The Power of Automation The adoption of automated print color quality control has transformed the printing industry by delivering significant improvements in color measurement accuracy, efficiency and consistency. By utilizing advanced technologies such as automatic scanning color spectrodensitometers coupled with color QC software solutions, businesses can enhance their production capabilities to meet the ever-increasing expectations of today’s customers. Here are some of those advantages go leveraging Automatic Scanning Color Spectrophotometers: Real-time Data Analysis Data plays…

Pictured above is a combination handheld spectrophotometer and densitometer, the SpectroDens 4.  The intent of using deltaE (ΔE) is to describe the distance between two colors. The Just Noticeable Difference (JND) of deltaE is usually 1. In other words, if two colors have a deltaE less than 1 it is imperceptible and larger than 1 is perceivable. Unfortunately, due to the nature of human color perception (our eyes), the visual perception of colors is different….

Improve Pressroom Efficiencies – Part 3 Two weeks ago, we kicked off our 3-part blog series looking at “Good”, “Better”, and “Best” upgrade options for packaging printers to reduce their make-readies, improve their color matching process, and attain more consistent color throughout their pressruns. In part 1, we examined the benefits of switching from densitometers to handheld spectrophotometers in flexographic pressrooms. In part 2, we looked at the benefits of adding press-side color quality software solutions…

Improve Pressroom Efficiencies – Part 2 Last week, we kicked off our 3-part blog series looking at “Good”, “Better”, and “Best” upgrade options for packaging printers to reduce their make-readies, improve their color matching process, and attain more consistent color throughout their pressruns. In part 1, we examined the benefits of switching from densitometers to handheld spectrophotometers in flexographic pressrooms. As discussed, this is a relatively easy upgrade because these instruments still measure the familiar process…

Improve Pressroom Efficiencies – Part I While handheld densitometers have already been adopted in many flexographic pressrooms, it’s important to remember that these devices do not actually measure color and are therefore incapable of reporting the accuracy of brand or spot colors on press.  The best that desitometers can do is to measure and report the densities (ink film thickness) of solid color patches and the tone value increase (TVI) of halftone dot areas.  While these…

“It’s Easier Than You Think!” Is your closed-loop color control system showing it’s age or require expensive repairs? Any chance it was made by that “X” company? Upgrading to a new Techkon SpectroDrive can improve your productivity enough to cover the cost. Find out why KBA, Heidelberg, Manroland, Komori, RMGT, Sakurai, Goss, Akiyama and more are retrofitting their presses with Techkon press-side color measurement solutions. After reading about the advantages for sheet-fed offset presses, use…

When printing colors other than CMYK, many users understandably turn to colorimetric information (CIE LAB, Delta-E). Frequently overlooked, however, is the importance of using optimized density metrics for process control in the offset lithographic pressroom.  One such metric, available on many spectrodensitometers, is spectral density (sometimes called “density-by-wavelength” or “lambda density”). A brief illustration of how a densitometer “sees” color ensues, followed by an overview of spectral density. Consider looking at a printed cyan ink…

While color measurements can be taken by hand, calculated, and worked out to verify a ‘passing’ sheet, for most offset printers this is not practical. The time it takes, both to measure and to calculate all the required print attributes, is prohibitive. When printers ask about doing this, we advise that while it can be done, for most printers they will not be successful. Many brand customers care about a variety of attributes such as…

We invited Sonja Dearden, Print Production Manager at Lindt Chocolate, to a discussion on color quality for brand owners and developed this Question & Answer Guide to provide valuable insights on the importance of print standardization when managing color around the globe. QUESTION: Why do we need print standardization? ANSWER: An international company can have many different designers, pre-press agencies and print vendors around the globe working on their brand. If they all start from…

Screen from ChromaQA, Color Quality QC software, showing ink Delta E, as well as recommended adjustments to improve Delta E. For printers, being able to see if the print is good during makeready and production is important. Most press consoles do not have any easy way to see if a print is measuring to the print standard. Press consoles typically show metrics such as dot gain, density and even solid ink LAB values but they…

If you’re wondering: “How do I clean a color densitometer or spectrophotometer?” or “What’s the best cleaning solution to use to clean my densitometer or spectrophotometer?” Your color management support team at Techkon USA has the answer. It’s especially important during these uncertain times that we work collaboratively to ensure the safety and health of all our employees, customers, and partners involved in the supply chain. We also want to be sure you take the…

Commerical and packaging printers in all markets and of all sizes are making the switch from their current densitometers, spectrophotometers, and color software to newer Techkon solutions. The reasons are compelling and plentiful – so we decided to create comparison charts for some of our key products including the SpectroDens, SpectroDrive, and the SpectroPlate. If you are interested in why so many printers around the world are switching, check out these links: SpectroDens – Make…

February has been called the “month of love” by many and it’s certainly a time when some of us give pause to our busy lives and remember why we love those closest to us (even though sometimes it’s only long enough to scribble our names onto a Hallmark card). So for Valentine’s Day in 2020, I would like to give pause and reflect on all the reasons why I think YOU will love the Techkon…