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How A Custom Reference Can Be Useful

November 5, 2020 by bruceb Leave a Comment

In our last post, we discussed how you can use our SpotOn Verify software to compare a measurement of a printing device to a reference such as GRACoL 2013. While there is nothing necessarily wrong with this approach, using a custom reference could be more useful.

The Problem With Using RPCs

Reference print conditions (RPCs) such as GRACoL 2013 can be helpful as an aim or target to achieve because they are based on a composite of different devices. Therefore they are achievable targets. Because of this, they are generally accepted throughout the printing industry.

The problem is that there isn’t a reference print condition for every printing process. Often you are trying to aim your printing devices to a reference that isn’t for your industry. An example would be printing signage on vinyl using GRACoL 2013, which is an offset on coated stock reference and not inkjet on vinyl.

In Tolerance, But Not Consistent Color

Another issue is that being in spec to an industry standard doesn’t mean that your printing device is producing consistent color. At no time can you actually hit the bullseye of the target to which you are aiming. It’s just not possible. The results will always be a bit off.

What happens if you are off to the left one day by an acceptable amount (within tolerance) and the next day you are off to the right by an acceptable amount (again, within tolerance)? Both prints are within tolerance to the target, but they are off to each other by more. This becomes a color shift that you and your customers can see.

Bonnie and Clyde

As an illustration of this, we often refer to our Bonnie and Clyde scenario. In this instance, Bonnie and Clyde were two separate printers of the same model using the same inks and substrates and printing the same jobs.

The client was frustrated because when each machine was measured and compared to GRACoL, they both were within tolerance to GRACoL based on industry standards. However, the two printers were visibly not printing the same. How could two printers that were both within accepted industry tolerance of GRACoL be producing such obvious color differences?

Image of Bonnie and Clyde bullseye 1

The answer can be determined by these bullseye charts. As you can see, the two printers are both within a reasonable range of the GRACoL standard. But just because they are both within that range of GRACoL doesn’t mean they are in a reasonable range of each other.

Take a look at this second bullseye chart below in which we compare Bonnie and Clyde to each other instead of GRACoL.

Image of Bonnie and Clyde bullseye 2

In our client’s situation in which they desired their two printing devices to produce consistent color, it would make more sense to measure and compare the two machines to each other than to an industry reference.

Monitoring A Single Printing Device

This same methodology works in a situation where someone wants to monitor a single printing device over time.

Once you have that device where you want it (usually targeting some industry reference like GRACoL), take a measurement and make that your baseline for comparison in SpotOn Verify. Continue taking measurements comparing each measurement to the new baseline you created. The resulting charts SpotOn generates will show you exactly how much your printing device drifts away from that baseline you created.

The next step is to establish tolerances for the amount of drift. When the device drifts outside those tolerances, take corrective action (usually maintenance or recalibration of some sort depending on the device) to get it back in tolerance.

Color Management Is A Process

Managing color is a process that needs to be verified on a regular basis. The goal should be to keep color consistent.

To do this, it is necessary to create a realistic baseline or target. This realistic target should be based on how your device prints on a given substrate in your shop.

Monitoring the device to itself in this fashion will result in graphs in SpotOn that show the variation of this device to itself over time. If you define a reasonably tight tolerance, you can keep your device printing visually consistent over a very long period of time.

Of course, you can make this process more robust by monitoring multiple printing devices to a single reference like the Bonnie and Clyde example. You can also use this method to determine how much of a difference there is when switching to a different substrate. Sometimes you can find that several substrates print similarly, yet others can print very differently.

By making these comparisons using your custom reference, you can determine which substrates will require their own calibration and profile. Plus, you will learn how much substrate contributes to color differences.

Ready For A Demonstration?

If you would like to learn more about how SpotOn Verify can help you produce consistent color with your printing devices, we would be happy to give you a free online demonstration. Contact us to schedule a date and time!

Filed Under: Color Management

Working With Trends Can Help Control Printing Devices

September 29, 2020 by bruceb Leave a Comment

In our last blog post, we talked about how process control should never stop in your color management strategy. We explained that it’s just as important to maintain your printer’s profile as it is to maintain the printer itself.

To create and maintain a profile through trends, you must incorporate two things into your process. You need a measuring instrument and some kind of verification software like our SpotOn Verify to validate the profile.

But how does that work?

Following The Trends

After you create a profile for your printing device, SpotOn Verify allows you to measure and validate a control strip printed from your device using the new profile. That measurement is compared to a specified target such as GRACoL® 2013. By comparing the profile to a target, we can verify the accuracy of the calibration and ICC profile.

Another thing that verification software can do is save these measurements. That way, users can track the performance of their devices over time. If you notice that your color is starting to drift, you don’t necessarily have to re-profile your printing device. Instead, you can print the chart, measure it and again compare it against your target. If it’s drifted too far away from that target, then you might consider re-profiling the printer.

