PressLINK Closed Loop Control
Improving Productivity and Color Quality

PressLINK is a print color control system that consists of:

  1. Ink key presetting
  2. Press sheet color bar scanning
  3. Closed loop ink control

PressLINK can be integrated with almost any new or old printing press through a provided hardware interface. The ability to connect with most older presses is a key capability of PressLINK. You can modernize an old press to get improved productivity from make-ready time savings, less waste and better color. Typical savings seen by PressLINK customers are 30% lower make-ready time and reduction in paper waster by at least 100 sheets per job. In addition, there is a 50% reduction in color variation enabling the printer to deliver consistent quality. The return-on-investment is 6 months or less. PressLINK improves a printer’s competitiveness by enabling them to both lower cost AND improve quality.

We can modernize your press so that you can experience the same savings and improved quality. Here is a calculator to estimate ROI in your press environment.

ROI of 6 months can be typically expected with productivity gains worth $150,000 per press per year, paper savings of $25,000 per year and improved color control.

With shorter print runs, presses are printing many more jobs per day. Reducing make-ready time through ink-key presetting system is a great way to increase press productivity. Our solution consists of software for calculating ink coverage from pre-press data and a hardware box that enables communication with the press console. Ink coverage can be calculated from CIP3/4 or from other RIP formats. Ink presets are optimized by the software based on press characteristics calculated from actual data. The press gets on color much faster.


Color density variation before and after closed loop adjustment
With longer print runs, closed-loop color control that keeps the press on color becomes very important. SpectroDRIVE is used for press sheet color bar scanning. A 40” sheet can be measured in 8 seconds. Ink fountain adjustments are calculated by the software and sent to the press console. The console adjusts ink keys so that required density values are maintained for the entire press run to match the reference sheet. Better adherence to GRACoL G7 and other printing standards can also be realized. Printer’s can be confident of delivering the the highest level of color consistency to demanding customers.

Older presses can be at a cost disadvantage if they lack a functioning system for ink-key presetting and closed loop control. Many newer presses include such systems. Modernizing and old press by adding closed loop control will make it more competitive. PressLINK can be retro-fitted to old and new presses from almost all manufacturers including Heidelberg, MAN Roland, Mitsubishi, KBA, Komori, Sakurai, Ryobi, Shinohara, Muller Martini, Adast, Polly and others. An after-market system like PressLINK provides a single interface box that can support more than one press even if they are from different manufacturers!

Installing the system typically results in make-ready time reduction of 8 to 10 minutes per job. For a press that runs 10 jobs/day, 250 days/year and costs $350/hour, the savings in make-ready time alone is worth $145,000 per year.

In addition, paper savings of 100 sheets per job can be seen. Assuming a cost of 10 cents per 40” sheet this results in $27,500 additional savings per year.

Color variations over the course of the print job are reduced significantly. Typically, a 50% reduction in color variation is seen which is a reduction of 3-4 units in color difference.

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