pressSIGN® 12 Pro - Intelligent Printing

pressSIGN 12 Pro.

pressSIGN is a G7® Certified System that measures, controls, monitors and evaluates the colour printing process for litho, flexo, gravure, screen and digital.

pressSIGN-Pro features a complete set of analysis tools to improve press and operator performance identifying issues of both quality and waste.

Use pressSIGN's soft proofing facility to visually check jobs in the production or pre-press office live from the press. Improve communication with the chat messaging service.

pressSIGN contains the PANTONE™ libraries and the ability to create custom colour libraries. Control not only solid spot colours but tints as well. Set spot tint targets based on previous prints or use pressSIGN's Visual Linear Targeting (VLT) to achieve the smoothest possible blends.

pressSIGN 12 Pro main features

• Scores the measurement against the print target giving a colour coded overall score Print targets with tolerances and scoring are fully customisable. Score the spot colours, CMYK and overall.
• Dynamic Density Adjustment(DDA) uniquely predicts best possible density based on the selected print target and the actual paper, ink, chemistry in use for that job
• Dryback - accurately compensates for dry back for spot and process colours taking account of density variation
• Auto target adjustment for substrate - user doesn't need to create a multitude of press targets for each substrate to get best quality of print.
• Creates and updates tonal curves using either TVI (dot gain), 4CX technology (grey balance) or Neutral Print Density.
• Print targets - all international standards supported, including all ISO/PAS 15339 targets. Print targets fully customisable with automtaic white point compensation
• Spot colours - includes PANTONE™ libraries for up to 16 colour printing, create custom spot libraries
• Spot colour Tints - Control spot colour tints with pressSIGN's Visual Linear Target (VLT) technology or use previously printed tints as your target.
• Extended Gamut for lower cost multi-colour printing
• Dynamic Reports - get detailed reports on all aspects of production, compare operators, campaigns. Rank performance and follow trends all through a web browser interface
• Use any colour bar
• Ink substitution allows the same colour bar to be used whether spot or process colours
• Trend analysis reports showing press, operator, shift performance and wastage of print process for single or multiple jobs
• Monitor performance from the production office for all presses and printing devices
• Soft Proof at the press or in the production office, see the impact of paper colour and the actual press measurements on the job
• Check consistency across the press and against the OK sheet
• Connects to all scanning spectrophotometers and many third-party closed loop systems
• Templates reduce set up time
• AutoMode with templates automatically creates jobs from many press measurement files with no operator intervention

Each measurement is scored

Every measurement is given a score and colour coded to make it easy to decide how well the sheet was printed. The sheet is given an overall score which is further broken down into different measurement criteria. Finally the production report gives a score for all the measurements in the job.

The job criteria measured and scored are

• Primary colours
• Spot colours
• TVI
• Grey Balance
• Overprints - Lab and Trapping
• Sheet consistency
• Consistency against an OK or accepted sheet
• Paper colour

pressSIGN uses ISO 12647-2 tolerances by default, but all tolerances and scoring criteria can be fully customized by the user. The print target can be allocated globally across the enterprise or assigned to specific sites depending on the needs of the enterprise.

DDA

pressSIGN's Dynamic Density Adjustment ensures that the operator is always achieving the closest colour match to the press target whatever the ink, paper or press environment. On each new job pressSIGN recalculates the correct density adjustment based on the current conditions. In fact, pressSIGN only needs to read one patch to know how to adjust the density.

The pressSIGN-Pro client shows the operator how to adjust each ink key across the press. The operator is targeting 0% adjustment, which means that if the ink level is either increased or decreased then the Delta E will rise. Instead of trying to hit an arbitrary density target the operator is achieving the best possible colour match to the press target.

Optionally ink zones can be turned off as part of the measurement and scoring functions when, for example, there is no significant coverage. DDA works with both process and spot colours.

Auto Substrate adjustment

Printers who are asked to print to international printing standards like ISO 12647-2 or GRACol will often be asked to produce work on paper stocks that deviate from the standard. pressSIGN 9 gives print buyers and printers the option of allowing pressSIGN to automatically amend the print target based on the substrate's white point.

Changing the white point target in response to paper colour gives a better visual representation of the original.

Set and update tonal curves

pressSIGN offers three methods of creating tonal curve adjustments, Tonal Value Increase (TVI), 4CX or Neutral Print Density. By measuring the colour bar containing a minimum of three tonal patches per colour (e.g. 25%, 50% and 75%) pressSIGN creates tonal adjustment curves and exports these curves to a whole variety of RIP formats for platesetters and digital devices.

