Recently, the publication was found. The cover of the same journal was found first in a printing factory and then in another printing factory. The result was not the same color. I'm sorry to ask their operators to answer: This annoying problem of color inconsistency occurs during the computer-to-plate process on weekdays!
Nowadays in foreign countries, especially in Europe and the United States, where the printing industry is already quite developed, computerized direct-printing and direct-printing technologies have become popular. In the future, in China, with the introduction and application of these technologies, the above-mentioned problems will also be highlighted, such as:
Some plate-making centers or printing houses have purchased expensive digital proofing machines for digital proofing. However, regardless of how the operator adjusts the parameters, the quality customers who come out of them are difficult to recognize.
Sometimes, the scan shows a good result, and the customer complains about the poor quality after taking it, because the colors are seen on their monitors.
There are also scanned images on the display and the original hue is very close, saturation is good, but the imposition of a piece of proofing, the color is different, the warm tone becomes not warm, big red is pink, the client certainly does not accept.
The quality of the scanners used by some of the printing industry's platemaking departments is not bad, and the operators are skilled and experienced. However, the images displayed on the display are very different from the originals. Don't say that the customers who need to scan have opinions, that is, the operators themselves. Also confused and dissatisfied.
All these are the problems of color management in the final analysis. Some plate-making centers, even though their hardware is very advanced, are unable to accurately control all aspects of color reproduction due to the lack of an effective color management system. They only rely on experienced masters to judge by experience; once they have experience The masters of the company have to rely on high levels of talent and brain drain, and the quality of the entire system cannot be guaranteed, resulting in a large number of equipment investments that cannot play their due role.
In addition, the printing industry has continued to develop, new technologies and new processes have been introduced, and some printing companies or specialized platemaking companies have introduced direct plate machines or digital direct imaging presses. In these systems, the traditional proofing part is eliminated, and digital proofing is the key to controlling the final print quality. The complete color management system plays an indispensable and important role in these new devices.
The introduction of color management from the color prepress system to the country is of concern to the industry, but color management is a very complicated issue after all. In a sense, color management is the management of people's feelings: how much color range can human eyes see? How large is the original color range? How can the color of the original document be finally compressed to a range of colors that can be reflected by the printing according to different device characteristics? This one is not a simple matter of a surge. It takes a long time to practice, requires a long period of research, and requires attention to every flow of the entire printing process. The data shows that there are quite a few companies that have devoted energy and time to the project of the color management system, but few have really achieved results. Among the numerous prepress image equipment manufacturers, as far as the author knows, the color management system of Heidelberg, Lino Color, has been relatively successful. As we all know, Heidelberg is the world’s most famous manufacturer of printing presses. Renault Haier is also a world-renowned prepress equipment manufacturer, and has accumulated rich experience in color management and prepress product manufacturing. These experiences are With scientific support for data, Haier has become the prepress department of Heidelberg. Therefore, both of them are closely linked and provide the printing industry with an overall perfect color solution.
For color management, the first is the color space problem, which is based on which color space to perform color control. Different devices in the prepress system work with different color spaces. Monitors, digital cameras, and scanners work in the RGB color space. Printers, proofers, and printers work in the CMYK color space. Since the color space is device-dependent, the output color of an image on different models of devices or even the same type of device may be different. This is exactly the same color that I mentioned at the beginning of the article. The reason for the inconsistency.
The beauty of Heidelberg's color solutions is its use of Lab's color space in the Lino Color color management system. This color space is device-independent and digitally describes the human visual sense. The Lab color space describes a three-dimensional color space: L represents the change in brightness, the a-axis represents the color change from green to red, and the b-axis represents the color change from blue to yellow. The color of any point can be expressed in this space. In the Lino Color color management system, all color conversions and color corrections are based on Lab space. Because the color range reflected by the Lab color space is larger than the RGB color space and the CMYK color space, the conversion of the color data from the Lab space to the other color space does not result in color deviation due to insufficient data. The scanned image in the Lino Color color management system can be further corrected after being stored in the Lab format, or output to the monitor according to the customer's needs, or can be called in the groupware after separation.
