CHROMiX ColorNews Issue #39 - I wish print were more like the movies |
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Welcome to ColorNews, a periodic update on things related to Color Management. We strive for a newsletter of high value to our readers. Please let us know your interests so we can address these concerns in future issues. ColorForums.com hosts a discussion area for feedback as well: www.colorforums.com ======================================================== C H R O M i X C O L O R N E W S
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1. CHROMiX News - Curve2! Virtual Press Run, CurveCore, Maxwell, DisplayWatch and ColorValet Pro ======================================== CHROMiX News ========================================
Curve2 the new version of IDEALink Curve, Virtual Press Run an add-on module for Curve2 that eliminates entire press runs, and CurveCore the SDK for Curve2's underlying technology were introduced on Monday. If you are interested in a demo and more details, check the bottom of this article for the date & time of a webinar next Tuesday. Now, the details:
Curve2: IDEALink Curve, a joint-development between (CHROMiX) and HutchColor, ushered in the age of G7 calibration and helped propel it into a mainstream press calibration technique that is the basis for today's North American characterization colors in GRACoL #1, SWOP #3 and SWOP #5 (and more to follow). We've been working on the underlying technology and new features for almost two years now. The results are worth the wait. Over 50 new functions and features have been added to Curve2. A new document format holds a series of press runs in a single file, allowing Curve2 to double check run-to-run consistency, check how well a run meets G7 metrics, and base one set of curves on another. Iterative tuning becomes as simple as selecting the previous run. The accuracy of the underlying algorithms is also significantly improved. Graphing has seen a complete redesign. Curve 1.1 users will be happy to see that all Curve2 graphs have integrated zoom, pan and expansion tools. You can view Curve2's corrections vs control points and optimize the control points sent to the RIP for the most effective corrections possible. Curve2 can now export some important formats such a device link profiles, Photoshop(tm) curves, text files and RIP configuration files. Curve2 can also display the "Measured" percentages required by some RIPs, instead of the more common "Wanted" percentages. As a surprise to some users, Curve2 can also calculate ISO-standard TVI curves instead of G7 curves. TVI calibration was the number one request from European users. Including both methods allows users to compare the TVI and G7 methods of calibration and makes Curve2 a more flexible tool. Curve2 is entering beta testing next week and is expected to ship by the end of October. Special pre-release pricing on upgrades and new versions ends when Curve2 is released. Upgrades will still be available at a discount until 90 days after release. Curve2 has a recommended retail price of $1,199 and a pre-release price of $1,099. Curve2 with VPR lists for $2,499 or $2,399 pre-release. Existing IDEAlink Curve users can upgrade for $499 pre-release (thereafter $599 to $799) or $1,798 for Curve2 with VPR. Take advantage of pre-release pricing to save on upgrades and new copies.
There are too many features to list here so please visit the new Curve2 section of our website for more information, pre-release sales and upgrade details:
Finally, at this time we're also announcing a technical forum devoted especially to Curve2 and IDEALink Curve: colorforums.com/curve
G7-calibrating a press requires multiple, dedicated press runs right? Not any more. Our VPR technology has been under development for more than two years so we're excited to finally reveal this powerful new tool. The environmental and financial impact will benefit small and large printers alike and we expect the ROI to be realized on the very first job. Without VPR, obtaining a press profile from a G7-calibrated press requires at least two press runs; one with null plate curves to calculate the G7 calibration curves, and a second to print the profiling target through the resulting plate curves to profile the press.
Virtual Press Run is an add-on module to Curve2. VPR will enter beta testing with Curve2 within two weeks and is expected to ship by the end of October.
CurveCore is a new toolkit enabling developers and manufacturers to include G7 curve calculation and evaluation in their products. In response to numerous requests, we are now making the core technology inside Curve2 available for integration into new and existing Graphic Arts products like RIPs, printer drivers, workflow solutions and analysis software. To a developer, licensing CurveCore means shorter development times and virtually no research costs, because the complex gray balance and curve fitting algorithms inside the original IDEAlink Curve software have already had three years of practical field testing in hundreds of end user sites. The core algorithms have been further enhanced for even greater accuracy and functionality in Curve2. Another benefit of licensing CurveCore is that IDEALink Curve is the defacto G7 reference implementation, so G7 conformance testing or certification should go very smoothly. We will ensure that Curve2 passes IDEAlliance's planned G7 conformance testing, so any application using CurveCore should also pass as long as developers follow the SDK development procedures. Our friends at SpotOn! Press have already announced support for CurveCore, announcing this week that their SpotOn pressroom monitoring and trending tool will include CurveCore's G7 curve calculation capabilities in a future add-on module.
