The Next (Digital) Proofers

Expanded color gamuts, strategic digital halftone proofing launches, imposition proofers and multi-setting thermal devices highlighted the digital proofing component of GRAPH EXPO 99.

BY MARIE RANOIA ALONSO

What were the digital proofing flares shot out at GRAPH EXPO 99? One glaring signal: Digital halftone proofing is still riding a high.

Equally hot for the contract proofmakers were new devices offering expanded color gamuts, two-sided imposition proofers, new multi-purpose thermal proofsetters and refined remote proofing promises—all of which captured the attention and scrutiny of show attendees, who are looking to purchase the next contract proofer and want to know . . .

• Who joined the digital halftone proofing race, setting to compete with established systems from Polaroid, Kodak Polychrome Graphics and multi-setting solutions such as Creo's Spectrum and Presstek's PEARLsetter?
• What new color management utilities have bolstered the existing selection of four- and eight-up digital halftone proofers?
• What piezo-electric devices caught attention for high quality font character rendering and crisp, multi-density ink capabilities?

For Starters . . .
Scitex expanded its Lotem CTP line with the introductions of smaller, faster and larger models—plus a proofing capability and a link to enable external RIPs to drive Lotem imagers.

The four-page Lotem 400V and the eight-page Lotem 800V sport a new proofing capability that allows the units to image proofs on the same machine that produces plates. Scitex has enabled the Lotems to image a completely new Kodak thermal imaging material in order to produce full-size proofs using the same RIP and engine that will be used for producing plates.

With the initial models, the loading of materials will be manual, with semi-automatic versions to follow in the future. Scitex estimates that it will take about 40 minutes to produce one eight-page proof.

The cost of proofs is estimated at $10 to $12.50 per page. Formal pricing has not been announced, but Scitex expects LotemProof to be a $12,000 option with all Lotem 800 and 400 models, available now. As a point of reference, the Scitex Lotem 800V machines range in price between $275,000 and $380,000, depending primarily on the capabilities of the Scitex Brisque front end.

DuPont introduced its new digital halftone proofing system, designed to run on the Creo Proofsetter Spectrum and Heidelberg/Creo Trendsetter Spectrum systems. Jointly developed with Creo, DuPont's digital halftone proofing system combines Creo's SQUAREspot thermal imaging technology and DuPont's color science to form a new breed of contract proof.

One unique attribute of DuPont's new digital halftone proofing system is its ability to proof both press colors and a wide gamut of spot colors. This is achieved by the process of thermally imaging the process colors on the Spectrum digital halftone proofer, then combining them through lamination with the analog WaterProof Color Versatility images representing the spot color portion of the proof. The DuPont system is color-matched to the

WaterProof and Cromalin global standards for accurate and consistent print prediction.

New from Fujifilm, the thermal transfer Luxel FinalProof 5600 made its digital halftone proofing debut at GRAPH EXPO. FinalProof provides true halftone dot screening at the same resolution as Fujifilm output recorders. Integrating fully automatic imaging, pigment-based CMYK colors, multiple resolutions and true halftone screening into one product, FinalProof can image at multiple resolutions (2,400, 2,438, 2,540 dpi) that match the resolution of Fujifilm's imagesetters and platesetters, as well as the resolutions of competitive output devices.

In addition, FinalProof's final proofs are automatically imaged and registered using a multi-beam, infra-red laser diode and external drum design to a maximum image area of 21.5x32.25˝. Once completed, a Fujifilm FinalProof proof can be laminated onto the same paper stock designated for the press run.

The GRAPH EXPO recipe for delivering a wider gamut of colors for the team at Kodak Polychrome Graphics seemed to be found in the company's new Recipe Colors software and metallic donor, designed for the Kodak Approval XP digital halftone proofing system. Recipe Colors, also available for the PS system, are Kodak Polychrome Graphics' new approach to spot color capabilities for digital halftone proofing.

Recipe Color software allows for an exceptionally wide range of user-defined colors for both commercial and packaging printers. The same PostScript file that is sent to the imagesetter or platesetter can be used to generate spot color information on the proof, using the Recipe Color feature on the Kodak Polychrome Graphics devices.

New From Polaroid
In the world of Polaroid—now connected to Andlinger & Company, an international private investment firm—attention at GRAPH EXPO was on the enhanced PolaProof features on the PolaProof 1420 Imager Gold digital halftone proofing system and the PolaProof 2230 Imager Gold digital halftone proofers.

Polaroid's new Extended Range Proofing Process, the latest in PolaProof devices, involves imaging onto a polyester sheet with a micro-thin coat. The polyester sheet is removed from the imager and passed through the PolaProof finisher, where the image is directly applied to the final substrate. Once the polyester sheet it lifted, the resulting high-quality halftone proof characterizes the look and feel of the actual substrate.

Also new to the PolaProof: Version 3.0 of the Polaroid RIP, based on Harlequin ScriptWorks 5.1. The new PolaProof Windows NT version includes full support of the latest PostScript Language Level 3 specification, as well as new tools for improved color handling and enhancements in performance. Features in the new PolaProof RIP include DeviceN and N-Color support—allowing an arbitrary number of colors to be correctly processed, independently color managed and imaged on the PolaProof system, including CMYK and spot-color jobs, as well as Hexachrome six-color jobs.

Optronics entered the multi-setting proofing competition—joining Creo's Spectrum—with the launch of its Aurora MultiSetter, a combination thermal platesetter and digital halftone proofer for four- to eight-up output. The entire system, priced at $259,900 for a limited time, includes the RipRight PS/PDF RIP and a three-year service warranty with installation and training.

The 830nm MultiSetter is built on Optronics' Aurora Platesetter technology. The device's true media and resolution agility accommodates the demand for contract proofs and plates in various sizes, as large as eight-up.

The MultiSetter's thermal diode head moves on a frictionless magnetic track, preventing the wear found on lead screw designs. The magnetic track enables the MultiSetter to image resolutions of 1,800, 2,400 and 2,540 dpi at competitive speeds—a 40˝ plate at 175 line screen in less than four minutes, for example.

Not Just Halftones
Agfa, in turn, focused its proofing power on the first worldwide showing of its AgfaJet Sherpa 2 and large-format contract proofer, AgfaJet Sherpa 43 digital proofers. The AgfaJet Sherpa 2 is a dual-sided, piezo-electric imposition proofing system that can print an eight-up proof in five minutes at 360 dpi, or nine minutes at 720 dpi.

The ink-jet device includes the Apogee Proofer RIP that takes image data in either separated or composite mode and offers a number of productivity and quality enhancement tools, such as in-RIP color management. The AgfaJet Sherpa 2 accepts both roll and cut-sheet media and offers a high-speed EtherNet printer interface for direct network connections. An Apogee PrintDrive plug-in allows direct imposition proofing from digital plates or film.

Agfa's latest contract proofer—the AgfaJet Sherpa 43—outputs an eight-up form in less than 10 minutes at 720x720 dpi and sports a wide color space, which is supported by the ColorTune Pro color management system. Sherpa 43 uses six colors—CMYK, plus a light magenta and a light cyan.

The Apogee RIP uses the Pantone spot color libraries, which come standard with the ColorTune Pro color management system. The ColorTune Pro ICC-based in-RIP color management system includes a library of ready-for-use output profiles, which guarantee an accurate simulation of EURO/SWOP standards.

What's next for digital proofing? Seybold Boston in February—digital proofing's next chapter.