With a unified color space, the entire printing process cannot be coordinated. A necessary condition for color management is that you must understand the characteristics of each part of your prepress system and master these characteristics data before you can coordinate the entire printing process. Heidelberg's color management system has a range of tools for measuring the characteristics of scanning devices, display devices, and output devices. Including printers, proofers and printers. The storage of these characteristic data adopts the ICC format defined by the International Color Council, and this format is also adopted by most manufacturers today. As long as the application software can support the ICC format, these files containing device characteristic data can be invoked when processing images, so as to achieve the effect of correctly transferring the color data.
The color measurement tools commonly used in color management systems are the following:
â—scan open ICC
This measurement tool provides Kodak, Agfa, Fujitsu's IT8 standard manuscripts and standard data of these manuscripts. These scanners are scanned into the computer using their own scanners. The difference between the scanned data and the standard data reflects you. The characteristics of the scanner, the software automatically generates the scanner's ICC file for you after calculation. Need to be reminded that when your scanner is replacing the lamp, CCD, it is necessary to re-measure the ICC profile.
â—View open ICC
This tool is provided with a colorimeter and software. The colorimeter is attached to the display and the light measures the color temperature of the display. Then the software automatically generates some color patches on the screen. The colorimeter measures the color data of the patches, and then calculates the color data. The monitor's ICC file.
â—Print open ICC
This measurement tool provides software that generates an image of 210 color patches in a computer and then outputs the image on an output device. If it is a printer, it is directly proofed; if a proofer or a printer is printed, the film is output first, and then proofed or printed. Then use a spectrophotometer to measure the color value of each color patch on the output image and save it as a file. The computer calculates the ICC profile of the output device based on this file. The computer can also generate a Print Table of the output device, reflecting the characteristics of the output device. Once you have the features of each product in your prepress system, you can easily calibrate different devices.
Different types of monitors often have different color casts, some are bluish and some are red. When the image is displayed, the reddish display increases blue and green, and the bluish display increases red and green, so that the same image shows the same effect on different displays. If some users are not convinced by the effect of the digital proofing machine, it may be necessary to measure the characteristic curve of the proofing machine first, then measure the color characteristic curve of the digital proofer, and then use the Lino Color color management system to use the characteristics of the digital proofer. To simulate the printing proofer. Because the color gamut of the digital proofer is generally larger than the gamut of the printing proofer, it can obtain good results.
Another important issue in the color management system is how we can properly convert color data from one space to another. For example, in the listed Lino Color color management system, the scanner scans in RGB but stores it in Lab. When displayed on the monitor, it is necessary to convert from the Lab color space to the RGB color space; when printing or printing on the printer, it is necessary to convert from the Lab color space to the CMYK color space. Some operators may have experience in color separation in some software. Therefore, the display is directly converted from RGB to CMYK color space. As a result, the vividness of the image is greatly changed, but the display is different from the display after printing. . The conversion of color data in different color spaces is actually a complex algorithm based on a large amount of empirical data! Its function is how to convert color data from one color space to another color space and preserve the image hierarchy. In color management, this algorithm is called the color matching method, that is, Color Match Method, which is abbreviated as CMM in English. Both the Apple COLORSYNC color management system and the WINDOWS ICM color management system have introduced or are compatible with the Lino Color color matching method, which undoubtedly laid the foundation for the user to perform comprehensive color management. Moreover, as the computing speed of the CPU becomes faster and faster, the results of the color matching method will be more accurate in the future.
With these features, the inconsistency of color proposed at the beginning of this article will be solved, which can accurately control the transfer of color in the printing process and truly achieve WYSIWYG. The pre-press color management problems that plagued the operators and also plagued customers have been resolved. I believe that the future of computer direct plate-making and direct printing in China will quickly embark on the fast lane.