Curve2 <Curve2 press release
Webinar: Curve2: A webinar demonstrating Curve2 and discussing its many new features is scheduled for Tuesday Sept. 22, 2009 at 11:00 am Pacific US (First Day of Autumn). Send an email to webinars(at)chromix.com and we'll send you connection information.
Steve Upton of CHROMiX will be a guest speaker at the February 25th - 26th, 2010, FOGRA Colour Management Symposium in Munich, Germany. Brush up on your Deutsch Steve!
Have you ever wished that you could be automatically notified when your monitor needs calibration or, more importantly, when it is out of tolerance? DisplayWatch is the unique combination of Maxwell and ColorShuttle applied to a monitor instead of a printer. ColorShuttle interacts with your system and monitor to accumulate every calibration made, and automatically uploads each file into a Maxwell 'Track'. Then, notifiers (that you set) will let you know when the monitor is out of tolerance. And much more...
Overview of the latest Maxwell features: For complete Maxwell product information, go to www.mxwell.com
If you'd like to register for a free one month trial Track, email us at
For users, check out the ColorForums.com discussion area for Maxwell and ColorShuttle:
ColorValet Pro ($199 for 18 months):
-or-
ColorValet Print ($99 for each profile, $396 for 5-pack, $699 for 10-pack):
The website includes a comprehensive FAQ that should answer all your questions. We've also created a matrix to help differentiate between ColorValet Print and ColorValet Pro ColorValet Pro Matrix
PRICE MATCHING POLICY: Through the years, many people have purchased 3rd party color management products from CHROMiX because of the additional value that CHROMiX provides (pre-sales advice, post-sales help, support, and a fabulous sense of humor). In most cases, we've been able to price match (or come close) if asked. We never want price to be an issue if you want to buy from CHROMiX. In an effort to make this policy more visible, we've added a 'Price Matching Policy' star burst near the price for most 3rd party items for sale on our website. If you have any questions, call us toll free at (866) CHROMiX, ext 1.
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SHOWS & EVENTS
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September 11th-16th, 2009, GASC presents PRINT 09 or myPrint 09, McCormick Place, Chicago, IL. www.gasc.org
September 24th, 2009, The Pacific Northwest Color Management Users Group Portland Chapter presents Tyler Boley: Bringing traditional photography standards into the digital age. Event to be held at 6:30 PM at The Oregonian, Portland, OR. Members $10, non-members $20. For RSVP and more information: pnwcmug.com
September 30th - November 1st, 2009, IDEAlliance presents the 25th Annual Conference on MarkUp & XML at the Hilton Arlington, Arlington, VA. For more information: idealliance.org
October 1st-3rd, 2009, Photoshop World Conference and Expo, Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, Las Vegas, NV. photoshopworld.com
October 8th, 2009, IDEAlliance presents The Power of Print, A Print Presidents Perspective. Event starts at 4:30 PM at Time-Life Building, 1271 Avenue of the Americas - Between 50th & 51st, NY, NY. idealliance/meetings
October 22nd - 23rd, Packaging - Print, Finishing and Functionalities, Munich, Germany. A symposium organized by The Fogra Graphic Technology Research Association. Featuring Current trends in packaging development and design, Requirements of customers and lawmaker, Practical experiences from pharmaceutical and foodstuff packaging, Materials and quality control, Print finishing, transport and printed RFID. For more: fogra.org
November 18th, 2009, The Pacific Northwest Color Management Users Group, Seattle WA Chapter presents Barry Haynes: Photoshop with Bridge and Photoshop actions to automate color correction tasks and other Production Tips. Event to held at 6:30 PM somewhere in Seattle, WA To Be Determined. Members $10, non-members $20. For RSVP and more information: pnwcmug.com/eventsseattle
November 19th, 2009, The Pacific Northwest Color Management Users Group, Portland OR Chapter presents Barry Haynes discussing Photoshop with Bridge and Photoshop actions to automate color correction tasks and other Production Tips. Event to held at 6:30 PM at The Oregonian, Portland, OR. Members $10, non-members $20. For RSVP and more information: pnwcmug.com/events
December 6th-8th, 2009, Printing Industries of America (PIA) presents the 11th Annual Color Management Conference, The Hilton Tapatio Cliffs Resort, Phoenix, AZ. Attendees include beginners to experts for this ALL color management only conference. New this year: a Full Digital Track (color management for printers) produced by the Digital Printing Council, a Pre-Conference Session focusing on color management processes for sheetfed, flexography, web printers, and finally a Pre-Conference Annual Off-Site Photo Shoot for both beginners and experts. CHROMiX will be attending as both vendor and with Steve Upton as a speaker at this event. Be sure to come by and see us. For more details or to register ColorManagementConference
January 19th - 22nd, 2010, PAMEX 2010, 7th International Exhibition on Printing and Allied Machinery Industries, Pragati Maidan, New Delhi, India pamex.in
January 18th-20th, 2010, Premedia Spectrum 2.0, at the Naples Beach Hotel and Golf Club, Naples, Fla. This event is a merging of the Gravure Association of America's Premedia conference and IDEAlliance's Spectrum360 conference. This new event addresses the convergence of premedia across multichannel digital supply chains.
