Features Packaging Substrates Tech
Accurate prototypes

In most packaging prepress departments, proofing and prototyping is a particular challenge, especially considering the needs of brand colour expectations matching. Given the complex nature of conventional (lithographic or flexographic) print variables such as ink viscosity, dot gain, screening, packing materials, and many others, there is no wonder it can be confusing to clearly communicate expectations to demanding brand owners.

How do you demonstrate colour-accurate proofs on unusual substrates like films, foils and adhesives? It is difficult enough to control your own in-house processes and the wide variety of print production variables; never mind proving to customers that you can do it.

Previous solutions could create prototypes that only resembled the final product. Now it is possible to create prototypes that look and feel exactly like the final product. By connecting superior colour management software to extended gamut digital printers, anyone can produce exceptional, colour-accurate prototypes on a wide variety of substrates. It closes the gap between traditional prototyping and contract quality proofing.

Knowing what it will look like first

With the increased use of multi-colour printing and different combinations of inks types, substrates, screening, and finishes, package and label printing involve a lot of press fingerprinting, ink drawdowns and file manipulation.

Fingerprinting, or press/printer profiling, is difficult to do and, conducted by experts, can cost many thousands a day. All processes, whether conventional or digital, are affected by dynamic changes in environment and printing conditions. The goal is to create a repeatable “golden state” that can be maintained. This is all possible. Using the latest profiling technology, a print provider can easily predict press performance and determine quality characteristics. From past live jobs, with minimal input like a colour bar, or a few measurements from known referenced live areas, a knowledgeable service provider can create an exceptionally accurate brand colour or target press reference.

Different printing technologies, and the variety of service providers and end output printing conditions lead to deviations. ‘Please match to previous’ is now more common regardless of your printing process. By leveraging spectral data profiling and conversion technology—which precisely predicts the overprinting of process and spot or gamut expanding colours— users can avoid lengthy correction loops on press before running a job. Printing process, substrates, and finishing enhancements are taken into consideration. If parameters are similar enough, an accurate prediction proof, separation strategy or direct-to-production material prototype can be quickly calculated without the need to reprofile your end output device— whether conventional flexo, offset, or the wide variety of digital reproduction technologies available.

With the right combination of process controls, profiling software and procedures, it is possible to precisely and repeatedly predict the colour appearance of any combination of inks, substrate, and finishes of the final desired product. Combinations of spot colours or gamut expanding inks with conventional CMYK can be accurately reproduced before the job gets to press. Once a press fingerprint or printer profile is finalized, the prediction of output device behaviour can be accurately predicted to ensure that customer expectations are met. All involved in the project can be satisfied that brand colours are attained, and we all are able to profitably meet our objectives.

Printing wide gamut on a wide variety of substrates

Rachel Desjardins performs quality control duties. Photo: Autumn
Graphics.

In choosing a device that can reproduce a job without going to production equipment, the Epson SureColor S80600 solvent printer is an interesting option. While satisfying the need to reproduce vivid colour, it is equally nimble in its ability to cover the wide gamut of colour to demonstrate accurate proofs, from paper to finished product prototypes. Many different materials are available, including sealable pouch films, shrink wrap films, metallized foils, folding carton boards, and laminate heat transfers to actual printing material.

The printer can be calibrated within tight tolerances to ensure consistent performance and colour reproduction stability. It bridges the gap between a contract colour proof on inkjet paper and direct-to-substrate laminated simulations from the past, with faster print speeds. All of this can be done with simple integration into a supported colour proofing system.

Because of the printer’s small droplet size, even halftone dots can be replicated. This is not a simulation, but the exact dots from the same final files that existing workflows ultimately image to plate. Potential problems such as moirés and incorrect trapping settings are visible in advance, via the proof.

Leaving creation of colour accurate prototypes to itself

Based in London, Ontario with a production facility in Fayetteville, Arkansas, Autumn Graphics Ltd. is a privately-owned company providing pre-media production, plate production, brand management, 3D packaging development, print production technical services, and packaging lifecycle workflow tools. It has served consumer product companies, converters, printers, and advertising agencies since 1982. By continuing to invest in technology, people, processes, and research and development, Autumn Graphics secures the ongoing success of both itself and its customers.

Prior to inkjet prototypes, Autumn Graphics used transfer systems to provide proofs on a substrate. They were looking for a solution that would enable them to increase prototype quality for complex packaging designs and achieve a better colour match for the final print result.

“By transitioning to 100-per-cent inkjet proofing rather than lamination systems, we determined we could produce more efficient, cost effective, and accurate prototypes,” says Ben Abray, president of Autumn Graphics.

“We wanted to grow our inkjet proofing options rather than other systems, and determine what tools could simulate as many types of printed results as possible,” adds Hugh Wilson, Autumn Graphics technical services manager. “The ability to more accurately simulate print conditions without requiring press trials would be really helpful. A graphic trial on press, of course, is the best way to prevent surprises—dealing with issues from ink, anilox, etc. However, if we could use a good predictive model to represent what may happen down the road, that would be very useful.”

Autumn Graphics invested in GMG colour management technology about seven years ago. While they rely on its colour accuracy, another important piece was the remote proofing. They can send accurate colour files to remote calibrated devices anywhere in the world.

“GMG ColorProof was reasonably straightforward to implement,” recalls Wilson. “The GMG OpenColor learning curve took just a little longer because it is very different than typical colour tools. Its fingerprinting takes advantage of sophisticated, proprietary spectral prediction technologies.”

Autumn Graphics invested in its Epson SC-80600 a bit less than a year ago. Its colour gamut was large enough and output was reasonably fast enough, so they could create prototypes on a wider range of substrates. It allowed them to remove slower, non-inkjet proofing options and replace them with more efficient technology to create colour-accurate prototypes.

From left, Jay Oudekerk, colour correction operator and Corey Douglas, customer service representative. Photo: Autumn Graphics.

Autumn Graphics had worked with an outside service for prototypes, but it cost a significant amount of money.

“Prepress proofs have always been accurate. However, the accuracy of prototypes has taken a step forward,” Abray says. “It lets us produce more prototypes, more efficiently, on specialty substrates without the same subsequent increase in human resource and production costs.”

Creating customer expectations is something you don’t do in production. “With prototypes, one of the challenges is that we have to send, fairly quickly and inexpensively, a sample with reliable colour. We produce any proof or prototype with colour management based on the profile we created from the actual flexo or offset press that will run the job, accurately representing process and spot colours,” Wilson notes.

Using the new process not only has cut production costs, but has also reduced shipping costs and timelines.

“It has given us the ability to achieve compressed deadlines for proofs that require different substrates,” Abray says. “In the past, we would have planned for longer lead times to generate our prototypes. But now we expect shorter lead times, condensing time to market.”

While the cost of one prototype is not prohibitive, imagine if a brand owner wants to see a number of sample prototypes that, ultimately, do not go to market.

“Our system offers the brand considerable savings. And, the ability to produce accurate prototypes really helps take the surprise out of the process,” Wilson says.

“Our responsibility is to show samples that represent what can be produced on the press, so that the customer does not have unachievable expectations,” Arbay says. “Many brand owners still need to see what a physical prototype looks like. Now, they can see it in accurate colour.”

Erik Schmitt is GMG director of sales for Canada.

This article was originally published in the May 2020 issue of PrintAction. Click here to check it out.