Prepress

Service Graphics implements device-independent output workflow with GMG ColorServer

Thursday 18. April 2013 - One of the UK's largest large-format printing companies, Service Graphics, has rolled-out GMG ColorServer colour management across the whole of its Chessington production site to streamline and simplify production - regardless of the particular digital printing device used. Part of the St. Ives Group, Service Graphics' four state-of-the-art production locations around the UK offer a wide range of large-format and grand-format print services for exhibition stands, bespoke retail and display solutions and building wraps.

“Prior to installing GMG, we had a number of issues in matching colour output across our printing machines,” says Alan Clark, Studio Manager. “In order to best service our customers, we have built up perhaps the largest range of wide-format print equipment within the UK display and exhibition industry. With so many devices, processes and substrates, it was always a challenge to produce identical results across devices.” Service Graphics have an impressive range of wide-format machines from manufacturers such as Canon, Durst, HP, Inca Digital, Nur and Vutek.
Always at the forefront of cutting-edge technology and amongst the first in the UK large-format industry to use GMG colour management software, Service Graphics installed GMG ColorProof, ColorServer and SmartProfiler a number of years ago. Initially used for bespoke projects and offered as an enhanced service to their demanding blue-chip customers only, after time it became clear that GMG ColorServer was the correct solution to roll out across the whole of Service Graphics’ Chessington production site. “We chose GMG as much for its ubiquity within the industry – more and more of our customers were supplying us with GMG proofs – as for the enhanced quality and consistency that the product offered when compared to what we were using at the time,” says Alan.
“We fully implemented GMG ColorServer as a solution to two issues. One was to reduce the amount of manual colour correction we needed to do for profile-to-profile conversions and to bring customer files to within machine performance criteria. The other was to align output capabilities across all of our printing machines. Since deploying GMG ColorServer all of our devices are now in precise colour alignment with each other and across any substrate. Furthermore we have been able to free up available resources in our Studio due to the reduction in manual colour correction work – a direct consequence of using GMG ColorServer. The savings in production time, manual processes and reduced material wastage have been enormous.”
The process of profiling each device is made easy by using GMG SmartProfiler, a “wizard” that allows even non-experts to create high-quality ColorServer profiles quickly and easily.
Streamlining colour management across devices brings numerous benefits. “We can monitor output from a central location and have full control and can implement far more precise internal management and audit processes,” continues Alan. “We have the confidence and assurance that when we get repeat jobs throughout the year, we can quickly and easily reproduce the result – even if the new job is on a different substrate.”
Apart from the internal productivity gains at Service Graphics, the implementation of GMG ColorServer is delivering quantifiable customer benefits too. “Since GMG proofs have become the de facto standard for many of our clients, the ability to match results across devices and media has meant that our customers have the assurance of consistent results regardless of print process. Many of our clients are used to working with magazine or offset litho printing companies. Now, with GMG ColorServer they can enjoy output consistency whether it’s a magazine ad, a graphic on self-adhesive vinyl, or a wrap covering an entire building.”
Toby Burnett, MD, GMG UK, comments: “In an increasingly diverse production environment, the challenge to deliver accurate and consistent results across both multiple digital devices and substrates becomes a growing issue for many print services providers. GMG ColorServer standardises colour separation across disparate devices and substrates, removing colour output inconsistencies.”