New reference print conditions for the 21st century

New Reference Print Conditions
for the 21st
Century
Dan Reid, RPimaging, INC

© Copyright 2016 RPimaging, INC - All rights reserved
Techkon makes innovative and high quality products for
print color control.
Our growing portfolio includes densitometers, spectrophotometers,
plate readers, closed-loop print control and enterprise software
designed for use in the pressroom.
Techkon products are chosen for their high accuracy, reliability and
ease of operation.
Sponsor -

Idealliance (International Digital Enterprise Alliance) is a
not-for-profit membership organization that has been a
leader in information technology and publishing since 1966.
Idealliance advances core technology to develop standards
and best practices to enhance efficiency and speed
information across the end-to-end digital media supply chain
- creation, production, management, and delivery of
knowledge-based multimedia content - digitally and in print.
www.idealliance.org
www.gracol.org
Sponsor -

• Idealliance G7 Certified Expert
- Since 2006 -
• Work with clients in commercial,
publication, packaging, and grand format
• Help companies achieve:
• ISO print standards
• Brand print specifications
• Expanded color gamut print workflows
• Print workflow automation and management
• Quality control program
Presenter, Dan Reid
dreid@rpimaging.com
(866) RGB-CMYK

• Brief overview of printing evolution
• Good ‘ol SWOP
• Compare color gamuts of CRPC1 - CRPC7
• Address how to use CRPC with legacy color files
• GRACoL 2013 and SWOP 2013
• Where to find CRPC ICC profiles and data sets
• Adjust data sets to your papers
• Questions and Answer
Agenda

• Dramatic changes in mechanics of printing
• Increase of printing technologies
• Printing medias have evolved based on trends
• Color Measurement technology has improved
• Several software options for implementing a
process control plan
• Improved metrics for communicating a color
match
Printing has evolved

• In commercial printing there is no longer film
being produced to create plates.
ComputerToPlate (CTP) and DirectToPress
(DTP) have long been in place
• Proliferation of digital presses
• Grand Format printing
Printing Technology

• Trend in papers towards bluer by using optical
brightening agents (OBA)
• Decade ago press stock had little OBA
• Todays printing papers can have quite a lot of OBA
present
• Difficult to quantify with typical color measurement
devices
Printing Substrates

• Standards available to guide on achieving
better and more predictable color (ISO)
• Mature software to guide adjustment to
achieve predictable color
• Improvements in measurement technology
• Improvements in daylight simulator lighting
Technology

Legacy Reference Print Conditions

• ISO 12647-3 Coldest Newsprint
• Original data set TR 002-2007
• Updated ICC profiles for lower TAC and higher
GCR in 2009
• Download 2009 ICC profiles:
• http://www.snapquality.com/
Specifications for Newsprint Advertising Production

• Most frequent updates to the specifications
• Well known GRACoL2006_Coated1v2 ICC profile
was the first reference based on G7 method
• Latest reference, GRACoL2013_CRPC6, reflects
currently available #1 press stock and new ISO
standards
General Requirements for Applications in Commercial Offset Lithography

• Many versions SWOP ICC profiles found
• Some built well, others are horrible
• Most famous being U.S. Web Coated (SWOP) v2
ICC profile found in Adobe products
• This profile has been the default CMYK
ICC profile since mid 1990s
Specifications for Web Offset Printing

• Legend has it Thomas Knoll created this profile
with his own software back in the 90s
• Based on CGATS TR-001-1995 dataset
• Film (TVI) is higher than current CTP or DTP
• 20 - 22% film dot gain
• 12 - 15% CTP and DTP dot gain
U.S. Web Coated (SWOP) v2

• Separating for film?
• Is the job really running on web printing press?
• Can’t you achieve better color than SWOP?
SWOPU.S. Web Coated (SWOP) v2

• CGATS TR 001-1995
• Offset Litho - SWOP (Publication)
• CGATS TR 002-2007
• SNAP - Newsprint
• CGATS TR 003-2007
• SWOP - Grade 3, coated publication paper
• CGATS TR 005-2007
• SWOP - Grade 5, coated publication paper
• CGATS TR 006-2007
• GRACoL 2006
Well not really….
Just print to SWOP…..

• ISO 12647 provides guidance for different print processes
• Part 1: Measurement methods
• Part 2: Offset Litho
• Part 3: Cold Offset Litho on newsprint
• Part 4: Publication gravure printing
• Part 5: Screen printing
• Part 6: Flexo printing
• Part 7: Proofing processes working directly from digital data
• Part 8: Validation print processes working directly from digital data
Just print to SWOP…..

