1. IN THE LIMELIGHT
Technology for the creative market – 2ND QUARTER 2006
In Brief:
• The Proof is in the Verification Process
A practical guide to colour management and viewing
environments with a dash of art history!
• Gretag Macbeth releases the iO for the Eye–One
Speed up your profiling time and enhance your workflow.
• Managed Creative Technology MCT™
icorp the specialist division of Computers Now takes digital
workflow to the next level with MCT™.
Computers Now - icorp
clients include:
COLOUR MANAGEMENT: THE FOUR C's
Colour management and digital workflow is a commonly misunderstood
field due to varying reasons including; manufacturer propaganda, manipulation
of language, user lack of understanding, supplier lack of understanding, fear
of change in the transition from analogue to digital, and an often piece meal
approach to a field that has its roots firmly grounded in the laws of physics. So we
have to consider how to remove these barriers.
The field of colour management and digital workflow can be broken down into
four C’s:
Level 1, 64 Clarendon Street
South Melbourne VIC 3205
t: 03 9684 3633
f: 03 9682 4088
222 Pacific Highway
North Sydney NSW 2065
t: 02 9951 7979
f: 02 9957 4325
www.icorp.com.au
VERIFIED COLOUR MANAGEMENT
EFI COLORPROOF XF: Compare delta or colour
difference using EFI Colorproof XF
xrite
Process Control
Soft Proofing
PDF Workflow
Computers Now - icorp
64 Clarendon Street
South Melbourne VIC 3205
t: 03 9684 3633
f: 03 9682 4088
222 Pacific Highway
North Sydney NSW 2065
t: 02 9951 7979
f: 02 9957 4325
www.icorp.com.au
Proof verification is a simple process of printing the proof to a known
standard and measuring the proof using a spectrophotometer.
The software then calculates the difference in colour and informs you
whether it is within specification.
If you want to solve your colour issues, we can help. We specialise in
technology for all creative professionals, including:
• Hard and Soft Digital Proofing
• Professional Digital Photography & Digital Input
• Colour Management Workflow
• PDF Workflow Automation
• Digital Asset Management
• Apple, Windows and Sun Workstations, Servers,
Storage and Backup
• Consulting, Integration, Installation and Training Services
• Ongoing Support including Service Level Agreements
Call us now to arrange an obligation free colour management and
digital workflow audit of your site.
Hard Proofing
• Amcor Australasia
• Deakin University
• George Patterson Bates
• Grey Worldwide
• M&C Saatchi
• Melbourne University
• Museum of Victoria
• National Australia Bank
• National Archives of Australia
• National Gallery of Victoria
• News Limited
• Note Printing Australia
• Pacific Publications
• Reserve Bank of Australia
• RMIT
• See Life Differently
• Sensis
• State Library of Victoria
• The Clemenger Group
• Tudor Group
• University of NSW
• Victorian Arts Centre
• Victorian College of the Arts
• Victoria University
• Wellcom Group
• Young & Rubicam
1. Calibration
2. Characterisation
3. Conversion
4. Communication
The most effective way to implement the four C’s is to remove as many variables
as possible that can taint end results. Then implement a workflow that moves one
of the major variables to a later stage… your eye. By taking this approach your
company will implement a ‘best practise workflow’ that will rely on ‘Colorimetry’
or the mathematics of colour with a simple ‘subjective’ process of evaluation at
the end… your eye.
icorp specialises in implementing solutions, from small or large scale mainly
focusing on the graphic arts market but also including any organization that relies
on a high level of automation or management of simple processes. n
To remain competitive creative companies depend on technology to enable
production. While the interface to that technology may be getting easier,
the integration and management of components and systems is becoming
increasingly complex. For this reason icorp developed MCT™.
Regardless of the technical ability of users to solve problems, and despite how
new the existing hardware is, the fact is that many users are being forced to
be technicians. It is extremely expensive to have skilled designers using and
maintaining outdated or poorly configured technology; it squashes productivity
and simply isn’t conducive to increasing company productivity and profitability.
What is managing technology?
There is misconception about what the idea of managing your technology
actually means. Managing your technology is not throwing in a bunch of new
hardware and then solving the technical problems as they arise. It’s ensuring that
a system is designed, and implemented which supports your production goals.
MCT™ includes the following:
• A consulting process to thoroughly understand the complexities of
each client’s existing workflow, detailing the systems, and isolating
the issues.
• Producing a comprehensive report for a best practice technology solution
that addresses the issues uncovered in the consulting process.
MANAGED CREATIVE TECHNOLOGY MCT™
• Implementing the digital workflow solution.
• Providing all the necessary expert services to complete the
technology solution such as pre-delivery configuration and testing,
on-site installation, operator training in the software and new workflow
procedures and continuing ongoing support.
