c.INKTEC: Enhanced Epson proofing through targeted color refinement
Presse | 17. Mai 2023
Our c.INKTEC team develops customized color standards and formulations tailored precisely to our customers’ requirements and preferences. In our innovation center, we utilize various laboratory proofing machines to execute color development with utmost precision. Our extensive selection of cylinder sets with diverse specifications and layouts—combined with a versatile range of substrates such as paper, cardboard, and film—forms the solid foundation for outstanding color refinement.
Thanks to our close collaboration with renowned printing ink suppliers, we boast a broad portfolio of printing inks and lacquers. This partnership enables us to offer a wide variety of color options while ensuring that we consistently leverage the latest developments and trends in the field of printing inks.
Our goal is to push the boundaries of color refinement and provide our customers with unique, tailored solutions. With our expertise and technical know-how, we are committed to meeting our customers’ expectations and bringing their visions to life.
Case study with our client Trolli: A new step in color management. Perfect color reproduction in the printing process is crucial.
Our customers rely on color proofs as a visual reference for evaluating the desired print results. Epson proofs, in particular, have become widely used across the printing industry due to their high quality and reliability. In a recent case study with our client Trolli, we focused on enhancing the accuracy of the Epson proof through targeted color refinement under realistic printing conditions.
At the start of the study, we used measurement data from a printed color wedge as the baseline for outputting the Epson proof. This color wedge was printed on our in-house ingenio gravio 90200 laboratory proofing machine using the specified cylinder and desired substrate. Next, the c.INKTEC color sample containing solid and halftone tones was measured, and the existing orange tone in the data was replaced with the new color information to achieve a realistic Epson proof.
The new proofing result was then compared against the target proof provided by Trolli. Where deviations were identified, we adjusted the data accordingly to achieve a color impression that matched the customer’s target one-to-one while remaining fully reproducible on the printing press. The final proof was approved by Trolli, and all relevant information—including the Epson proof, the c.INKTEC color sample with halftones, as well as the CXF and SCTV data—was provided to the print shop.
The results of the study were highly satisfying. The print shop was able to reproduce the colors based on our c.INKTEC color sample and achieve the exact same SCTV values on their production machine. Through targeted color refinement under realistic printing conditions and the replacement of color information in the design data, we successfully improved the accuracy of the Epson proof for Trolli. The precise adjustments to the color data and the close match between the c.INKTEC sample and the production sample resulted in consistent, accurate color reproduction. The defined objective was thus fully achieved.
This study highlights the importance of accounting for realistic printing conditions and making the necessary data adjustments up front to create achievable color targets and meet their specifications. Moving forward, we will continue to build upon this process and offer innovative solutions to deliver excellent results to our customers.
