Pressroom
SpotOn! Releases Easy-to-Use Process Control Tool for the Pressroom
Wednesday 20. August 2008 - Software Available for Just $1695
News Highlights
Ø One of the first technologies to institute G7 process control in the pressroom, SpotOn! provides a visual dashboard of press conditions;
Ø SpotOn! technology helps printers match proofs and produce consistent press results, staying in compliance with the G7 methodology, GRACoL and SWOP specifications;
Ø The innovative software tool – compatible with Mac OS X, Windows XP and Vista – tracks color trends, making it easy for press operators to troubleshoot and verify color, saving hours in make-ready set-up.
SpotOn! Press LLC, a color management software company, today announced the release of its flagship product. SpotOn! is one of the first technologies to institute process control in the pressroom using the G7 methodology and is recognized by IDEAlliance as an official G7 Support Tool. This software tool provides a visual dashboard of press conditions, enabling printers to fully realize the benefits of standardization and process control in the press room. G7-approved printers use SpotOn! to maintain tight tolerance during press runs, thereby producing higher quality products with less re-dos.
Simplifying the Process
Historically, press operators and print professionals have monitored press conditions by performing time-consuming test runs and gathering data by hand. With SpotOn!, a small target is attached to each job, simplifying the data gathering and evaluation process. The software also trends data over time so that printers can see how different papers, inks, and other print supplies effect print performance.
Feedback from Industry Consultants
“Without a technology like SpotOn!, the process to manage color with G7 is inherently slow. SpotOn! accelerates the process by 400%, enabling printers to quickly measure several patches and receive the information they need,” comments Eric Mangusson, President, Left Dakota, an LA-based color management consulting firm. “Ive introduced SpotOn! to six different printing operations and five have already adopted it.”
“No longer do I have to manually measure and evaluate Lab values. SpotOn! gives me the numbers in just a fraction of time than previously required,” comments Michael Eichler, Technical Printing Manager, KBA North America Inc. “SpotOn! is very flexible and can be used not only for establishing profiles and baseline criteria, but is valuable for ongoing process control. Everywhere I have used it, the customers are anxious to use the software themselves.”
Bruce Bayne Quote
“SpotOn! is a pivotal tool for instilling process control in the press room. We engineered it to be easily installed and used by printers, color management professionals, and prepress departments,” comments Bruce Bayne, founder and president, SpotOn! Press. “Since its initial test launch in February, the feedback weve received is tremendous. The market is rapidly moving towards the implementation of standards in the press room. SpotOn! is the ideal user-friendly tool to achieve this control.”
The G7 Process
G7 is a proof-to-print process based on principles of digital imaging, spectrophotometry, and computer-to-plate (CtP) technologies. The G7 methodology improves the manufacturing process with scientific tools to consistently reproduce a product. SpotOn! helps printers achieve the benefits of the G7 process by creating a friendly environment to monitor changes in the press. It dramatically reduces make-ready times and press downtime, as well as increases accountability and verifies the accuracy of proofs.
How it Works
The SpotOn! technology displays how a press or proofer performs to the ISO 12647 standard for inks and overprints, along with the G7 Neutral Print Density Curve and gray balance. Users run an i1 scanning spectrophotometer over the color control strip and SpotOn! automatically generates easy-to-read graphs and tables arranged in a dashboard style layout. The technology filters jobs by job number, job name, customer, press, operator, paper name, paper grade, paper finish, run length, custom data and more.
Using this filtered data, trend charts are generated that show variance from the ISO standard, Neutral Print Density Curve deviation, gray balance deviation, Density to DeltaE trends, and Density to NPDC and TVI trends. The Density to DeltaE trend graphs indicate how close to the ISO 12647-2 standard the press is performing and what solid ink density is necessary to keep the inks and overprints within specification.