X-Rite Color Management for Grand Format Printers: Checking Printer Calibration

1. How consistent
is your color in printing?
Checking Printer Calibration
X-Rite Color Management for
Grand Format Printers

2. Sponsor
X-Rite is the global leader in color
science and technology
Pantone is part of the family
Mature product line for printing and
graphic arts markets

3. Today's Speaker – Dan Reid
o Founded in 1998 to help business
realize the benefits of color management
o Consulting and product sales for some of
the largest and smallest print providers
o Early adopter of G7 calibration technique
for non-litho applications. Certified by IDEAlliance in 2006

4. Agenda
• Analyse printing using a color measurement device and
software
• Visualize
o Reducing Ink Limits
o Calibration Methods
o Affects of G7 Tuning
• Tips and Recommendations
• Q&A

5. (1st Poll Question)

6.  How confident are you
in matching jobs
previously printed jobs?
(2nd Poll Question)

7. To control color
you first must be able to measure
 Without a color
measurement device
you won’t be able to
compensate when the
color deviates beyond a
defined color tolerance
 Inexpensive and proven
technology

8. Methods for quantifying color deviance
• Expressed in a unit called Delta-E (ΔE)
o There have been several updates to the
original specification
o ΔE76
is well used to define device variance.
Also widely used to communicate color
matching
o ΔE00
better matches how
eye perceives color.
Recommended
replacement for some
ISO specifications

9. ∆E76
∆E00
Methods for quantifying color deviance
Images Courtesy of SpotOn! Press

10. Common Methods for Ink Limiting
• Spectral Density – Density derived from spectral
measurements
• Chromatic – Restricts based upon maximum chroma –
derived from LAB
• a*b* – Considers hue angle
o Ascertain how large of hue shift from the ¼
tones and mid tones to the shadows
o Restricting more aggressively helps in ICC
profiling later. Keep an eye on how chroma is
affected.

11. How is this Ink Limiting?

12. Ink Limit – Unrestricted

13. Ink Limit – Restricted

14. Ink Limit —
Unrestricted vs Restricted

15. • Same methods used for ink
limiting are typically applied
also for calibration
• Advanced methods refine
calibration based upon
neutrality and visual
contrast
Calibration | Linearization

16. Uncalibrated Printer

17. Calibrated

18. Calibrated vs Uncalibrated

19. Calibrated

20. • Difficult for RIP vendors to create a massive
library for different printer and media
combinations
• Measuring actual output will invariably offer
superior results than supplied printer color
calibration data sets
• Using a color data sets on a different media
usually results in a color shift or bias of some
sort. Without a color measurement device
that bias is difficult to eliminate.
RIP vendor supplied color data sets

21. Simulation of color bias of using a
similar glossy paper data set
RIP Vendor ICC Profile Custom ICC Profile
Original SWOP v2 sep

22. Vendor supplied ICC Profile

23. G7 Calibrated ICC Profile

24. Tips for Measuring Charts in Grand
Format printing
• Check for sheet consistency.
o Create a job that is complete
width of sheet or roll. Use
25/19/19/0 fill color for the
complete sheet size. This will
quickly show any color
variability across the sheet.
o If variance is noticed, service
is needed or if not possible
then data averaging can be
used
A1 2G1
IT8.7-4 CMYK visual 1P i1iSis
i1Profiler Test Chart Page: 1 of 1; Size: 22.2 x 36.4 cm

25. Tips for Measuring Charts in Grand
Format printing
• Check for sheet consistency.
o Create a job that is complete
width of sheet or roll. Use
25/19/19/0 fill color for the
complete sheet size. This will
quickly show any color
variability across the sheet.
o If variance is noticed, service
is needed or if not possible
then data averaging can be
used
A1 2G1
IT8.7-4 CMYK visual 1P i1iSis
i1Profiler Test Chart Page: 1 of 1; Size: 22.2 x 36.4 cm