Alternatively output the tonal curves to Autocurves and apply the adjustments to a PDF workflow. AutoCurves is an additional application that is useful in a digital environment or where a platesetter RIP is unable to update an existing curve.

TVI, usually referred to as dot gain, is the traditional way that printers have matched international standards such as ISO 12647-2. It is a simple method of achieving colour matching to the standard.

4CX (4 colour Exchange) technology targets grey balance for the tonal adjustments. 4CX takes into account black and white points of the target and print to produce the best visual match. For more details on 4CX technology visit our dedicated web page. pressSIGN 11 additional adds NPDC adjustments as a further means of attaining grey balance. NPDC reports maximum and average Delta L and F for CMY and maximum and average Delta L for black.

When all conditions including ink and paper are ideal on a sheet fed offset press then 4CX, NPDC and TVI adjustments will produce the same results. However, we recommend 4CX on non-offset devices and where ink and paper do not precisely match the ISO standards.

Print Targets

pressSIGN supports all international print standards;

• ISO 12647-2 (2007 and 2013)
• ISO 12647-3
• ISO 12647-4
• ISO 12647-6
• ISO 12647-7
• ISO/PAS 15339 (GRACol 2013)
• GRACol 2006
• Japan Colour

Create customized print standards based on CMYK or Multi-colour ICC profiles. pressSIGN also allows you to select a profile for the print condition and a separate profile for the grey balance. For example, the customer might require a job to be printed on uncoated paper but have supplied the file with a coated profile like ISOCoatedv2.icc. The ability to set a different target for the grey balance to the print condition allows you to generate correction curves that produce the best possible visual match.

Utilising an ICC profile as the print target allows pressSIGN to adjust the print target according to the colour of the substrate. Printing to the amended target will produce a better visual match to the proof. Export the amended ICC profile to pre-press for proofing or soft proofing.

Create a print standard based on a single or set of previously measured printed sheets. It is useful to capture the existing print set up so that it can be replicated for re-runs.

Spot colours

To ensure brand consistency spot colour printing is essential. pressSIGN-Pro can measure and control from one to 16 colours. The spot colours can be selected from either the PANTONE™ libraries or customer created libraries. Custom colour libraries can be exported to other users.

The PANTONE™ spot colour libraries are included within pressSIGN. Select any PANTONE™ colour and pressSIGN will show the operator how to adjust the density to achieve the best possible match on the substrate.

Where spot colours exist in a job then pressSIGN provides a separate spot colour score for each measurement and the job.

Create custom spot colour libraries by measuring the colours, importing colour data files like CxF, or type in Lab values.

Compare any measurement with the nearest colour from the spot colour libraries.

Why rely on a visual judgements from a faded book when all can benefit from centrally controlled spectral data.

Spot colour Tints

Set the right tonal target for spot colours based on colour not density. pressSIGN's Visual Linear Target (VLT) sets the target from your choice of Spot colour whether it is from the PANTONE™ or a custom library. VLT calculates the correct tint target to give the smoothest blend.

Creating a tint target is easy in pressSIGN. There are two options. Measure an exisitng set of tints and use these to set the target. pressSIGN will then score the measurement, show the operator how close he is to the target and tonal adjustments can be exported to the RIP or PDF workflow.

A more effective solution that produces much smoother spot colour blends is pressSIGN's Visual Linear Target (VLT). VLT requires no previous printing. Select the spot colour from the PANTONE™ or custom library and measure the tints. VLT will provide tonal adjustments curves based on pressSIGN's mathematical calculation of the ideal tones.

Any colour Bar

Create any colour bar in pressSIGN's colour bar generator and pressSIGN will score the reading against the target you have set.

Import CGATs or CxF data files and make these the print target files. pressSIGN 6 gives the user huge flexibility to determine what will be measured. For example, make the target bar a single colour with multiple tint patches to see how the printing device is producing a tonal curve for that colour. Check on the across the sheet consistency of a digital printer.

Create or import multi-line colour bars such as the GRACol P2P target or FOGRA/UGRA Media wedge or simply copy an existing colour bar including slurs marks.

pressSIGN Reports

pressSIGN-Pro offers the production manager much better understanding about the performance of the printing devices and the operators under his control through pressSIGN's production reports. See which operators take longest to get to production. pressSIGN-Pro provides production managers with detailed analysis reports for individual jobs and across multiple jobs. Compare the performance of;

• presses
• digital printing devices
• operators
• shifts
• consumables and paper.
• category or sub-category

Produce a certification report for clients to demonstrate the quality of print.

pressSIGN-Pro also produces Production and Scoring reports to give production manager's a quick overview of any particular job.