Image of Trend Graph SpotOn Verify

The Answer Is In Consistent Reporting

SpotOn can also show you how your most recent measurement compares to previous ones through trend reports. Showing the trend of the printer’s performance over time can help in the overall maintenance of the printing device. It can also help you decide when it’s time to re-calibrate and/or re-profile.

Measuring printer consistency should be developed into a daily routine. The more frequently you measure, the easier it is to understand the behavior of your printing devices and track consistency over time.

In this way, you are actually taking control and managing your devices instead of being surprised with inconsistent prints.  You can’t manage anything if you aren’t taking measurements and evaluating the results.

Image of hands of car driver on steering wheel, road trip, driving on hig

I like to use driving your car as an easy to understand analogy. Keeping your car in its lane is like keeping your printing devices printing consistently.

Customers ask how frequently they should measure their printing device’s consistency. I ask them how long they can close their eyes while driving down the road. I know that’s a bit extreme; but the concept is still the same.

If you want to stay on the road, you have to pay attention to where the car is at all times. If you want your printing devices to print consistently, you have to pay attention (take measurements and analyze the results) on a regular basis. Maybe you don’t have to do this as frequently as you do driving a car, but at least daily should be a bare minimum.

You have to decide how long you want to go without knowing if your devices are printing consistently. Define the frequency and make it a shop policy.

Filed Under: Color Management

Process Control Never Stops In Color Management

September 1, 2020 by bruceb Leave a Comment

Or More Appropriately, Process Control SHOULD Never Stop in Color Management

I had an instructor in a class I was taking say, “You can’t have color management without process control.” I thought about that for a bit and decided he was right.

One of the biggest constants in color management for printing is maintenance. The physical condition of the printer needs to be maintained. The environmental conditions of the printer need to be monitored. And the profile of the printer needs constant process control to achieve consistent and predictable color.

Image of Process Control

Color Management Strategy And Software Is Key

To create a profile and maintain a profile, you need two things: a measuring instrument and verification software to validate the profile. This is a huge part of process control.

SpotOn Verify is a flexible powerful tool that helps you clearly define performance and control your print process. The Visual Match Scorecard shows you how visually consistent devices are. The software provides tracking and trending data to help you print consistently over time.

Image of printer matching

So, Wait. What’s A Profile?

To have a good color management strategy, you need to understand what you’re trying to maintain.

A profile is a characterization of how a printing device prints at that moment in time. It takes into account all the variables that could affect printing such as environment, media, ink, substrate, print speed and resolution.

Changing one of these variables can negatively affect the quality of printing. Therefore, the profile has to be maintained so that it can accurately do its job.

Process Control Through Verification

After creating a profile for a printer, it can provide great quality print jobs. A couple of months later, the quality shifts in the wrong direction. Many variables such as replacing ink or print heads or using different substrates could cause this shift.

Before deciding to re-profile the machine, print out a control strip, measure it against a specified target and use a verification software system to view the results. Many applications record the status of a printer over time.

Measure charts and keep a trend report to assess printer performance. The shift may not be significant enough to warrant re-profiling the printer or you may find that it’s time to re-calibrate the machine.

If you do regular checkups on the profile of your printer and its performance through verification, you are using process control to maintain the condition of that printer.

The next post will talk about how to use those trending reports in verification software to control printing devices.

For a demonstration of SpotOn Verify, please contact us to schedule a time.

Image of Visual Match

Filed Under: Color Management

How Substrate-Corrected Colorimetric Aims Work in SpotOn Color

July 24, 2020 by bruceb Leave a Comment

Recently, we have been trying to highlight various features within the SpotOn Analyze and Verify software that both users and non-users may not know exist.

One of those features was Visual Match Scorecard. Another is SCCA or Substrate-Corrected Colorimetric Aims and that’s what we would like to discuss today.

What Is SCCA?

Substrate-corrected colorimetric aims refers to a mathematical formula that approximates the L*a*b* values on a different substrate.

According to the Idealliance site when describing SCCA:

“The value of SCCA in the G7 Master process is that it allows a print or proof made on a non-standard substrate to be judged for its “relative accuracy,” i.e. how it would appear to an observer in the absence of a comparison proof.”

That is why SCCA is referred to as substrate relative.

The SCCA Calculator

A while ago, we helped develop an SCCA calculator for Idealliance. It’s free and anyone can access it. You can view the calculator here.

If you take a look at the image below, you can see that in this example of the calculator we are referencing GRACoL 2013 (CRPC 6). The L*a*b* values of the substrate (first column and row under the Analysis chart) are 95, 1, -4.

On the left, we can choose a test chart, like the TC1617, and measurement condition, like M1. In the fourth option down on that left-hand column, we can alter L*a*b* values for our desired substrate. In this example, we changed the b* value to -6 instead of -4.

Back under the Analysis chart in the second column, you can see how the SCCA calculator adjusted the values for CMYK, RGB, and neutral colors based on the desired substrate’s b* value change.

In the third column labeled “Deltas,” you can see the effect of the substrate change on the CMYK, RGB, and neutral patches.

