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CHROMiX ColorNews Issue #43 - The Why and How of G7 Calibration

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  CHROMiX ColorNews
   Issue # 43 - September 29th, 2010

This Month's Contents

  1. CHROMiX News - Curve2.1, VPR, and Introducing OneRun !  
  2. Latest blog entries in ColoRants (and Raves)
  3. Shows and Events
  4. Color Industry News
  5. Forum Topics, Random Bits, etc.
  6. The Why and How of G7 Calibration - an article by Steve Upton & Pat Herold
  7. CHROMiX Open Box items for sale
  8. ColorNews Administration (feedback, subscriptions, etc.)
CHROMiX Blog
For the very freshest color updates, check out our new blog Colorants (and raves).

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CHROMiX News What the heck have we been up to?

CHROMiX will be at GraphExpo, Chicago, Oct 3rd to 6th.

CHROMiX will be in the Color Management booth # 4049, which is near the G7 Learning Lab areas. We will be talking about G7 and showing off the latest versions Curve2, VPR (Virtual Press Run), and Maxwell. Steve Upton will be speaking at two events. See details under Shows and Events.

Also look for us in various PR circulated during the show.

Introducing: OneRun

The OneRun target, in combination with Curve2's VPR (Virtual Press Run) module, makes it possible to calibrate a printer to G7, using multiple papers, and make profiles for the printer - all in one press run.  The beauty here is that you only have to print one target, on one press run to do all this.  Press calibration and profiling can't get much easier than this!

This is how it works:  To save on space, time and reduce measurement error we've created new, hybrid targets that combine the P2P target with IT8 and other profiling targets. Redundant patches have been removed and the resulting target is smaller and easier to place on a variety of printing forms. Your measurements of this single target, printed on all your papers, are fed into Curve2.1.  The software extracts the individual targets from the OneRun target using the P2P patches for curve calculation and the IT8 patches for VPR curving. All of your papers + one target = OneRun.  Other OneRun targets incorporating alternate profiling targets will also be available.

Curve 2.1 (with VPR! see below) in beta -

This is a free upgrade to all Curve2 users. New Features include:

  • A new gray balance option that can be used to smooth curves with dramatic 'spikes.'
  • Ability to export curves as single-channel files with control point / value pairs for some RIPs.
  • Virtual Press Run (VPR) module enabled for those who purchase it.
  • Esko ArtWorks PressSync code support
  • OneRun color target support


Did you know that there are Curve2 Training & Overview VIDEOS available?!? The first 2 are free, here are the links: 20 min Curve2 Overview and 47 min Curve2 comprehensive

Check these out!

ColorShuttle Windows version 3.5 in beta

For Maxwell and ColorValet Pro Windows users, the Windows version of ColorShuttle is almost here! It's functionality is identical to the Mac version. It will interface with an i1Pro or i1iSis, print Pass/Fail results, and will access hot folders. Some new features were also added to both versions as well. For Maxwell users, you can always download the latest version of ColorShuttle by signing into Maxwell, and then look for the "About Maxwell" in the left side menu. For ColorValet Pro users, ColorShuttle will automatically update for you.....

Maxwell has rolled out across the country and the world. As of newsletter "press time," Maxwell contains over twenty million (20,000,000) measurements from Iceland to Japan and is growing every day. If you have a success story you'd like to tell, please contact us at Maxwell Success Stories and we'll get it told!

Virtual Press Run (VPR) IN CURVE2.1

VPR technology has been under development for more than two years, so we're excited to 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. YOU MUST SEE THIS PRODUCT!

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.

VPR typically eliminates the need for the second press run. The G7 curves calculated from the first run are applied mathematically to the profiling target measurements of the first run, producing measurements that appear as if they were produced on a second "virtual" run. Those measurements are then used to create your press profiles.  The savings can be huge. The first press run can be used to print on a number of different paper types. If VPR eliminates the second runs for each paper, one press run might be all that's needed to G7-calibrate a group of papers.

Virtual Press Run is an add-on module to Curve2.

Give us a call or email us if you think this tool could be for you! Toll Free (866) CHROMiX Ext #1 or email sales.

CHROMiX acquires EIZO Color Navigator SDK and develops DisplayWatch to support new CG245W self-calibrating display:

CHROMiX has acquired EIZO's SDK (Software Developer Kit), which is the key software technology EIZO uses for controlling and calibrating CG series monitors. We are developing a Maxwell 'DisplayWatch' solution for the new CG245W monitor to be built into ColorShuttle. The CG245W has a built-in automated swing-down calibrator. Maxwell's DisplayWatch will interface directly with this monitor for a variety of uses, including managing calibration of local and remote monitors from anywhere, reporting & notification of tolerance failures, trending performance compared to a standard reference, and more. See "Industry News" below for more information (and links).

