Color management sees potential in the gap

At present, color management in China's printing industry has passed the stage of concept popularization, and its importance has been widely recognized in the industry. Many printing companies are using color management software. However, does the application of the application have a certain gap with their previously envisioned goals? Did the software function not be fully utilized, and did it encounter some bottlenecks in the application? Is there any good measure to solve this problem?

In order to collect a wide range of information from all parties, the “Observation” section has invited industry experts, digital printing users, and color management software suppliers, “Huashan Jianjian”, to discuss this issue.

Market: Thirst for knowledge

“Color is the life of color printing. To improve the quality of color printing, we must first improve the color quality. The color image reproduction process is, in the final analysis, a reproduction of color.” An image reproduction expert, Mr. Yin Youfang, stated in a word that color management is important in printing. There is a strong demand for color management from sex and the market.

The purpose of color management is to create a color space between monitors, printers, and printers that can communicate with each other and convert each other to achieve accurate color prints. This point was corroborated by two printing companies in the interview. Mr. Chen Xiaogu, general manager and technical director of Yingtian Printing Industry Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as Yingtian) introduced that in the actual production, Yingtian must perform color management between screen soft proofing, digital proofing and digital printing; When producing some graphic works, such as the reproduction of a picture, it is also necessary to achieve a relatively uniform color effect on different paper media.

Beijing Yachang Color Printing Co., Ltd. (hereinafter abbreviated as Yachang), which is famous for its fine prints, is the company's unrelenting pursuit of accurate restoration of artworks. Jiang Yinhu, Deputy Minister of Platemaking Department, said: “The second darkroom of a printing company as a photographer needs accurate reproduction of colors, and Yachang’s customer groups are experts in the fields of art, design, photography, art, and business, and they are professional and unique. The artistic accomplishment and the level require us to have perfect and precise color management.” In order to achieve accurate color reproduction, Artron requires that the same document display colors in different processes and different media are the same, so the color management system must have excellent The accuracy of color reproduction and the compatibility of different devices ensure the accuracy of the color transfer of the entire system to meet the various needs of different customers.

At present, many printing companies are committed to establishing their own digital workflow. Whether it is the traditional printing process or the digital process flow, color management is an important project that runs through the entire printing workflow.

In response to this situation, eye-catching color management software suppliers are even more aware of this market demand. Mr. Yan Jianhai, general manager of Shanghai GMG, Shanghai, China, said that currently in the Chinese market, large printing companies, small export companies, and advertising companies are all moving toward digitalization. CTP has been widely accepted and recognized. In the actual production process of printing companies, the issue of color management is the most concerned and most important issue for many companies.

Mr. Zhu Jianhua, business development manager of EFI China, believes that the driving force of color management in the Chinese printing market is mainly in three aspects. The first and most important driving force is the increase in the demand for digital proofing brought about by the growth of CTP and the introduction of color management after digital proofing. Second, the development of new applications in the digital printing market. Many customers now carry out new businesses, such as the reproduction of artworks and the transfer of flowers. These businesses have higher requirements for color management. Third, many customers are increasingly demanding the quality control of printing. One of the most important requirements is the accurate and vivid color.
It is not difficult to analyze, the more urgent the demand, the greater the driving force of the market, then, after the printing companies have introduced color management software, the effect is as good as people expect it to be?

Application: Mixed

With the development of digital technology, the function of color management software has also become increasingly powerful, which provides support for our effective control of color. However, the conditions of printing companies in China vary widely. The requirements for color management software and the applications of different types of companies that produce different types of printing products are not the same. It is understood that the number of printing companies that purchase color management software in China is increasing, but the application situation is not satisfactory.

Let us first take a look at the "present statement" of the two printing companies in the interview. Since its introduction of ColorBlind Prove it for color management of displays in 1999, Artron has used Labfit, EFI Colorproof and Profilemaker to perform color management in its production processes. Mr. Jiang Xianhu said: “Although Yachang has been involved in color management for a long time and has achieved some results, we are only using a part of the entire color management system. A long way to go."

Similarly, Shadowsky also used color management software in 1999 when it was introduced only for digital proofing. Later, this software has undergone several upgrades and its functionality has been greatly improved, but it is still only used for digital proofing. In 2004, Yingtian introduced GMG's color management software based on actual production requirements.

Both Yachang and Yingtian are well-known printing companies that do “fine printing” in China. They are doing better than the general situation of domestic color management applications. However, compared with the energy that the color management system can exert, there is still a lot of potential to be tapped.

Industry experts expressed the same opinion. Mr. Yin Youfang stated that many printing companies have failed to establish an effective color management system and have poor color control. They are unable to meet customer requirements and cause rework. Costs spent on color control cannot always be reduced. In addition, color problems cause problems. Manpower, materials, and time waste and losses. Moreover, prepress, printing technology and equipment are advanced, color management is not good, and it does not play its role. Ultimately, the color control is unstable, and the quality of printed products still fluctuates greatly.