• ISO 12647 is active and has regular updates
• ISO 12647-1:2013 - Measurements
• ISO 12647-2:2013 - Commercial - offset litho
• ISO 12647-3:2013 - Newsprint - cold offset litho
• ISO 12647-4:2014 - Publication - gravure
• ISO 12647-5:2015 - Screen printing
• ISO 12647-6:2012 - Flexo printing
• ISO 12647-7:2013 - Proofing
• ISO 12647-8:2012 - Validation
ISO 12647 - Process control for the production of half-tone color separations,
proof and production prints

• ISO 12647 gives us guidance on process control
for each printing industry
• ISO 12647 does not provide data sets or ICC
references to use for use in separation or
proofing
• ISO 15339-2 is a set of reference print conditions
that are based on measurement data
(characterization data)
Targets versus References

• Printing from digital data across multiple technologies
• Part 1: Principles
• Part 2: Characterized reference printing conditions, CRPC1 - CRPC7
• Based upon ISO 12647!
• Process control aims to create characterization data sets used in CRPC
http://www.idealliance.org/downloads/isopas-15339
ISO/PAS 15339:2015

• Color Reference Print Conditions
• New reference print conditions
• ISO 12647 - Target values for printing
• Based upon G7 print calibration method
• ISO 10128:2009 - near neutral-scales
• M1 measurement conditions
• ISO 13655:2009 - M0, M1, M2, M3
• Explicit instructions available on how to attain the same
results published as ISO 15339-1
CRPC1 - CRPC7

• !! If you do not have a M1 measurement you
should not be using the CRPC ICC profiles
• M1 is needed on press to check
• M1 is needed in the proof verification too!
• M1 is needed to adjust paper white point of CRPC
• Continue using GRACoL 2006 and SWOP 2006 if
you do not have a M1 measurement device
• Learn more about M1 measurement conditions:
• http://www.idealliance.org/events/color-management-transformed-proofing-
press-matching-brightened-stocks — http://bit.ly/1o6H1lE
• http://www.idealliance.org/sites/default/files/M1%20WF_Paper%20Guidelines
%20r16.pdf — http://bit.ly/1XQfWTD
M1 and M0 Measurement Devices

CRPC1 - CRPC7 Cheat Sheet
AKA Similar To Full Description
CRPC1 ColdSetNews SNAP 2009 Typical ColdsetNews - Small gamut
printing (newsprint)
CRPC2 HeatsetNews Typical HeatsetNews Moderate
gamut printing on improved
newsprint type paper
CRPC3 GRACoL 2013, uncoated PremUncoated Typical PremUncoated Utility
printing on a matt uncoated type
paper
CRPC4 SuperCal BetaSupercal Typical SuperCal General printing
on super-calendared paper
CRPC5 SWOP 2013, coated SWOP 2006, #3 paper Typical PubCoated Typical
publication printing
CRPC6 GRACoL 2013, coated GRACoL 2006, #1 paper Typical PremCoated Large gamut
(typically commercial) printing
CRPC7 Extra Large Typical Extra Large Extra-large
gamut printing processes

http://standards.iso.org/iso/15339/-2
Download CRPC Data Sets
http://www.npes.org/programs/
standardsworkroom/
toolsbestpractices/
characterizationdatasets.aspx
http://bit.ly/1X9rZNw

http://www.color.org/registry/index.xalter
Download CRPC ICC Profiles
International Color Consortium

Color Gamuts of CRPC1 - CRPC7
• CRPC1 - SNAP
• CRPC2
• CRPC3 - GRACoL Uncoated
• CRPC4
• CRPC5 - SWOP 2013 - #3
• CRPC6 - GRACOL 2013 - #1
• CRPC7

Color Gamuts of CRPC1 - CRPC7
• CRPC1
• CRPC2
• CRPC4
• CRPC5
• CRPC6
• CRPC7

Color Gamuts of CRPC3 vs CRPC6
• CRPC1
• CRPC2
• CRPC4
• CRPC5
• CRPC6 - GRACOL 2013 -#1
• CRPC7

Color Gamuts of CRPC5 vs USWebCoated v2
• CRPC1
• CRPC2
• CRPC3
• CRPC4
• CRPC5 - SWOP 2013 - #3
• CRPC6
• CRPC7
• U.S. WebCoated
(SWOP) v2 - TR001

Color Gamuts of CRPC6 vs USWebCoated v2
• CRPC1
• CRPC2
• CRPC3
• CRPC4
• CRPC5
• CRPC6 - GRACOL 2013 - #1
• CRPC7
• U.S. WebCoated
(SWOP) v2 - TR001

CRPC6 vs USWebCoated v2
• CRPC1
• CRPC2
• CRPC3
• CRPC4
• CRPC5
• CRPC6 - GRACOL 2013 - #1
• CRPC7
• U.S. WebCoated
(SWOP) v2 - TR001
Assigned CRPC6
(What would happen if proofed as input ICC profile)
USWebCoated v2 Ref