 

CHROMiX Blog Here are some of the recent posts to our blog: Colorants (and raves)

Shows and Events Color-relevant gatherings to plan for

October 3rd - 6th, 2010, GRAPH EXPO 2010, Chicago, IL, McCormick Place South. The popular G7 Summit conference will also be held at Graph Expo this year (details below).

Come by booth # 4049 and find Rick Hatmaker for a demo of Curve2, VPR or Maxwell.

October 3rd - 6th, 2010 G7 Summit, sponsored by IDEAlliance at GraphExpo 2010. The first G7 Summit was a resounding success, so its no surprise that the 2010 G7 Summit will also generate lots of interest. Just 2 booths over from our booth # 4049, these exceptional 30-minute Learning Labs will prove to be a popular highlight if you're in Chicago for the show! Be sure to RSVP to get a seat, as seating is limited. Steve Upton of CHROMiX will be speaking in the 'Instrument Measurement Analysis' session Monday @ 9:00am and the CHROMiX / HutchColor Curve2 Learning Lab Tuesday @ 3:30pm.

October 4th - 6th, 2010, IFRA EXPO 2010, Hamburg, Germany. A leading event of the newspaper and media industry.

October 13th - 15th, 2010, SGIA 2010, Las Vegas, NV, Las Vegas Convention Center. Early registration available.

November 8th - 10th, 2010, FFTA's 2010 Fall Conference & Tabletop Exhibition, Hyatt Regency, Louisville, KY. Presented by the Flexographic Technical Association

December 5th - 7th, 2010, Color Management Conference, Pointe Hilton Tapatio Cliffs Resort, Phoenix, AZ. Presented by the Printing Industries of America, this is the industry's premier educational event for companies seeking to improve their control and management of color. This conference is designed for those new to color management, as well as veteran practitioners looking to stay on top of technology developments and uses. With a resource area featuring almost all leading software and equipment companies in the field, a state-of-the-art hands-on computer lab, and over 50 sessions, the Color Management Conference is a one-stop resource for information on color management. CHROMiX will be there, speaking and with a vendor table. Please come on by and say hello or ask for a demo of any of our products. For more information or to Register.

Events Calendar: For all current and future events, bookmark this calendar.

Color Industry News What's going on in the world of color

basICColor

The clever folks at basICColor have just introduced basICColor Discus colorimeter and calibration solution which is FOGRA compliant. DISCUS is a highly precise device for today's higher grade LCD monitors used in prepress, labs, and soft / remote proofing. Unfortunately this new product is only presented on their 'German' basICColor website. So its possibly a bit premature for English. However, its nice to see something new and exciting these days. We anxiously await a more formal update from Karl Koch and gang.

EIZO

EIZO will be showing and demonstrating the new CG245W at GraphExpo in Chicago. It's unique distinction is that it has an embedded measurement device that will automatically calibrate the monitor! This could mean a huge benefit for many organizations that are trying to standardize, or who have had difficulties maintaining consistent calibrations. It's interesting to note that the CG245W can also be correlated to the measurement results of an external calibration sensor. There's a NEW Correlation Utility program included with the bundled ColorNavigator software that allows you to match the calibration of other screens which do not have this measurement device. Finally, the CG245W also performs this calibration independent of the operating system and computer it's connected to (which can be off). That means it can work with Linux, for example.

Here's a simple demo of the CG245W self-calibrating in action.

A more comprehensive demo of the calibration.

Product and specification page.

The CG245W is shipping! To place your order go here.

IDEAlliance

IDEAlliance has a new document called "Procedures for IDEAlliance G7 Master Qualification Submission". It explains the new instructions and requirements on how to prepare and submit your  G7 Master Qualification data and prints. It also includes the new shipping address for shipping completed press sheets to RIT. To download the new document link here.

IDEAlliance also has a new and simpler Qualification Kit that has been merged and reduced to one PDF file and includes all checklists. To download the new document link here.

X-Rite

X-Rite will be showing and demonstrating i1Profiler at GraphExpo. After the announcement at at the IPEX 2010 show in May, X-Rite generated much excitement and interest. i1Profiler encompasses the best attributes of i1Match, MonacoPROFILER and ProfileMaker into one comprehensive software platform, and adds a more robust palette creation and color bridging tool called PANTONE Link. We're anticipating a Q4 release period. Also, any purchase of MonacoPROFILER and ProfileMaker until then will receive a free upgrade to i1Profiler as well as receive a $400 voucher towards purchase of any X-Rite or Pantone product . CHROMiX will keep you posted with any news. Press releases:  <http://www.xrite.com/i1Profiler>

Forum Topics and other bits  Popular topics from ColorForums.com

    ColorThink Pro:   Target Marquee Tool

    ColorValet:   Epson 3800 and Fine Art Papers Settings

    Monitor Calibration:   Do I need an AdobeRGB-capable Display?