26. • Check for sheet consistency.
o Measure the same chart in several areas of the
sheet or roll to capture the variance
o Rotate charts 180ᵒ to capture variance
o Average these measurement together to create a
master data file
o Doesn't have to be hundreds of patches
Tips for Measuring Charts in Grand
Format printing
8 0 7 0 7 0 1 0 0
1 0 . 2 7 . 4 7 .4 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0
100 100 60 100 100 70 70 30 30 100 100 60 100 100 100 100
70 70 30 30 100 100 60 70 70 40
70 70 30 30 100 40 100 40 40 100 10 40 40 20 70 70 3 . 1 2 . 2 2 .2
70 40 40 75 66 66
50 40 40
25 19 19
B 0 0 0 0
1 0 0 7 0 3 0 1 0 0 1 0 2 5 5 0 7 5 9 0 1 0 0
1 0 0 6 0 1 0 0 7 0 3 0 1 0 0 6 0 4 0 7 0 4 0
7 0 3 0 1 0 0 4 0 4 0 1 0 0 4 0 1 0 0 4 0 7 0 4 0 7 0 4 0 4 0 3
4 0 7 0 4 0 7 0 4 0 4 0
1 0 0 6 0
A
3%
ISO 12647-7 Digital Control Strip 2 0 0 9

27. Standard IT8.7/3 or IT8.7/4 charts are not
well suited for grand format printing.
o Do not have enough patches to adequately characterize the
print process
o Designed for high
resolution printing.
 Grand format printing is
usually lower resolution
and makes it difficult for the
measuring device to
detect patches.
Tips for Measuring Charts in Grand
Format printing

28. • i1 Pro users should create charts with
patches that are 12 x 12mm or larger.
This helps with lower resolution printing
 Increase patch separator to make it
easier for the i1 Pro to recognize the
different patches
Tips for Measuring Charts in Grand
Format printing

29. • i1 Pro with i1 iO table
o If you are using
i1 Pro with an
i1 iO table consider
using charts that
have 10.0 x 10.5mm
patches or larger
Tips for Measuring Charts in Grand
Format printing

30. i1 Pro2 works well with low resolution output
o I1 Pro2 is less prone to this issue because it uses an
alternating black and white checker to determine location
instead of patch recognition
Tips for Measuring Charts in Grand
Format printing

31. • i1 Pro2
o I1 Pro2 users can use 10 x 10mm patch or
larger if they experience measuring issues.
 If you use the included
measuring track you
will have the least
amount of measuring
errors
 Zebra pattern recognition
of i1Pro2
 i1 Pro2 ruler is now
metal – won't stick to
solvent printing
Tips for Measuring Charts in Grand
Format printing

32. • i1 Pro2 with i1 iO table (2nd
gen)
o i1 Pro2 users should use 10 x 8mm patch
or larger if experience measuring issues.
o If building charts in
i1Profiler software
use the non-compatibility
mode for improved
layout
Tips for Measuring Charts in Grand
Format printing

33. • To have repeatable color you need to measure
print color with a spectrophotometer
• A spectrophotometer with your RIP software
provides a means to compensate when
printing deviates from
optimum printing.
• Measuring a color bar
can inform you if printing
is consistent or if
color match is within
tolerance.
Summary

34. • X-Rite i1BasicPro2
• X-Rite i1PublishPro2
• X-Rite i1iO Measurement Table
X-Rite i1Pro2 Family

35. (Poll Question)
Do you have challenges matching across
different printing technologies?

36. Standard IT8.7/3 or IT8.7/4 charts are not
well suited for grand format printing.
o Do not have enough patches to adequately characterize the
print process
o Designed for high
resolution printing.
 Grand format printing is
usually lower resolution
and makes it difficult for the
measuring device to
detect patches.
Tips for Measuring Charts in Grand
Format printing

37. • G7 for Grand Format Printers
• What G7 is and what it is not
• Why consider implementing G7
• Communicating Color for Grand Format
• Input | Reference color spaces
• RGB files
• New and old school PMS color
Upcoming Webinars
September 25th
2013
August 14th
2013

38. Limited Time Special
Coupon: XCAL1
www.RPimaging.com/xcal1.html
- Offer Expires 08/09/13 -

39. Questions and Answers
Type your questions into the side bar on right.
Discuss this topic further:
#rpimaging

40. How consistent
is your color in printing?
Checking Printer Calibration
X-Rite Color Management for
Grand Format Printers