When most of us think of 'Software' in the Flexo print arena, we think Prepress, right? I guess maybe customer service, accounting or some other departments might think of something else, but the folks on the manufacturing end of Flexo usually think of software as it relates to Prepress. Perhaps the reason for this might be that up until now there has been very little software specifically designed for the Flexo pressroom (if any). Well, that all changed late last year when APR & SpotOn Press introduced SpotOn! Flexo pressroom software.
That's interesting, but why do I need software in the pressroom?
Well, let me tell you a little story that might answer that question...
Earlier this month, we got a call from a large corrugated converter with some on-press color-matching problems. The customer told our Account Rep, "You have to get over here and me help get my boss off my @$$! We just had a customer reject a job for color match, and the boss told me find something to correct this problem — ASAP!"
So we gathered up a selection of Spectrophotometers from our Tech Center along with a laptop loaded with SpotOn! Flexo and hurried over to the customer's plant.
When we arrived, the customer ushered us into their conference room, where there was series of boxes for a major consumer product company covering the conference table. At one end of the table was a box marked "OK" and the approved ink drawdown. The pressroom manager said, "they love this one!" pointing to the box marked OK, "but they rejected all of these last night." He said, pointing to all the rest. "We need something that can tell us how to make the color on these boxes look like that one, while we have the job on press. Can you help us?"
Time for the Main Event!
...suddenly there was a drum roll, a flash of lights and a familiar announcer voice saying, "LLLet's Get RRReady to Measuuurrrre...!" Okay it wasn't really that cool, but it could have been with a little more preparation 😉
We opened up the laptop, launched SpotOn! Flexo, hooked up their current Spectrophotometer and began to measure. We first measured the ink drawdown as the Reference Color and then we used the new Quick Measurement feature in SpotOn! Flexo to measure the rejected box. SpotOn! Flexo calculations said the current color match to the Reference Color was a 4.83 dE00. The software, using the unique predictive analysis algorithm, said if they had reduced the ink density by .13 the color match to the Reference Color would have been 2.53 dE00 and passed the customer requirement of less than 3 dE. So they had the right ink at press but were not running it at the optimum ink density!
The ink was right, but they had the density wrong.
Why? you ask... Because SpotOn! Flexo wasn't press-side! The core functionality of SpotOn! Flexo is to show you the optimal ink density to run on press so that you can match that reference color. This information has never been available for spot color inks until now!
The customer was going to be re-running the job the next day, so we loaded the software on their system and gave them some quick on-site training. They used the software the next day and achieved an acceptable color match! Not only did they match the color, but they actually did it using less ink! Later that same day they placed an order for the SpotOn! Flexo software, with 5 additional user seats and two more handheld spectrophotometers.
In basketball they call that a Slam Dunk!
More information on SpotOn! Flexo, or to download a Free Trial version of the software go to: www.spotonflexo.com
(BTW, SpotOn! Flexo will not help you slam like MJ.)
When most of us think of 'Software' in the Flexo print arena, we think Prepress, right? I guess maybe customer service, accounting or some other departments might think of something else, but the folks on the manufacturing end of Flexo usually think of software as it relates to Prepress. Perhaps the reason for this might be that up until now there has been very little software specifically designed for the Flexo pressroom (if any). Well, that all changed late last year when APR & SpotOn Press introduced SpotOn! Flexo pressroom software.
...suddenly there was a drum roll, a flash of lights and a familiar announcer voice saying, "LLLet's Get RRReady to Measuuurrrre...!" Okay it wasn't really that cool, but it could have been with a little more preparation 😉
We opened up the laptop, launched SpotOn! Flexo, hooked up their current Spectrophotometer and began to measure. We first measured the ink drawdown as the Reference Color and then we used the new Quick Measurement feature in SpotOn! Flexo to measure the rejected box. SpotOn! Flexo calculations said the current color match to the Reference Color was a 4.83 dE00. The software, using the unique predictive analysis algorithm, said if they had reduced the ink density by .13 the color match to the Reference Color would have been 2.53 dE00 and passed the customer requirement of less than 3 dE. So they had the right ink at press but were not running it at the optimum ink density!
Why? you ask... Because SpotOn! Flexo wasn't press-side! The core functionality of SpotOn! Flexo is to show you the optimal ink density to run on press so that you can match that reference color. This information has never been available for spot color inks until now!
The customer was going to be re-running the job the next day, so we loaded the software on their system and gave them some quick on-site training. They used the software the next day and achieved an acceptable color match! Not only did they match the color, but they actually did it using less ink! Later that same day they placed an order for the SpotOn! Flexo software, with 5 additional user seats and two more handheld spectrophotometers.
In basketball they call that a Slam Dunk!
More information on SpotOn! Flexo, or to download a Free Trial version of the software go to: www.spotonflexo.com
(BTW, SpotOn! Flexo will not help you slam like MJ.)