Michael Cunha arrives with lengthy experience in colour management for textiles as well as FOGRA-certified colour in print, having worked with UK-based fashion house Burberry for many years, followed by four years in Perth, before crossing the Nullarbor
with his family to take up residence in Sydney.
“With textiles, there are so many variables, you need many checkpoints to ensure colour accuracy and there are no international standards,
as there are in offset and digital printing to paper,” he says. “We found measuring instruments can vary
and processes can drift, requiring re-calibration every few hours. X-Rite has worked very hard on inter- instrument agreement for measuring accuracy and creating ICC profiles.”
Cunha’s main function is to assist the applications team to ensure that Starleaton customers get optimum use from their X-Rite spectrophotometers, densitometers and software. “We are expanding technical expert services,” he says, “in pushing the concept of fully colour-managed workflows, we can work with any RIP or workflow and teach customers how to work smarter, not necessarily harder, to achieve the right colour every time.”
As a leading supplier of roll and
rigid media to the wide format sector, Starleaton already provides ICC profiling services to its consumable customers.
“Our team has now expanded further,” says Cunha. “We are here to support internal sales, information sharing and continual improvement
of Starleaton’s colour management services. For example, in the photo and fine art world, customers work with RGB workflow and expanded gamuts
– this requires completely different colour management to, say, ISO 12647 offset colour.” 21
46 Print21 JULY/AUGUST 2018