Dynamic Reports

Create dynamic reports showing trends, comparisons and ranking. Select all the data from the server or sort by any criteria and generate reports.

Analyse your data to find out who is printing best whether it is by press, operator, print site or shift. See which paper stock gives you the best results and dig into how your campaigns have printed and with which press, printer etc you need to concentrate your resources.

pressSIGN Clients

pressSIGN 12 is an SQL Server based product that allows multiple clients to input and monitor the data from the printing devices connected to it. There are four different client types that can be purchased as required.

• the Pro, Standard and Digital clients are used by the operator to measure and control the printing device
• the Trends client is for use in the production/pre-press office to assign jobs to the operator, update tonal curves, analyse performance and communicate to customers and colleagues. Has the same functionality as the Pro client without the ability to read in new data.

While the Pro, Standard and Digital clients sit by the printing device in order to read and monitor individual printed sheets and show the operator how to make the necessary adjustments to the press, the Trends client allows pre-press and production managers to monitor the press performance without the need to be on the shop floor.

The pre-press manager can see all jobs that are currently printing from the office, new jobs can be created, targets created and jobs assigned to the right press and the right operator. When the operator signs into pressSIGN he only sees his own jobs. From the pre-press office, the manager can update tonal curves without the need to visit the factory floor or disturb the operator. All production reports and analysis can take place using the pressSIGN-Trends client.

Keep in touch with the performance of the operators and presses from anywhere connected to the internet with the pressSIGN-Mobile client, which requires no licence now. Send and receive chat messages directly with the operator.

Soft Proofing

Soft proofing is included free of charge with pressSIGN-Pro and pressSIGN GPM. All pressSIGN-Pro and Trends clients have the soft-proofing module built-in.

Use the soft proofing module even before printing has started. Open up the print job in pressSIGN and measure the actual paper colour. See the impact the underlying substrate is going to have when you print.

Use pressSIGN's soft proof module at press side to compare the printed sheets with the target. Use the soft proof module in the production office to see how well the job is being printed. See the impact of updating the tonal curves on the printed sheet.

Check for all types of consistency

Consistency is vital for all quality conscious print buyers. Consistency between printed jobs, wherever they are printed, consistency throughout the job and consistency across the printed sheet are all vital in matching clients requirements. presSIGN-Pro tracks these issues on behalf of the quality control or brand manager. At the same time pressSIGN-Pro shows the operators how to achieve this consistency.

pressSIGN Connectivity

Use pressSIGN-Pro to control of all the following Spectrophotometers:-

• X-Rite Intellitrax S, Intellitrax 2 S
• X-Rite eXact AutoScan
• X-Rite EasyTrax S
• X-Rite Eye-One Pro and i1 Pro2
• X-Rite 530, SpectroEye and eXact
• X-Rite i1iO table and iSis 2 chart reader
• Techkon SprectroDrive & SpectroDrive NG
• Techkon SpectroJet, SpectroJet II
• Techkon SpectroDens (scanning requires Premium)
• Barbieri SpectroLFP S3 and qb
• Barbieri SpectroSwing and SpectroPad 2
• Konica Minolta FD-7 and Myiro-1
  
• ColorSentinel CS-110
  

pressSIGN-Pro connects with several third party closed loop systems including, but not limited to, Digital Information's InkZone Loop, PrintFlow's DIPS Online and Rutherford's AutoPilot.

pressSIGN Pro's AutoMode will automatically create a job from many file types exported by press closed loop systems like Koenig & Bauer's ColorTronic, ErgoTronic and QualiTronic, Komori PDC-S systems, Heidelberg Axis & Image Control along with Inpress Control via the Prinect API, Roland's ColourPilot and Ryobi's PDS-E - all without any operator intervention.

See how pressSIGN-Pro can help you and your company improve print quality, meet clients expectations and lower costs. Download a demo of the latest version of the software today.

Get More with pressSIGN Global Print Management Subscription Licenses!

In addition to all the features available with perpetual licenses, as described above, our GPM subscribers get the following extra, all while staying on the latest version;

• Multi-Site capable SQL database
• Job Synchronisation to a central GPM server
• Shared Settings Synchronised from a central GPM server
• PantoneLIVE support
• Scheduled Email Reports
• LIVE Dashboard web portal
• 3rd party database access API
• Upload to a brand’s Schawk! ColorDrive server
• Upload to a brand’s X-Rite ColorCert ScoreCard server

Watch this short 2 minute video which gives an overview of pressSIGN GPM.

Download the PDF brochure Here.