FULL STORY
• Prinect Inpress Control available for Speedmaster SM 102 / CD 102
• Prinect Inspection Control / PDF - new inline sheet inspection system with PDF inspection and up to 17 per cent higher productivity
• Netprofiler solution delivers quality assurance for Prinect colour measuring equipment
At IPEX 2010, Heidelberg will be showcasing a range of colour measuring and control system innovations that form part of its Prinect print shop workflow. These will further boost colour and quality management and ensure even greater focus on cost-efficiency and quality. For print shops, this means shorter makeready times, more consistent print quality, and better press performance.
New Prinect Image Control for enhanced spectral image measurement
The new ‘next-generation’ Prinect Image Control is being unveiled at IPEX 2010. The completely new system features much higher resolution for spectral image measurement and is more user-friendly. Interplay with the Prinect Press Center press control station and the new automated setup functions of Prinect Image Control based on prepress data make for more reliable production and ever faster setup. Prinect Image Control performs its control function using the new, small quality control strip (height: 4 millimeters/0.16 inches) and also directly on the sheet. In commercial printing, the system is particularly useful for printing spot colours, logos, and work-and-turn jobs. Colour adjustment to true-colour proofs is now performed at the touch of a button on the touchscreen.
In packaging printing, repeats on the print sheet can be matched to samples and printed originals, for example. Direct image control reduces fluctuations in colour and tonal value, especially with medium/long runs and repeat jobs.
Integrated process control with Mini Spots allows process standards to be controlled directly in real time. Integration into the Prinect workflow makes Prinect Image Control the key quality station between prepress and pressroom. Color management with Prinect Image Control generates and corrects ICC profiles or creates / adjusts tonal value curves. In addition, the new Netprofiler solution (see below for details) ensures colour fidelity.
Following further development, an offline sheet inspection module will also be available. This will enable objective inspection of the relevant print sheet against the reference sheet stored in the system or against a PDF from prepress at any time. Possible errors on the printing plate and errors in print will be identified and rectified immediately. Retrofitting will be possible for new Prinect Image Control systems that have already been delivered.
The new Prinect Image Control will be available from the end of 2010 for the Speedmaster SM 52, SM 74, XL 75, SM 102, CD 102, and XL 105 with Prinect CP2000 Center or Prinect Press Center. One system can be used as a colour measuring and control system for up to four presses.
Prinect Axis Control - improvements to the standard measuring system boost efficiency
A number of improvements to Prinect Axis Control will be on show at IPEX 2010. This system is integrated in the Prinect Press Center press control station. It measures the colour values in the quality control strip and then adjusts the colour online for up to eight printing units. Along with the Netprofiler solution (see below for details), the small Prinect micro quality control strip with a height of just 4 millimeters (0.16 inches) will be available from mid-2010. This will further improve the variable positioning of the quality control strip for full use of the print sheet. What's more, quality reports can be documented along with the job information in Prinect Pressroom Manager. This provides easy and centralised access to all job-related production data at all times.
Prinect Axis Control is available on all Speedmaster presses with the Prinect Press Center.
Prinect Inpress Control inline measuring system now also available for the Speedmaster SM 102 and CD 102
The Prinect Inpress Control inline measuring system is now also available for Speedmaster SM 102 and CD 102 presses. It ensures rapid setup and continuous production control. The system automatically measures and controls colour and register inline - doing so on the fly and at any speed - and records process colours, spot colours, and register in the quality control strip. Any corrections required are immediately forwarded to the Prinect Press Center press control station for attention. The press does not need to be halted for setup or production run monitoring.
This system is ideal for print shops with frequent job changes, short runs, and standardised jobs. If a print shop also has Prinect Pressroom Manager, it will be possible in future to document quality reports directly with the job information. This will enable print shops to make their production quality more reliable and thus boost their cost-efficiency.
Prinect Inpress Control is now available for Speedmaster XL 75, SM 102, CD 102, XL 105, XL 145, and XL 162 presses. The spectrophotometric measuring unit is always located in the final printing unit. In perfecting presses, there is an additional measuring unit in the printing unit immediately before sheet reversal.
Prinect Inspection Control / PDF - new inline sheet inspection system with PDF inspection
From mid-2010, Heidelberg will be adding the new Prinect Inspection Control / PDF system to its portfolio of inline inspection solutions for print shops producing items such as packaging and inserts for the pharmaceuticals industry where safety is key. The new sheet inspection system is based on two high-resolution grayscale line scan cameras and enables the entire run to be monitored and documented in the press. In an automatic and objective process, Prinect Inspection Control / PDF uses the prepress PDF to check the first print sheet rapidly and reliably before approval to print. Possible errors on the printing plate and print errors can be identified and rectified immediately. This ensures that all print sheets meet customer requirements both when printing starts and during the production run. The system offers an excellent return on investment. Up to 15 minutes per job can be saved simply by automating the time-consuming manual reconciliation with the planning sheet. Depending on the number of jobs and repeats per sheet, initial users can expect to see their productivity improve by up to 17 per cent. They will also have less paper waste and benefit from greater reliability in production.
RGB and PDF versions of Prinect Inspection Control can now also be incorporated in XL 105 printing units
Both the new Prinect Inspection Control / PDF system and the Prinect Inspection Control / RGB system that has been available since February 2008 can be incorporated in the coating unit of the Speedmaster XL 105. The Prinect Inspection Control / RGB colour inspection system with its link to prepress identifies the tiniest of print errors, scratches, hickeys, etc. and is specifically designed for packaging, label, and high-end commercial printers.
From the end of 2010, it will also be possible to incorporate both inspection systems in the final printing unit of the Speedmaster XL 105 or the final unit and the unit immediately before sheet reversal in perfecting presses. This will enable both sides of the sheet to be monitored, for example in perfecting mode. Unlike with other systems, the printer has no need to worry about obstructing the camera when operating the printing unit. This opens up interesting options for commercial printers, too.
Both inspection systems deliver seamless monitoring and documentation of the entire run - an outstanding advantage when seeking to boost customer loyalty and attract new business.
Netprofiler solution - enhanced measuring quality thanks to spectral calibration
At IPEX 2010, Heidelberg will be unveiling its Netprofiler solution for colourimetric checking and calibration of Prinect colour measuring systems.
The three-stage concept employed by the Netprofiler solution comprises checking, calibration, and certification of the relevant spectrophotometric Prinect colour measuring system and can be customised as required. All that is needed to check the colour measuring systems is a new colour chart with reference data. The operator can measure the colour chart at any time and immediately see whether his Heidelberg measuring system is still operating within the tolerance values. If the Netprofiler calibration software is installed, the measuring system is automatically calibrated after this check has been performed. Any deviations from the target values are automatically corrected and adjusted to the measuring system's factory settings. If the print shop also has an online Remote Service connection to Heidelberg Systemservice, the customer will automatically be e-mailed a detailed report and a certificate confirming that the measuring equipment has been checked as specified by the manufacturer. Consequently, when covered by the Systemservice maintenance contract, the relevant measuring device virtually always remains in the condition in which it was delivered, as certified by the manufacturer. The Netprofiler calibration software eliminates negative effects on colour reproduction by minimising deviations between colour data from different years or different equipment. This is of benefit both when coordinating with the customer and for standardised printing to ISO 12647-2, which requires systematic compliance with the narrowest of print tolerances.
From mid-2010, the Heidelberg Netprofiler solution will optionally be available with the new S10A Prinect Press Center software on the Prinect Axis Control and Prinect Inpress Control colour measuring systems. This option will also be available for the new Prinect Image Control from the start of series production.
© Graphic Repro On-line, 11 March 2010.
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