Beijing Huali Zhicheng Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as Huali Zhicheng) as an agent of color management hardware and software, in-depth practical, visited many different types of domestic printing companies. Mr. Yang Liren, general manager of the company, told reporters that the level of color management applied by domestic printing companies is uneven, and there is still a big gap compared with foreign countries. In North China, many high-end printing companies that use color management software also have problems in their applications. In the Western and Central China regions, the hardware configuration of many printing companies already has the conditions for digital production, but they are studying theoretically and There is still a lack of skills.

It can be seen that the efficacy of the domestic printing company's color management system still occupies only a small part compared with that of the color management system. The functions of the color management system in the entire printing process, such as RGB color management, CMYK color management, color conversion, digital proofing, color inspection, ink optimization, etc., have not been fully demonstrated in actual production, but are currently applied by domestic companies. Most of the color management is just the color management of digital proofing.
Learn to find the crux of the problem

What is the cause of the bottleneck in use? This issue deserves our deep thinking. The resistance caused by the combined effects of various issues cannot be underestimated.

In the interview, Mr. Yan Jianhai thought that: First of all, there are technical defects in the system itself. Second, the technical level of the seller determines the level of installation, training, and after-sales service. Once again, the user himself has not given enough of this link. Pay attention and conduct more study. The above comprehensive factors have caused the use of color management systems and the use of functions that have not reached a high level, and have even been used very badly. These views represent the views of most of the interviewees in the interview.

From the point of view of the printing company, Mr. Jiang Xianhu has subdivided the factors in the user's use: “One is that there is not enough knowledge and understanding of color management and I don’t know how to do it; the second is the mastery of the performance of color management software. Bad, can not fully play its due function; Third, the idle system and equipment, not fully applied to production. The result of this show is 'high with low energy'."

In addition, the situation of color management applications also depends on the various aspects of color management and environmental conditions. Mr. Yang Liren believes that paper, ink, software, hardware, computer configuration, and auxiliary instruments are all important elements of color management applications. Any problem with any one element will affect the normal application of color management.

Initiatives: Teamwork

For the current situation, solving the various bottlenecks in color management applications is the key to development. In this regard, experts, printing companies, and suppliers have made concerted efforts to develop their opinions and recommendations from their own perspective.

Judging from the current actual situation, there are many variable factors in the production of printing enterprises in China, including factors such as adjustment of materials, environment, and equipment. The printing quality is difficult to be stable, and the color management requires strict matching of the subsequent processes. In addition, compared with the rapid development of technology and products, the quality of technical staff has not kept pace with, which is a more prominent problem. In this regard, industry experts, Mr. Li Jiaxiang believes: “The CEOs of printing companies should not only pay attention to the introduction of new equipment and new technologies, but should also pay attention to improving the repeatability and stability of printing production through the introduction of new equipment and new technologies, which is what we usually do. It is very important to lay a solid foundation for standardized production and standardized production and standardized management."

The issue of standardized production has also received the attention of Mr. Jiang Xianhu. He believes that there is a need for a “leader” (such as a national printing technology agency or a strong printing company) to lead domestic printing companies to establish standards for color management, including Environment and color temperature, software selection, print linear description files, etc. Industry companies perform according to the standards they set, so that the same file can have the same effect on different companies and devices.

Establishing a color management standard for the printing industry is a very significant issue. It is not only beneficial to the printing companies to strengthen communication with each other, reduce production costs, improve production technology level and comprehensive benefits, but also help improve the overall printing technology of the country. Level, improve the comprehensive utilization of resources, enhance international competitiveness; at the same time, it can also provide valuable experience for the formulation of other industry standards in the printing industry.
In addition, the application of experience is not much, lack of training, guidance, but also increased the difficulty of application of color management. Mr. Jiang Xianhu suggested that manufacturers of various color management systems should promote as much as possible Chinese operating software or translation to Chinese, provide Chinese operating instructions and basic operation training, which can facilitate enterprises to apply color management systems more quickly and effectively. . At the same time, all manufacturers should strengthen their communication with each other, combine their advantages and strengths, and continuously innovate and develop a color management system that is simpler, more convenient, faster, and more effective in order to achieve the most effective color management. In order to create a win-win situation for printing companies and manufacturers.

In the interview, color management software suppliers also paid special attention to training issues. Mr. Yang Liren believes that the printing industry in China urgently needs technicians with solid theoretical knowledge, strong hands-on skills, and rich practical experience, as well as relevant practical training. He stated that Huali Zhicheng has been doing related work. Now, in order to be more professional, he has also set up a digital graphic arts consulting company to provide services specifically to meet the needs of customers.

Mr. Yan Jianhai also said: "The printing company must continue to learn and get access to new technologies. It is best to provide regular training to technicians, especially prepress technicians who have developed technology quickly." Indeed, suppliers should be developing After releasing new technologies, the functions of the new technologies will be introduced in a real and thorough manner.