• CRPC1
• CRPC2
• CRPC3
• CRPC4
• CRPC5 - SWOP 2013 - #3
• CRPC6
• CRPC7
• U.S. WebCoated
(SWOP) v2 - TR001
Assigned CRPC5
(What would happen if proofed as input ICC profile)
USWebCoated v2 Ref

• CRPC1
• CRPC2
• CRPC3
• CRPC4
• CRPC5 - SWOP 2013 - #3
• CRPC6
• CRPC7
• U.S. WebCoated
(SWOP) v2 - TR001
Converted to CRPC5
(Conversion to CRPC5 from USWebCoated v2)
USWebCoated v2 Ref

• If assigning a new source CRPC ICC profile isn’t
acceptable, you will have to convert
• Standard ICC conversion
• Device Link ICC profiles
• Several options available for creating device
link ICC profiles
• A handful of workflow tools support device link
ICC profiles (DL)
• Some RIPs also support DL ICC profiles too
Converting legacy color

• CRPC6
• M1 measurement data
• Primaries shift minutely, imperceptible from
GRACoL 2006
• Paper white is bluer (L*A*B*)
• GRACoL 2006 — 95*, 0*, -2*
• GRACoL 2013 — 95*, 1*, -4*
What about GRACoL 2013?
GRACoL 2006 GRACoL 2013

•Caveats
• Must have a M1 compliant measurement device in the
press room and in proofing
• Must have ISO 3664:2009 compliant lighting to inspect
press sheets and proofs
What about GRACoL 2013?

• ISO 3664:2009 Lighting Requirements
• It’s not just lamps that need replacing
• Usually the clear lens between the lamps and the print
needs replacing too
ISO 3664:2009 — Lighting

• ISO 3664:2009 Lighting Requirements
• Verify, check compliant
• Don’t assume!
ISO 3664:2009 - Validation

M1 Measurements
*Simulated graphics, for illustration

Load CRPC data into SpectroDens

• Use a CRPC reference data set as source
• Measure in M1 mode your press stock
• Adapt CRPC data to measured press stock color,
substrate-corrected colorimetric aims (SCCA)
• http://www.idealliance.org/downloads/substrate-relativity-calculator-
kit-20120606 — http://bit.ly/1VxqGWN
• http://www.npes.org/Portals/0/standards/docs/CGATS%2021%20Computational
%20Spreadsheet.xls — http://bit.ly/1XhMxmW
Adapt CRPC reference to press stock

SCCA Spreadsheet
Current Substrate
New Substrate

What about CRPC7?
• CRPC1
• CRPC2
• CRPC3
• CRPC4
• CRPC5
• CRPC6
• CRPC7

What about CRPC7?
• CRPC1
• CRPC2
• CRPC3
• CRPC4
• CRPC5
• CRPC6
• CRPC7
Durst RHO, 13oz Vinyl

What about CRPC7?
• CRPC1
• CRPC2
• CRPC3
• CRPC4
• CRPC5
• CRPC6
• CRPC7
OCE Arizona, 22oz Vinyl

• XCMYK Expanded-Gamut CMYK Beta Program
• Goal is to provide a reference achievable using standard
inks with FM screening running at higher ink densities
• Litho and Digital
• Final results will be based upon submissions
• More info about this project:
http://www.idealliance.org/content/xcmyk-expanded-gamut-cmyk-beta-
program — http://bit.ly/1UvmC7h
Emerging print specifications

• CRPC data sets and ICC profiles are freely
available
• Only use CRPC if you have a M1 measurement
device in at your press and proofing
• Stick to GRACoL2006 and SWOP2006 if you have M0 devices
• You can probably switch from USWebCoated to the 2006
profiles. Proof to confirm.
• Verify your lighting is ISO 3664:2009 compliant by
measurement
• Don’t assume replacing lamps makes you compliant
Recap

• Verify conformance to ISO and brand specifications
• Improve color fidelity while reducing production cost
• Color consistency and repeatability
• Efficiently process jobs
• Expanded color gamut characterization and workflow
Need Help?
N
Contact us for
FREE Color Audit
dreid@rpimaging.com | www.RPimaging.com
(866) RGB-CMYK

Questions? Use the chat box to post your questions
Thank You!
dreid@rpimaging.com
(866) RGB-CMYK

New reference print conditions for the 21st century

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

What's hot

What's hot (20)

Similar to New reference print conditions for the 21st century

Similar to New reference print conditions for the 21st century (20)

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded (20)

New reference print conditions for the 21st century