Once this process is completed, creative companies will have a perfect base
that can be maintained at optimum performance over time. MCT™ then pro-
actively manages all technology obstacles as they arise, alleviating the stresses
involved for you, and allowing the technology to become a transparent and
seamless tool in your business.
Most importantly, MCT™ ensures that the line is drawn between an operator
and a technician. Often times companies might be experts in design; while
icorp is an expert in technology. Through the MCT™ process, users can focus
on their design, while icorp focuses on supporting their design.
The hardware, software, warranties, maintenance, service and financing options
are key elements of the MCT™ solution, and work together to deliver a world’s
best practice digital workflow solution. This results in increased profit, reduced
costs, higher quality, improved staff skills, increased competitiveness and
greater control.
Call us on (03) 9684 8633 or (02) 9951 7979 to discuss how an MCT™
solution will address your current and future technology plans. n
BETTER PRODUCTION = PROFIT WITH ICORP'S MANAGED CREATIVE TECHNOLOGY MCT™

2. Approved Installer
The freedom to create HELIOS
A number of end users in the Australian Graphic Arts market regularly
communicate that the system or supplier they use to ‘proof’ or predict
results occurring further down the production chain does not meet their
expectations and that colour management is an unobtainable objective.
This is due to a number of variables:
• First and foremost the light source under which a proof and press
sheet are viewed (including at the client’s site)
• Proofing device control (i.e. how well the proofer is maintained)
• Press consumables standardisation
• ‘Black Box’ colour conversion that is not controlled
• Lack of education from both a supplier and or a client stand point
• The age of the people viewing the proof
• Lack of impartial verification of the proof
Of all the variables listed above, the one that we have least control over is
‘the age of the stakeholders viewing the proof.’ This is because as we age
our brains have to do more work to focus. When we are born our eyes’
lenses are pale blue and they gradually change to yellow and even brown as
we reach old age. We are never aware of this transition but we are aware of
our lenses clouding over and sometimes forming cataracts thus requiring us
to wear glasses or have corrective surgery.
Monet and the Question of Colour?
An excellent example of how ageing affects the eye is Impressionist Claude
Monet’s paintings. His vision gradually worsened eventually ending in
cataracts in both eyes. His paintings became cloudier and developed a red
tinge. After a cataract operation he noticed the problem and threatened to
destroy some of his work. If you view Monet’s life work, his earlier paintings
exhibit a leaning towards a blue hue whereas his later paintings represent a
leaning towards a red hue.
Monet also performed studies into how changing light affects the same
scene. Monet’s famous series of the cathedral at Rouen seen under different
light effects was painted from a second-floor window above a shop opposite
the façade (Figure 1). He made eighteen frontal views. Changing canvases
with the light, Monet had followed the hours of the day from early morning
with the façade in misty blue shadow, to the afternoon, when the sunset,
disappearing behind the buildings of the city, weaves the weathered stone
work into a strange fabric of burnt orange and blue.
Monet's study illustrates how varying light sources can also affect the way
we interpret colour. From Monet's life work we can extrapolate that there are
two major areas that are integral to producing a good proof.
Ask a Simple Question, Get a Simple Answer!
Firstly we have to standardise our light source throughout the production
chain. This will need to be decided upon by both press supplier/creative
agency and client and communicated to all stakeholders. Sometimes this
may seem like a daunting process but it can be as simple as defining an area
at each site that has standardised lighting and using this area exclusively for
colour evaluation. Alternatively if the press supplier/creative agency wants a
simpler solution, low cost GATF RHEM indicator stickers can be used. These
stickers have two colours that are a metameric pair. That is they appear the
same under one light source but change when the light source changes.
This way a press supplier/creative agency can ensure that their proofs are
being viewed under a similar light source to their own by a simple method of
communication (Figure 2).
Secondly we need to move the most variable item, the observer, to a later
stage in the evaluation process. This should be done by employing the use
of Colorimetry as the first stage of evaluation. This is a simple process of
printing the proof to a known standard (and communicating that standard
to all stakeholders) then measuring the proof using a spectrophotometer to
that standard. The software will then calculate the difference in colour and
inform the proof producer whether it is within specification (Figure 3).
If the proof has been verified as within the tolerances we set using software
such as EFI ColorProof XF we can print the results onto a sticker that can
be applied to the proof to communicate verification. Then finally we can
perform evaluation of the proof under our consistent light source using our
own judgement as the final pass/fail criteria.
Faster than the speed of color!
A new level of automation for fast, accurate test chart reading!
More than ever before, Eye-One delivers a complete solution for all
color measurement and color management needs. The new Eye-
One iO provides a new level of automation for fast, automated test
chart reading, adding even more versatility to the award-winning
Eye-One system.