Image of SCCA

SCCA in SpotOn

From the SpotOn startup splash screen, you can choose Settings (the wrench and gear icon in the image below).

Image of SpotOn startup screen

Choose to change the settings of Analyze/Verify in the top menu and choose Tolerance Sets (highlighted in blue below). The ability to turn on substrate relative or SCCA is one of the options in a tolerance set. We suggest picking an italicized tolerance set (system default tolerance sets) that doesn’t have SCCA turned on (G7 Targeted has it turned on) in the list at left and making a copy of it (duplicate). Then you can turn on the SCCA option by checking the Substrate Relative checkbox and Saving that tolerance set with a new name. I usually add SCCA to the end of the tolerance set name so I know that SCCA is turned on for that tolerance set vs. the original where it is off.

Image of Settings Screen

When Should You Turn On SCCA?

When you verify your print and your problem areas are in the whites or lighter colors, it’s often due to the difference between the substrate being printed on and the reference set substrate. Try using the new tolerance set you just made that has the SCCA or substrate relative option turned on.

Image of Substrate Patches

It’s important to note that substrate correction isn’t always the answer, but it can be a powerful tool in SpotOn Color just like the SCCA Calculator.

Filed Under: Color Management

Visual Match Scorecard: A Pictorial Explanation

May 21, 2020 by bruceb Leave a Comment

SpotOn Color users are probably pretty used to gauging their print consistency by just the basic pass/fail metric. Perhaps they don’t even venture from this Verify screen (as seen below) where the control strip is measured. Maybe this screen has enough information for them. But maybe not.

We’d like to explain how the Visual Match Scorecard in SpotOn Color works at a higher level than just a pass/fail.

Press Run Verification

Image of SpotOn Verify Control Strip

This was a verification of a press run, which is why it’s a single row control strip. The pass/fail metric is popular because it can show the press operator problems with CMYK or gray. But it doesn’t show you what the color is going to look like and that’s what makes Visual Match so much more effective. With Visual Match, you are getting an assessment based on the visual appearance between the print and the reference or proof.

For this particular press run, measurements were verified and compared to GRACoL® 2006 over time. Here’s a report of that press run over time using the pass/fail G7® Targeted metrics.

Image of VMS-Blog-Pass-Fail-Device-Graphs-GRACoL-912x1400

Pretty confusing as to how that press run went, right?

Now let’s take a look at a report of that very same press run using the Visual Match Scorcard.

Visual Match Scorecard In Pictures

Image of visual match report new

The Visual Match Scorecard allows you to see the results of each measurement in a single metric, making it much easier to compare those measurements. In the report above, the measurement in yellow was the closest to GRACoL 2006.

Since that measurement was the closest to GRACoL 2006, we made that measurement the reference target. As you can see by the chart below, the last two measurements now stand out among the rest as having no visual difference from one another. (See the green bar color in the chart below.)

Image of Visual Match Scorecard Reference 2

So, by using the Visual Match Scorecard feature, we’ve gone beyond just the industry standard pass/fail metric. We’ve included the actual visual appearance into the verification process. The goal is to not rely on a bunch of pass/fail metric values that are great production control metrics (like solid ink density) but don’t inform us about the consistency or quality of the color. While press operators might like this approach for running an offset press, it isn’t helpful from the client perspective of needing their color to match what was printed last time.

Trends Over Time

Suppose you as a printer were tasked with printing another company’s business card with a brand color. Then three months later, they hire a new employee and need business cards for that person. You print the new cards and the brand color doesn’t match. Obviously, the client is not happy.

Sure, you can run the print with a control strip, measure it and compare it to a target to get a pass/fail. But the customer doesn’t care if the print passes when compared to GRACoL 2006. They care that the two business cards with the company brand color don’t match and are very visually different.

We recently published a blog post where we used a bull’s eye target to display the differences between two printers. A client had two printers of the same make and model. They used both printers to print the same job. Over time, the prints began to look visually different. When compared to GRACoL 2006, both printers passed. But when compared to each other by making one printer the reference point, they were far apart. That’s because the printers drifted in different directions.

Image of SpotOn Bulls Eyes

On the left is the comparison of each printer to GRACoL. On the right is the comparison between the two printers. The colors represent the colors used in the Visual Match Scorecard.

The point here is that while the individual printers may result in a pass status, they may still be unable to print consistent color compared to one another. If you are only relying on the pass/fail metric to GRACoL, you wouldn’t be able to identify the true visual difference between the two printers. Visual Match Scorecard provides a true visual assessment that helps you better “see” your color consistency. When the Visual Match score indicates a change in color accuracy, you can actually see that difference.

If you would like a personal online demonstration of how Visual Match Scorecard works, please contact us and we will get it on the calendar!

Filed Under: Color Management

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Recent Posts

  • How A Custom Reference Can Be Useful
  • Working With Trends Can Help Control Printing Devices
  • Process Control Never Stops In Color Management
  • How Substrate-Corrected Colorimetric Aims Work in SpotOn Color
  • Visual Match Scorecard: A Pictorial Explanation

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