Pressroom Process Control

As the Flexo print market continues to evaluate print quality to rival other print processes, Pressroom Process Control becomes even more critical.

‘If you can’t describe what you are doing as a process, you don’t know what you’re doing’ - W. Edwards Deming

You cannot repeat or improve a process unless you know the capability of the process. The Flexo printing process requires repeatable procedures and measurements. There are several new measurement devices and software's recently introduced specifically for the pressroom that deal with process control. X-Rite eXact The eXact is X-rite’s new flagship measurement instrument for the inkroom through the pressroom. The eXact replaces most of X-rite’s legacy instruments such as the 504, 508, 518, 528, 530, 938, 939 and SpectroEye. As of June of 2013, all of these models have been discontinued and replaced by the eXact family of instruments; eXact Densitometer, eXact Standard, and eXact Advanced. The eXact incorporates a new ‘ Color Touch Screen’ interface with X-rite’s familiar clam-shell design. Other notable features include:

• M0, M1, M2, M3 support (ISO 13655-2009: Spectral Measurement and Colorimetric Computation for Graphic Arts Image)
• White Calibration tile is incorporated into the unit
• Embedded Pantone libraries
• Best Match
• Optional Bluetooth connection
• Optional Scanning capabilities

Learn more about the X-Rite eXact here. Techkon SpectroDens Techkon has updated their successful SpectroDens product line with three new versions. SpectroDens Basic, SpectroDens Advanced, and SpectroDens Premium. These new versions incorporate a high resolution color screen. Other notable features include:

• Smaller size
• Light weight
• M0, M1, M2, M3 support (ISO 13655-2009: Spectral Measurement and Colorimetric Computation for Graphic Arts Image)
• New LED Light source offering nearly unlimited life span
• Scanning capabilities for a single or multiple rows of color bars
• Exchangeable measurement apertures
• Optional WiFi connection

Learn more about the Techkon SpectroDens here. Both of these units incorporate new color displays. It’s kind of ironic that we are now in 2014 and ‘color’ measurement devices used in the printing industry are just coming out with color screens. Can’t you just hear the Millennials (GenY 1980-2000).....‘wait you guys use to measured color with a unit that had a black and white screen?’ As ironic as it sounds, I wonder if a color screen is going to complicate color measurement communication? Now you will have the color being measured, the instrument calculating a Delta E (color difference) and an approximated color on the screen. Can you see where the human eye color perception, the numerical calculation and the color screen representation could all be different? ....oh Boy! Along with new measurement devices, there are new software applications specifically designed for the Pressroom such as SpotOn! Flexo! SpotOn! Flexo SpotOn! Flexo is a pressroom software tool that compares spectral data of a color measured on a press pull to the spectral data of the reference color. A quick calculation gives the press operator the optimal ink density to obtain the closest (lowest Delta E, or ?E) match to the reference color. It also provides immediate information to the operator if the color cannot be matched by changes in ink density thus an ink formulation change is required. SpotOn! Flexo is compatible with both the X-rite eXact and Techkon SpectroDens. More information and a 30-day trial can be found at www.spotonflexo.com