Nowadays in foreign countries, especially in Europe and the United States, where the printing industry is already quite developed, computerized direct-printing and direct-printing technologies have become popular. In the future, in China, with the introduction and application of these technologies, the above-mentioned problems will also be highlighted, such as:
Some plate-making centers or printing houses have purchased expensive digital proofing machines for digital proofing. However, regardless of how the operator adjusts the parameters, the quality customers who come out of them are difficult to recognize.
Sometimes, the scan shows a good result, and the customer complains about the poor quality after taking it, because the colors are seen on their monitors.
There are also scanned images on the display and the original hue is very close, saturation is good, but the imposition of a piece of proofing, the color is different, the warm tone becomes not warm, big red is pink, the client certainly does not accept.
The quality of the scanners used by some of the printing industry's platemaking departments is not bad, and the operators are skilled and experienced. However, the images displayed on the display are very different from the originals. Don't say that the customers who need to scan have opinions, that is, the operators themselves. Also confused and dissatisfied.
All these are the problems of color management in the final analysis. Some plate-making centers, even though their hardware is very advanced, are unable to accurately control all aspects of color reproduction due to the lack of an effective color management system. They only rely on experienced masters to judge by experience; once they have experience The masters of the company have to rely on high levels of talent and brain drain, and the quality of the entire system cannot be guaranteed, resulting in a large number of equipment investments that cannot play their due role.
In addition, the printing industry has continued to develop, new technologies and new processes have been introduced, and some printing companies or specialized platemaking companies have introduced direct plate machines or digital direct imaging presses. In these systems, the traditional proofing part is eliminated, and digital proofing is the key to controlling the final print quality. The complete color management system plays an indispensable and important role in these new devices.
The introduction of color management from the color prepress system to the country is of concern to the industry, but color management is a very complicated issue after all. In a sense, color management is the management of people's feelings: how much color range can human eyes see? How large is the original color range? How can the color of the original document be finally compressed to a range of colors that can be reflected by the printing according to different device characteristics? This one is not a simple matter of a surge. It takes a long time to practice, requires a long period of research, and requires attention to every flow of the entire printing process. The data shows that there are quite a few companies that have devoted energy and time to the project of the color management system, but few have really achieved results. Among the numerous prepress image equipment manufacturers, as far as the author knows, the color management system of Heidelberg, Lino Color, has been relatively successful. As we all know, Heidelberg is the world’s most famous manufacturer of printing presses. Renault Haier is also a world-renowned prepress equipment manufacturer, and has accumulated rich experience in color management and prepress product manufacturing. These experiences are With scientific support for data, Haier has become the prepress department of Heidelberg. Therefore, both of them are closely linked and provide the printing industry with an overall perfect color solution.
For color management, the first is the color space problem, which is based on which color space to perform color control. Different devices in the prepress system work with different color spaces. Monitors, digital cameras, and scanners work in the RGB color space. Printers, proofers, and printers work in the CMYK color space. Since the color space is device-dependent, the output color of an image on different models of devices or even the same type of device may be different. This is exactly the same color that I mentioned at the beginning of the article. The reason for the inconsistency.
The beauty of Heidelberg's color solutions is its use of Lab's color space in the Lino Color color management system. This color space is device-independent and digitally describes the human visual sense. The Lab color space describes a three-dimensional color space: L represents the change in brightness, the a-axis represents the color change from green to red, and the b-axis represents the color change from blue to yellow. The color of any point can be expressed in this space. In the Lino Color color management system, all color conversions and color corrections are based on Lab space. Because the color range reflected by the Lab color space is larger than the RGB color space and the CMYK color space, the conversion of the color data from the Lab space to the other color space does not result in color deviation due to insufficient data. The scanned image in the Lino Color color management system can be further corrected after being stored in the Lab format, or output to the monitor according to the customer's needs, or can be called in the groupware after separation.
