Comprehensive Understanding of Digital Proofing (II)

This technology is one of the middle and upper gear technologies in the digital proofing market. It is also used for contrast proofing and content proofing. This technique is primarily used to produce images by delivering a continuous stream of ink to a printhead, which is diverted to a substrate that requires pigment. Since the ink can be synthesized in various colors, the inkjet proofer is more flexible in creating color points than the digital semi-continuous tone proofer. Digital proofing machines using this technique are slower than dye sublimation proofers in proofing speed, but the quality and color accuracy obtained is higher than that of a dye sublimation proofer. The disadvantages of this technology are: First, the printability of color needs further improvement; second, the ink flow sometimes cannot be smooth.

3. Dye Sublimation Technology

This technology is also one of the technologies in the digital proofing market, which is also used for contrast proofing and content proofing. The dye sublimation proofer transfers the pigment to the substrate by thermocompression bonding and produces images through a series of processes. Print proofs of the same web size; the proof rate of a dye sublimation proofer with a good quality and an inkjet proofer is almost the same. The disadvantages of digital proofing equipment with this technology are: First, special substrates are needed, which increases the price of a single page; second, coarse proofing cannot be done on general paper.

4. Renewable inkjet technology

Can be revised version of inkjet technology is one of the lower-end technology in the market, it is transferred from the office printing to proofing market quite DOD inkjet system. It has many different models, such as thermal proofing, pressure proofing, and bubble jet proofing, all of which share the same ink path rather than a continuous oil jet. Some of these devices are not stable enough for performance, they cannot be transmitted by branches, and the printing speed is slow. Currently, DOD inkjet technology is improving and perfecting color processing and color rendering so as to better imitate actual printing color and printing environment.

Third, digital proofing equipment

For digital proofing manufacturers, the biggest technical challenge is whether they can provide similar sites with Cromain and Matchprint proofing equipment, because this is the docking point for analog proofing technology and digital proofing technology.

In the early days of the development of digital proofing equipment, 3M's Digital Matchprint and Kodak's Approval Digital proofing T-type system respectively introduced two kinds of rich tone dot digital proofing equipment to the market. Because the two devices use the method of “dithering” or “random continuous screen” to simulate halftone dots, the levels and colors printed out are inconsistent with the actual printing process, thus hindering the development of digital proofing. Lris Graphics has been developing and progressing for nearly two decades. The lris printer introduced as a high-end prepress proofing device has attracted the attention of the pioneers of digital high-grade proofing with its fine continuous output capability, and has finally developed a digital high-grade proofing market.

Here are some popular digital proofing devices in the market.

1. IMATION RAINBO Imation Rainbow introduces the world's first accurate color desktop proofing device, which is one of the outstanding members of today's large family of proofing equipment.

There are two main models in Rainbow's market: One is the 2730 model, which only updates the original organic model. Another newly introduced 2740 model has a print area of ​​460x310mm, including bleeding lines, which is twice as much as A4 pages. The Rainbow 274O can also print proofs with metallic and white ink effects, which provides new applications for packaging printing proofing and high-quality quality proofing.

Rainbow series proofer has excellent color correction software system, it can use professional Mac machine for eight color separation. Eight-color printing effect is achieved through ink roller contact during the printing process. Like most dye sublimation proofers, the Rainbow2 series can only simulate one type of printer, but color lookup tables and dot gains can be used to better simulate print images. Recently, the number of color management software for this series of proofing equipment has increased. The Gretag color ladder, but the color accuracy obtained is not very accurate, and its effect has not reached a satisfactory level.

2. IRIS REALIST's lsis Realist series proofer, which is the dominant player in the digital proofing market, has been recognized by customers after years of development and hard work. Scitex company has been committed to some basic research to maintain its brand position in the digital product market. Based on this, it has made great efforts to develop high-end digital proofers and large-format digital proofers as its main target. At present, the company's high-end digital printer market has accounted for more than 20% of the market share. Now the term "lris" is used to describe high-end digital proofing. The new printer from Scitex is based on the lris Realist. The two models are the Realist 5013 and the Realist 5030; the Realist 5013 has an output size of 533 x 355 mm; the Realist 5030 can achieve 533×762mm. Both machines can use Adobe CPSI Rips based on a PC or Mac or Scitex's own Ripro server.

Lris Graphics currently focuses on the development of GPrint digital printers and uses it as an updated replacement for the earlier 3047 printers. Unlike 3047, GPrint is designed specifically for the high-end printing market, and many details have been modified at the request of lris users. The main improvements are: The positional printhead - which will allow large format printers that use thicker print substrates lris The two potential competitors faced are: Epson's MicroPiezo printhead technology; Roland The company's Hi-FiJet printer and Minaki's JV2-130 printer. Lris’s most powerful competitor in the high-end digital proofing market is Color Span’s GicleePrintMakerFA proofer, which uses eight-color proofing (CMYK plus light, medium and light blue, and four green) proofers. Its true resolution reaches 60 dpi on a 35.5 x 47.5 inch web. It is claimed that due to adopting the eight-color printing color system and RIP technology, the continuous adjustment image quality of proofing is equivalent to 1800 dpi. It is expected that in the near future, the Giclee series can develop low-price, high-resolution products; to increase the market share. Roland's Hi-FiJet is a 1440 x 720 dpi resolution inkjet printer that uses the Pantone six-color ink system, high resolution system and enhanced color system. In addition, Hi-Fi Jet printers also use pigment inks and dye-based inks. The position of the print head can be adjusted to suit the printing of the original substrate, and can also be printed on coated paper and canvas.

3. FUJI FIRSTPROOF

Fujifilm has its own unique features in color image processing. The FujFirstProof3 launched in 1996 has a unique analog point capability. In particular, it adopts a hexagonal point structure that does not ask for a rose pattern; it has become a major feature of the company's digital proofing technology.