    ColorScience:   How can I simulate the colors on one display on another?




The Why and How of G7 Calibration - an article by Steve Upton & Pat Herold

   To read this article with images in ColorWiki, click here

We gray balance cameras, we gray balance monitors, and we gray balance images. Our own human vision is very sensitive to subtle changes in grays.  If gray balance is so important in every other stage of imaging, and in color perception, it should be one of the most important things to aim for, and monitor, on press. To put it simply, G7 is a method for press-friendly printing curves that are gray balanced.

There is one massive side benefit of using this technique - press to press consistency. It turns out that gray balance and consistent tone curving is so important to image perception that a print job separated for one printing condition (say SWOP) will look VERY SIMILAR when printed using a different printing system (such as sheet fed GRACoL) when both presses have been gray balanced and toned using G7. This is huge. I cannot tell you how many times I've heard printers say that profiles and color management can't help them with one of their everyday problems - that of CMYK being created before the paper, press, and even printing company has been chosen. A great reason for calibrating to G7 is to get your different presses looking as similar as possible so that you can survive the last minute decisions your clients continue to throw at you.

Sound good so far? Here's a quick overview of what is involved with implementing G7.

Preparation

First of all, you want your press to be in good working order, in control and stable.  G7 calibration is not fingerprinting but it is a snapshot of your press and you always want to look your best for snapshots right?

The press form

Laying out a press form is an exercise in frustration sometimes. Everyone in your organization wants something different on the page. The good folks at IDEAlliance have put together several forms that include the P2P and IT8-7/4 targets as well as some ISO images. Unfortunately, most of the items on the page (except the P2P) are useless from the first press run. The first run is typically performed with 'flat' curves so images look odd and the IT8 can't be used for profiles because the press isn't in a condition you want to proof or separate for. (in reality this doesn't have to be true, read on for more information)

Choose the 'P2P' calibration target that is designed for your measurement instrument.  This is a 300 patch target which contains some basic CMYK and RGB ramps, and has a specific assortment of near-neutrals.   If you lay out your own form, position the targets one after the other (relative to press feed direction) and rotated 180 degrees from each other. It's next to impossible to imitate the ink use of 'normal' press jobs but you can at least try to even things out, and the rotated targets can be used to average data in case the press prints unevenly.  For profiling the printer, also include a profiling target such as IT8-7/4. Again, read on for a technique that only requires one target and saves space.

Ink and Paper

Your inks and paper are important as well. Multiple paper types can be sent through the first run so select a good representative paper for each paper type on which you regularly print. For inks, work with your ink supplier to obtain ISO standard colors (see 12647-2) and spend some time working on press setup, chemistry and ink tack so your RGB overprints are as close as possible to the color reference you've selected as your aim point (GRACoL, SWOP, etc). Note that G7 calibration does not affect the 100% value of any channel, so 200% and 300% are out of its control as well. An application like Curve2 will allow you to import any set of measurements for a quick check of solids, overprints, paper color and other patches to see if you are in the neighborhood of your color aims.

All that remains is to create plates with flat curves for your first run. Calibrating your plate setter is wise at this stage so you have something you can return to in the future. Recalibrate your plate setter regularly but not too often. The errors introduced in plate recalibration can be worse than drift. If you're not sure how often to recalibrate, measure them regularly and track the behavior over time. When you start to see it drift in a certain direction (rather than bouncing around), then recalibration is warranted.

Run #1

For the first run, get your press up to color (solids & overprints) and then run a stack of each paper type. When you change paper types, bring your press back up to color for your color aim. Other than hitting solids and overprints there's not much else you need to do.... OK, that's an understatement, but it's also outside the scope of this article. We're not going to tell you how to print, that's your business.

After printing, allow time for dryback, so the inks can fully cure before measuring.  Choose sheets from near the beginning, the middle and near the end of the run for measuring.  Accuracy and smoothness of the resulting calibration curves is usually proportional to the number of samples used. The idea is to get a proper cross section of the behavior of the press.  Reject any targets that have printing defects in them.  Number the sheets so you can know where in the run each target came from.  

Measure the P2P targets. If performing VPR (Virtual Press Run), measure the IT8 targets as well. Once the targets have been measured, you can either average them in a program like MeasureTool, or bring them into the software for averaging.  Curve2 will color-code each measurement according to how much it differs from the average of all the files in the list.  This makes it easier to discard the outliers - samples that are far out compared to the rest.

