THE CASE AGAINST DENSITY-BASED FINGERPRINTING

Many of the "fingerprints" created for flexo presses are density-based; i.e., the customer prints a testplate with step scales for CMYK and sometimes spot colors. From the printed results, "cutbacks are derived so that work can be developed and compensated to allow for the gains typical of flexographic printing. Using this workflow, proofs are generally "pushed" or run without compensation, in hopes of simulating the printed results. These proofs don't offer good color matching for the following reasons:

• They don't compensate for the substrate used
• They don't accurately show the precise color of the ink used
• The gains measured and applied are often poorly derived
• Ink overprinting (trapping) is not accounted for Highlight "break" is not revealed in the proof

Mark/Trèce has committed to offering its customers with the most precise press characterization and proof prediction technology available. Developed specifically for the requirements of flexographic printing the DuPont Color Management System pairs a super-wide gamat injet printer with the precision of LAB-based color management. The results are proofs which match your printed piece with amazing accuracy. Teamed with our PCC Spot Color matching support and InkSwap technology, we can offer digital proofs that your press can match without hours of make ready and worse, plate remakes.

Finally, this press characterization workflow allows us to open your color management to the desktop, offering color control from scanning, through editing and softproofing, across monitors and platforms.

LAB COLOR SPACE

LAB color differs from density-based press characterization in that the actual colors of the inks used are measured and recorded for your press. Those colors are measured as they appear on the substrate used, as well as how they print when printed with other colors. Our testplate is a target of over 1800 color spots, enabling us to build a precise map of the actual color gamut which your press can reproduce. Once characterized, our proofer will restrict its output to the gamut of your press, assuring that no colors on the proof will be outside of your capabilities.

EXTENDING YOUR COLOR MANAGEMENT CAPABILITIES

The press characterization we offer is further extended by technologies that push the limits of flexographic printing. Mark/Trèce offers spot color support, ink swapping technologies, HYBRID SCREENING, and FLEXOCAL non-linear imagesetter calibration technology.

SPOT COLOR SUPPORT:

We are able to measure LAB values of any color patch provided and reproduce that color in your proof. Although our digital proofer is a cmyk device, you'll find that its gamut produces most of the colors previously thought unattainable from a process device.

INK-SWAP:

We use PCC InkSwap to allow us to create modified process proofs without resorting to guesswork and expensive testruns. This allows your customer to develop multiple versions of a job in a short time while a design is still under creative development.

FLEXOCAL IMAGESETTER CALIBRATION:

Cutbacks are a fact of life in the flexo world, due to the press gains typical of the process. Just how those cutbacks are applied makes all the difference in preserving grey levels, preventing "banding", and achieving full, saturated color reproduction with the lowest level of gains possible. Let us show you how our FlexoCal technology creates a smoother, rounder, more plate-able dot which gains less and can hold down to a .5% printing dot.

HYBRID SCREENING:

The advantages of FlexoCal are taken one step further with Hybrid Screening technology. This process combines the proven benefits of stochastic screening in the highlight range, and transitions to a smoother, lower-gain conventional dotshape throughout the rest of the image range. The result is that you'll print vignettes down to white without harsh breaks, and can control difficult pastels and other tones which are compromised by the use of a "necessary" minimum dot.