DIGITAL COLOR PROOFING -- Right on the Dot

This staggered adoption cycle keeps the industry revisiting the same issues for a time, as each wave of new buyers comes along. Earlier adopters, meanwhile, can be left with a feeling of been there, done that—having bought a now-obsolete piece of equipment, in some cases.

Digital color proofing is a prime example, particularly in regard to the question of whether a contract color proof needs to show a halftone dot or not. This issue cropped up when the first digital proofing systems were introduced, since they were continuous-tone devices. The pro-dot argument was cited as a reason for sticking with analog proofs. The debate evolved with the introduction of digital halftone proofers some years later, but the basic arguments remained largely the same.