Curve Calculation

Load the measurement files into Curve2 and it will calculate your RIP curves automatically. If, for some reason, you feel that the measured white point of your paper is not correct (instruments may be fooled by paper whiteners, etc) it can be overridden. It is possible to add or subtract points in the curves to either match the specific requirements of a RIP (Some RIPs have hard coded control points) - or to fine-tune the curves, adding points precisely where an irregularity occurs. Try to strike a balance between the amount of control required to create the tone curves & gray balance that G7 demands - and the smoothness your imagery requires. Curve2 can show you the full-resolution curve it has calculated to aid you in selecting optimal control points. Other applications may have this ability as well.

Apply to RIP

The software produces a list of CMYK percentage values that can be exported as a text file or printed directly. You then enter these values into the calibration tables (the curves) in your RIP or software drivers. Some RIPs do not have provisions for 'wanted' curve input. For these RIPs you can calculate 'measured' curves which invert the curve calculations to fool the RIP into producing the desired curve corrections.

Confirmation

If you want, you can do a second press run dedicated to checking the quality of calibration and to generating IT8 targets for profiling. To save time and money you can skip the verification run and use color bar readings from a production run to verify your results. Either way, apps like Curve2 can import a variety of target types to verify G7 tone and gray balance.

Make sure you run to the same target densities & color values as your initial run. I can't tell you how many times we've had tech support calls with IDEALink Curve or Curve2 where the underlying problem was that the second run had significantly different solid color values from the first.

New metric

If you calculate the delta-a/b value (the 'horizontal' distance between the a & b values of two points in L*a*b) you have a good number for measuring the gray balance of a gray scale. The name delta-F* has been chosen to represent this gray-balance indicator as it is simple, memorable, and unique in the world of color. Curve2 calculates both the L* match to the idealized G7 curve as well as the delta-F* value.

Create Proofing / Separation profiles

As mentioned above, a second press run using your new G7 curves will provide you with color targets for making ICC profiles of your press. Curve2.1 has a new function which simulates the second press run. VPR (Virtual Press Run) applies the calculated curves to a profiling target like the IT8 that was printed in the first run. Measurement data is returned that behaves as if the second run had been performed and measured. The benefits are numerous: obviously the cost of a second run is avoided, and the variation between runs is also removed - something which is significant in flexo and other less-repeatable printing methods.  

One target, OneRun

To save on space, time and reduce error we've created new, hybrid targets that combine the P2P target with IT8 and other profiling targets. Redundant patches have been removed and the resulting target is smaller and easier to place on a variety of printing forms. Combined with VPR, the OneRun target makes it a simple process to G7-calibrate and create profiling targets for multiple papers from one single press run. Curve2.1 will extract the individual targets from the OneRun target using the P2P patches for curve calculation and the IT8 patches for VPR curving. Other OneRun targets incorporating alternate profiling targets will also be available.

Implementation: Manual charting or software?

IDEAlliance supplies a "How To" kit which tells you everything you need to know to implement G7.  It's even free.  This is written from a scientific, proof-of-concept point of view, rather than a practical, I-have-a-business-to-run point of view.  For example, you chart your Neutral Print Density Curves by hand on FanGraph paper in order to come up with the output values.  If this is the first time you are attempting this, the FanGraph method can take a lot of time.  Using a software method has several advantages:

  1. It's easy.  Click and drag measurement files into the app and the calculations happen automatically.
  2. Accuracy is better.  While the FanGraph method has you looking for the nearest curve which represents your press, the software scales everything exactly to the G7 curve using the measurements from instrument readings.  
  3. It's fast.  Keep in mind the multiple times you need to do this process. To properly G7 a press you are supposed to take samples from multiple places in the press run and then average them all.  Multiply that by how many printers you want to have G7 calibrated.  And then think about how often you will want to check periodically to make sure they are still close to the specification.  A good software process will automatically average the measurements entered into it, calculate multiple runs, enable you to specify the standard you want to hit, and provide a quick and easy way to verify the results using a small control strip.

G7 is proven and effective

Use G7 to help hit GRACoL and SWOP color BUT remember, G7 is great for more than trying to hit industry standards. The gray balance and toning that G7 provides makes for more stable printing and better ICC profiles on ANY printing system. Having all your print systems calibrated to the same set of visually neutral aims helps your entire plant to have consistent color, from device to device.

Thanks for reading,

Steve Upton & Pat Herold


Don't forget, you can discuss this article and anything else from this newsletter in ColorForums.com

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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