With a unified color space, the entire printing process cannot be coordinated. A necessary condition for color management is that you must understand the characteristics of each part of your prepress system and master these characteristics data before you can coordinate the entire printing process. Heidelberg's color management system has a range of tools for measuring the characteristics of scanning devices, display devices, and output devices. Including printers, proofers and printers. The storage of these characteristic data adopts the ICC format defined by the International Color Council, and this format is also adopted by most manufacturers today. As long as the application software can support the ICC format, these files containing device characteristic data can be invoked when processing images, so as to achieve the effect of correctly transferring the color data.
The color measurement tools commonly used in color management systems are the following:
â—scan open ICC
This measurement tool provides Kodak, Agfa, Fujitsu's IT8 standard manuscripts and standard data of these manuscripts. These scanners are scanned into the computer using their own scanners. The difference between the scanned data and the standard data reflects you. The characteristics of the scanner, the software automatically generates the scanner's ICC file for you after calculation. Need to be reminded that when your scanner is replacing the lamp, CCD, it is necessary to re-measure the ICC profile.
â—View open ICC
This tool is provided with a colorimeter and software. The colorimeter is attached to the display and the light measures the color temperature of the display. Then the software automatically generates some color patches on the screen. The colorimeter measures the color data of the patches, and then calculates the color data. The monitor's ICC file.
â—Print open ICC
This measurement tool provides software that generates an image of 210 color patches in a computer and then outputs the image on an output device. If it is a printer, it is directly proofed; if a proofer or a printer is printed, the film is output first, and then proofed or printed. Then use a spectrophotometer to measure the color value of each color patch on the output image and save it as a file. The computer calculates the ICC profile of the output device based on this file. The computer can also generate a Print Table of the output device, reflecting the characteristics of the output device. Once you have the features of each product in your prepress system, you can easily calibrate different devices.
Different types of monitors often have different color casts, some are bluish and some are red. When the image is displayed, the reddish display increases blue and green, and the bluish display increases red and green, so that the same image shows the same effect on different displays. If some users are not convinced by the effect of the digital proofing machine, it may be necessary to measure the characteristic curve of the proofing machine first, then measure the color characteristic curve of the digital proofer, and then use the Lino Color color management system to use the characteristics of the digital proofer. To simulate the printing proofer. Because the color gamut of the digital proofer is generally larger than the gamut of the printing proofer, it can obtain good results.
Another important issue in the color management system is how we can properly convert color data from one space to another. For example, in the listed Lino Color color management system, the scanner scans in RGB but stores it in Lab. When displayed on the monitor, it is necessary to convert from the Lab color space to the RGB color space; when printing or printing on the printer, it is necessary to convert from the Lab color space to the CMYK color space. Some operators may have experience in color separation in some software. Therefore, the display is directly converted from RGB to CMYK color space. As a result, the vividness of the image is greatly changed, but the display is different from the display after printing. . The conversion of color data in different color spaces is actually a complex algorithm based on a large amount of empirical data! Its function is how to convert color data from one color space to another color space and preserve the image hierarchy. In color management, this algorithm is called the color matching method, that is, Color Match Method, which is abbreviated as CMM in English. Both the Apple COLORSYNC color management system and the WINDOWS ICM color management system have introduced or are compatible with the Lino Color color matching method, which undoubtedly laid the foundation for the user to perform comprehensive color management. Moreover, as the computing speed of the CPU becomes faster and faster, the results of the color matching method will be more accurate in the future.
With these features, the inconsistency of color proposed at the beginning of this article will be solved, which can accurately control the transfer of color in the printing process and truly achieve WYSIWYG. The pre-press color management problems that plagued the operators and also plagued customers have been resolved. I believe that the future of computer direct plate-making and direct printing in China will quickly embark on the fast lane.
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