February 25th - 26th, 2010, FOGRA Colour Management Symposium, Konferenzzentrum Sheraton Muenchen Arabellapark, Germany. Our very own Steve Upton of CHROMiX will travel to Germany to be a guest speaker at this event.
February 25th-27th, 2010, Graphics of the Americas, Miami Beach Convention Center, Miami, FL. Presented by GAIN. graphicsoftheamericas.com
Color, Product & Industry News
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Apple has released 'Snow Leopard' which is version 10.6 of OS X. apple.com
SL 10.6 does offer some amazing things:
In the 'Tech Notes' section below we have a list of current/known compatibilities of Snow Leopard with CHROMiX software products.
On September 14th Eizo Nanao Technologies (Eizo) announced their new CG243W, a new 24" IPS panel LCD monitor for $2469 MSRP. It is expected to take over the top 24" spot in their high end color accurate graphics line. The CG243W touts the new IPS panel, 10-bit DisplayPort, 98% Adobe RGB gamut, 3D-LUT and more. This is a perfect model for high-end color critical work. The CG243W provides a full DDC hardware calibration using Eizo Color Navigator calibration and profiling software (included). We are told that it should be available in mid-late September. Product page: Eizo CG243W
Eizo released version 5.2.3 of Color Navigator calibration software earlier in 2009. One particular feature called Light Box Brightness Adjustment integrates an Eizo ColorEdge series model with the JUST USB Interface and allows direct control of an JUST Normlicht colorCommunicator 2 light booth. This combined technology allows for a much more accurate screen to proof color matching by closely matching the light box's brightness to the desired target value of the monitor.
Eizo is introducing the new FlexScan SX2462W. This model replaces the popular SX2461W model and is very similar is specs to the new CG243W (above). This model will appeal to those who want a high quality viewing product but don't need the full DDC hardware calibration available from the CG243W. Press Release; SX2462W
JUST Normlicht announced the JUST LED Color Viewing Light, which is the first Fogra Certified viewing booth meeting requirements of ISO 3664:2009. It uses LED generated light to simulate D50 and other light sources. JUST Normlicht will be showing this at the Print 09 in Chicago in September.
Pantone is offering a trade-in of your expired Pantone products for up to date versions, a rebate of up to $500, and will make a charitable donation to the Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation from your purchase. Called the 'Chip In' program. For more: www.pantone.com
X-Rite introduced a new product at Print 09, the EasyTrax for semi-automated target scanning.
X-Rite losses are less than last year. Good news.
X-Rite has streamlined and enhanced many products including the i1Pro line, ProfileMaker, Monaco Profiler and more. Many products are also discontinued. Please call CHROMiX sales if you need help or have any questions.
Kodak unveiled its long-awaited Stream four-color 20-inch wide 650 fpm inkjet web press called the Prosper S10.
Dell announces its first IPS 24" LCD panel in Japan, eventually should be available in the US. The UltraSharp U2410 makes a splash at under $800:
Forum TOPICS, Random Findings, Recommended Readings, Etc.:
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For anyone looking to better utilize their usage of ColorThink, Brian Lawler has a great perspective and some guidance in an article titled 'Why didn't my photo come out like it does on my screen?'
DisplayPort technology has been tossed around the industry and many forums lately and discussed as the new standard in monitor communication protocol and connectivity.
A look at the new MacBook Pro displays from Rob Galbraith:
...the matte option for the 15" MacBook Pro LCD screen:
Mark Dubovoy describes his 'Tale of Two Displays' (Eizo CG301W vs Apple 30" Cinema) in Luminous Landscape:
And finally, under the heading "Whatever you do, DON'T match that color!"
TECH Notes: SNOW LEOPARD - Apple OS X 10.6 Compatibility - with - CHROMiX software products
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"Snow Leopard" (OS X 10.6) has just been released. This is the newest operating system from Apple for Mac computers.
Below are the initial compatibility & known problems from our tests:
Curve 1.1
Curve2 (beta testing beginning soon)
ColorThink 2.2.1b2 (latest version)
ColorThink Pro 3.0.1b22 (latest)
Note that this does not affect the functionality of the software in any way; this merely affects the appearance of colors - they will be displayed using sRGB instead of the current monitor profile.
A fix will be provided in the next release.
ColorValet Client
Maxwell
ColorShuttle
And, as a non-related side note, i1 Share dies under Snow Leopard, X-Rite is also not likely to update i1 Share.