Eye-One iO provides the fastest measurements for reflective test
charts on various substrates up to 10 mm - from thin polybag
material to ceramics and textiles. Eye-One iO reads more than 500
patches per minute, so you’ll have a custom profile in no time!
Eye-One iO, when combined with any Eye-One Pro
spectrophotometer will:
• provide consistent and reliable results
• increase productivity
• lower the level of operator skill required
• reduce the risk of errors
With the new level of versatility and expansion potential the
Eye-One iO delivers, there’s no reason to put off buying an Eye-
One Pro solution. If you’re interested in accurate color, this is the
configuration you’ve got to have! Begin taking advantage of all the
benefits Eye-One solutions offer today.
Add Eye-One iO automated scanning table at any time!
The Gretag Mecbeth iO X-Y Table for Eye-One Spectrophotometers
Turn your Eye-One Spectrophotometer into an automated, hassle free
profilemaking machine!
a b c
Figure 1: Monet's study of how light affect our perception of colour
a.) Rouen Cathedral: Full Sunlight. 1894; Louvre, Paris
b.) Rouen Cathedral: Full Sunlight. 1893; Musee d’Orsay, Paris
c.) Rouen Cathedral: Dull Weather. 1892; Musee d’Orsay, Paris
THE PROOF IS IN THE VERIFICATION PROCESS
This is the process that has recently been adopted by the 3DAP (Digital
Data Delivery for Australian Publications.) The 3DAP body felt that this
process removed as much subjectivity as is humanly possible whilst also
identifying that at some point we do need to evaluate a proof with our eyes.
Starting this year this will be the only method of providing a 3DAP proof
and all non-verified methods should not be approved or accepted as a
3DAP proof (Figure 4.)
If we remove as many variables as possible and set production standards that
are followed by all stakeholders the art of prediction by way of digital proof
should be sound.
In Summary we need to:
• Communicate at all stages of production
• Standardise our light source using devices such as GTI viewing booths
• Standardise our press consumables (where relevant)
• Maintain our digital proofing device by continually calibrating
(linearising) it to ensure that it maintains predictability using devices from
manufacturers such as Gretag Macbeth and Xrite.
• Decide upon a proofing system that allows us to control colour, calibrate
the print device and verify the proofs that are produced by it such as
EFI ColorProof XF.
• Verify that what we are printing meets the specifications we have set
using modules such as EFI ColorProof XF Verifier.
• Continually seek education and training from industry-recognised
professionals so as to help educate our own clients.
These methods help us all move away from the process of producing
digital inkjet prints, assessed only by eye, that mean nothing to a system of
control and predictability of a suitable end result. n
An investigation into light, the human eye and proofing in todays colour critical environment.
By Richard Sharp, icorp colour management & digital workflow specialist.
Figure 4: A 3DAP Proof ready for verification by measurement
3DAP (Digital Data Delivery for Australian Publications) is an industry group committee
that was formed to address the needs of a totally digital production environment for the
magazine publishing industry, in particular, the workflow required for computer-to-plate.
Computers Now - icorp specialises in quality solutions from the following leading suppliers:
VERIFIED COLOUR MANAGEMENT
EFI COLORPROOF XF: Compare delta or colour
difference using EFI Colorproof XF
xrite
Process Control
Soft Proofing
Hard Proofing
PDF Workflow
Computers Now
64 Clarendon Street
South Melbourne VIC 3205
t: 03 9684 3633
f: 03 9682 4088
222 Pacific Highway
North Sydney NSW 2065
t: 02 9951 7979
f: 02 9957 4325
www.icorp.com.au
Proof verification is a simple process of printing the proof
to a known standard and measuring the proof using a
spectrophotometer. The software then calculates the difference
in colour and informs you whether it is within specification.
If you want to solve your colour issues, we can help. We
specialise in technology for all creative professionals, including:
• Hard and Soft Digital Proofing
• Professional Digital Photography & Digital Input
• Colour Management Workflow
• PDF Workflow Automation
• Digital Asset Management
• Apple, Windows and Sun Workstations, Servers,
Storage and Backup
• Consulting, Integration, Installation and Training Services
• Ongoing Support including Service Level Agreements
Call us now to arrange a obligation free colour management
audit of your site.
Figure 2: GATF/RHEM indicators used in conjunction with
(or separate from) controlled viewing booths help communicate
lighting to the stakeholders that will be viewing the proof.
from $3,750 ex GST
(NB: Eye-One Measuring device not included)
Figure 3: EFI Color
Verifier is a simple-to-use
quality assurance solution
that measures and
compares colour values –
from proof-to-proof, print-
to-print, proof-to-profile,
or print-to-reference. With
EFI Color Verifier you
can ensure consistency
between a reference print
and subsequent prints,
check that your proofs
match your prints, or
check that your proofs comply with key
standards such as 3DAP or ISO 12647.