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This Month's Feature Article:
VIEWPOINT: Sometimes I wish print were more like the movies
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The other day I was looking through a beautifully produced book on fly fishing and was struck by the quality of the whole package. The paper was heavy and lusterous, the design had plenty of white space and called attention to the writing and the amazing photographs. As a color person I was conscious of the depth and detail of the images and that some of them would have been tough to reproduce so well, yet every one of them clearly communicated the intended message and entertained me at the same time. I haven't fished in years, so I was particularly struck by the ability of the book to draw me into a topic that, if asked casually, I wouldn't have said I was very interested in.
If it were a movie, I would have jumped over to IMDB.com (the most wonderful cross-referenced database of film, TV and sometimes musical works) and dug into the screenwriter, cinematographer, director of photography, colorist and other people who'd contributed to the project. I could follow any one of them through their career and might have noticed that the guy who'd done the color also did several films I really liked and a few I didn't know about... perhaps I should look into them. The screenwriter may have been married to one of my favorite directors and their kid might be starring in a film I saw with my kids last week. The browsing, learning, and discovery in IMDB is endless and I often find myself distracted for longer than I'd planned.
But not print.
I leafed to the back of the fly fishing book and found nothing. Nothing. In the movie industry it would have caused a major uproar if they'd left all the credits off the end of a film. But not in print. I wanted to know who did the color. I wanted to know who designed the layout. I wanted to know who printed and bound the book. I wanted to know more about the paper that was used.
I was immediately saddened by the whole thing. How tough would it be to dedicate a page at the end of such a great book to honor the work and talents of the people who put it together? I don't blame the people who made the book. I blame us, as an industry. I can recall a few books that have mentioned the tools used to create the book, the font, sometimes the paper. They have been rare though, and searching through my memory, many of them were produced for technical or print industry topics. Perhaps the book's creators decided that people in our industry might be curious about the work that went into them. A nice gesture, if rare.
But shouldn't credit be given regardless of whether or not the intended audience might be interested? In a movie you can always stand up and leave if you are not interested. But for those of use who are, there are long streams of names to watch scrolling by as we digest the message of the movie with our popcorn.
"But the movie industry is unionized" I hear voices in my head argue. "They probably fought tooth and nail to get credit put into films."
Perhaps. I don't know the industry that well.
I do know that they shouldn't have had to fight to get credit. I know that those who contribute to books and other publications shouldn't have to either.
When I look at printing industries today, some in decline, some holding their own, some growing, I notice that industry studies are often about "Why print is still valid" and other such self-affirming topics. Perhaps if we'd done a better job, over the years, of disclosing and recognizing the efforts and talent that go into print production we wouldn't have to be spending as much time now justifying our existence. It's amazing how much print we digest every day, completely unconscious of its presence and of its influence. When I talk to technical people outside the imaging industries (and sometimes within) I keep hearing that paper is dead, that print is dead. Yet, at least today, so much of what we buy and use has a printed component that we take for granted. A photo on a screen is nice but on paper it has a level of beauty and permanence that emissive displays can't have. They don't need to either. Each has its place and purpose.
When it comes to gift giving I still can't bring myself to give electrons rather than atoms. My daughter has an iPod and no convenient way of listening to CDs yet I prefer giving her CDs as gifts and she prefers to receive music that way. For me, an iTunes gift card is like an acknowledgement of a gift rather than a gift itself. The production of the CD, and the printed insert, has great value in this form.
Oh yeah, and the CD is full of credit for all the people who wrote, arranged, played, sang, recorded, mixed, inspired and otherwise helped bring the art to us.... but the printed insert.... nothing. Sometimes, the photo on the front, very rarely the layout or design. But the production, the layout, the color, the printing, the binding, the paper, the inks, etc, etc, etc. Nothing.
How many of our communications need battery power to exist? Or another way: which of our communications are we willing to leave to the transience of electricity and which do we want to have a more permanent life?
Don't get me wrong. I have to be completely honest about my technical leanings and how I get most of my news, do most of my research, and create and consume most of my written work these days using LCD displays.
But print has it's place. Print has permanence. Print has tactile qualities. Print *exists*.
It's time we reminded those who use and need print just how valuable it is, and just how much credit is deserved in its production.
Thanks for reading,
Steve Upton
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There is much more information on these subjects in our ColorNews archives in previous articles and color management myths, so check out the Reserved Articles section of www.colorwiki.com for more information.
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Entire Contents of CHROMiX ColorNews (c)2009 CHROMiX, Inc. CHROMiX, Maxwell, ColorThink, ColorNews, ColorSmarts, ColorGear, ColorForums and ProfileCentral.com are trademarks of CHROMiX Inc. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners. CHROMiX ColorNews is intended as an informative update to CHROMiX customers and business associates. We are not responsible for errors or omissions. You may not copy or reuse any content from this newsletter without written permission from CHROMiX, Inc.
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